Lessons from a Public School Turnaround

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

Dedicated, strong, competent women and men who obviously care about students learning. Great job and Thank You!

[@ScienceguyOrg]

Great job Cochrane! Always enjoy stories like this. Bill Kuhl

[@myabowen9696]

Being intentional is absolutely one of the keys to student success!!!

[@sonofjesus1464]

I actually attended this school. Yes it was horrible until 2013. Major change in student bodies and teacher's way of teaching. To be honest students that come here have to have the mindset of success or else there is nothing the teacher even if they are could can do to help and excel them. Anyway it has been 2 years since I graduated. If they think they raised failing kids they should absolutely be surprised. In that school I was horrible in math, after I got saved which was last year, I skyrocket in my knowledge. Math, Calculus, physics, Computer Science, all of learning another language like Spanish and Japanese, which is only 20% of my life. The other 80% is total utterly from the world above and is spiritual and Heaven Culture(which is too much experience and a entire other subject), not that I actually have a 80% Godly life but a 100% because I was called to be a business inventor and invent things from the world above, which is in fact in my Father's will. Okay, now this school is completely excellent and very different.

[@davidayer2168]

FOCUS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - the kids will likewise step up their game

[@marciajoseph]

If you are not here for the students this school is not for you!!!!! Love this video.

[@ForlanceAbice]

I hope you speak truth. i just hate it when one shows sunshine and rainbows, when the reality is much worse.

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

Nah, it's not that bad. We know so much more than we did even 10 years ago. Failing schools are no longer a mystery. We know exactly what to do in order to change it around. All it takes is leadership and the staff to implement it.

[@teachingcoaches]

I think this video is terrific! This school should be credited for doing a great job. Thank you for telling all of us your story. We can all learn from this.

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

There are actually tens of thousands of schools doing the exact thing all over the country.

[@happymantis]

Although this video warms my heart and gives me hope for the future of American education, I'm wondering if this model can overcome the biggest problem facing most new innovative learning methodologies: The issue of scaling up. Can this be replaced en masse in other schools successfully, or is this a unique solution for a unique school?

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

No, professional development, that being the time spent updating teachers on the current, most effective ways to make sure students are learning must be a part of every public school in the nation, en masse and the specific program a school uses can difffer according to student need and State approval. But the ultimate goal is the same: constantly evaluating student assessment and being willing to use different methods when necessary. A teacher goes to college to learn how to teach - that never changes. How students learn does change and can vary from student to student. That's the key to a successful school.

[@happymantis]

I'm not a professional educator, but one strategy that I think might be successful in most failing schools is removing extremely disruptive students from classrooms. The presence of rude and extremely vocal students often disrupts any incremental gains in learning in the worst schools. Given the controversy over rubber rooms in schools, perhaps this recommendation needs to be studied more before being put into practice, but from my perspective, its low-hanging fruit.

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

Yes, yours is a common idea. However, in the United States education is right, not a privilege. The system is designed to guarantee a disruptive student the same education as a non-disruptive student and the responsiblity to iron that out falls on the teacher, the school and the parents. We don't simply throw kids out on the street because they are disruptive and if we did do that, some struggling schools would be throwing out hundreds of students a day. Rather, we understand the disruptive students are predominantly a result of failing schools. And even once all measures have been put in place the student continues to be disruptive, most every school district has a seperate facility with trained staff so that we can continue to fulfill his right to an education.

[@carolhudson6014]

What about the kids? I'm in an urban high school in North Texas. So many of my kids come with social, psychological, and/or drug related problems; I'm often overwhelmed. What does this school do to help at-risk students cope with underlying issues?

[@ohmusicsweetmusic]

Excellent question. Those issues are very real. However, the teacher must be relieved of solving these issues. There's just not enough hours in the day. The School District must make available school counselors, county social workers and partner with local and state resources to aggressivel solve and meet these needs. Extra staff must be made available on the school site who main responsbility is coordinating resources and matching students. Though a teacher is not responsible, she is well aware that without this help, learning simply cannot happen.

[@lorenzocunningham8088]

cochrane is a good school

[@LFGreatIdeas11]

This model has been successfully implemented for over 20 years nation-wide. See data and demographics on other schools implementing this model under the resources tab in endorsements and results at LearningFocused view the other video from this series for more insight.