PreK-12 School Improvement Opportunities 2011

May 2011 | 79 pages | ID: PD3E024C240EN
Simba Information

Abstracts

PreK-12 School Improvement Opportunities 2011 is a state-of-play market briefing that examines the unique opportunity offered to publishers and providers of educational materials, tools and services by the expanded federal funding of the U.S. Department of Education’s School Improvement Grants program for lowest-performing schools. In the process, SIG, and other federal programs like Race to the Top, are helping disrupt traditional business models and processes in the educational publishing industry.

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal stimulus plan, the Obama administration poured about $4 billion in funding into school improvement and redirected the focus to the worst-performing schools.

As a result, most states are compiling lists of approved external providers for schools to work with. While there is great variation in the lists, it creates a competitive landscape and typically reflect a mix of in-state educational agencies, universities, non-profit organizations and commercial technology and educational services and materials vendors as wide-ranging as America’s Choice, Edison Learning, Cambium Learning, Learning Point Associates, Mosaica Education, Success for All Foundation and Wireless Generation.

The demands of the School Improvement Grants opportunity has sparked changing business models and acquisitions, particularly among the largest publishers such as Pearson and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, while McGraw-Hill, Scholastic and Renaissance Learning are among publishers partnering or reorganizing internally to pursue the opportunities.

Contents

Methodology

Executive Summary

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW

Introduction

ARRA Honed SIG Focus

Miami and Rose City (Ark.) M.S. Exemplify Early Stage

Table 1.1: Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools Tiers

CHAPTER 2: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Introduction

Awards by Tiers

High Schools Capture Most SIG Awards

School SIG Awards Varied in Amount

Schools Must Pick Among Four Intervention Models

Restart and School Closure Attract Few Schools

Turnaround Shakes Up Educators

Transformation Model Dominates

Table 2.1: School Improvement Grants Landscape At-a-Glance

Table 2.2: School Districts with More than Five Schools Awarded School Improvement Grants

Table 2.3: Per Student Grant Amounts Top 10 California Districts

Table 2.4: Characteristics and Use of Four Intervention Models

Table 2.5: Intervention Models Used in Florida

Table 2.6: States Exclusively Using Transformation Model

CHAPTER 3: FUNDING

Introduction

School Improvement Grants Grow from 2007

Other Federal Funding Helps Schools Improve

Table 3.1: School Improvement Grants

Table 3.2: School Improvement Grants Allocations, 2010-2012P

Table 3.3: 50 Largest School Improvement Grants

CHAPTER 4: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Introduction

Opportunity Is Heavy on Services

Edison Learning Leads Change in Hawaii

State Agencies Provide Support Services

Opportunity in Curriculum and Instruction

Reading Strategies Is Focus at Barnum Elementary School

Using PD to Improve Instruction at JFK Elementary in Boston

State Vendor Lists Show Variation

Alabama Creates Two Vendor Lists

Illinois Districts Must Have Lead Partner

Ohio Cast Wide Net for Assistance

Michigan Approves 56 External Providers

Publishers are Adapting to the Demand

Pearson Acquires America’s Choice

Pearson Adds Schoolnet

McGraw-Hill Forms School Improvement Solutions Team

Clicking for School Improvement

HMH Grows Professional Development through Acquisition

Scholastic Targets Math

Table 4.1: Selected Topical Opportunities Under School Improvement Intervention Models

Table 4.2: John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Boston SIG-Related Proposed Budget, 2010-2011

Table 4.3: Michigan Approved School Improvement Providers

CHAPTER 5: CASE STUDIES

Introduction

Miami Central Senior High School

Miami Central Senior High School Background

SIG Grant Brings More Changes

Changing Role for Teachers and Technology

Warren G. Harding High School

History of Harding High School

Problems in Need of Solutions

Path to School Improvement

Work Begins in the 2010-2011 School Year

Teachers Step Up

Washington Middle School

Washington Middle School Background

Climate Change Begins

Intervention for Reading and Math

Professional Development Emphasized

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK

Introduction

Funding Loses ARRA Boost

Competing for Dollars

Hagan Proposes STAR Act

Murray Proposes LEARN Act

New Year, New Lists

Alabama Has New List of Persistently Lowest Performing Schools

Tennessee Exemplifies Ongoing Need

Lessons from Schools in Intervention Status

Table 6.1: Approved School Improvement Grant Awards