PreK-12 School Improvement Opportunities 2011
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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.
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.
- 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