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Turnaround efforts for failing schools took center stage at this month’s State Board of Education meeting Wednesday. Board members discussed suggested changes to their own procedures to tighten both the turnaround timeline as well as the board’s own involvement in managing state intervention activities.
The recommendations include approving a new model known as the “transformation zone,” which allows a school district to develop its own turnaround plan to operate under varying degrees of state oversight, as well as eliminating another model – external “Lead Partners” contracted by the state to operate certain aspects of a school.
The board’s internal committee on School Turnaround also suggested modifying existing rules to allow for earlier state intervention – specifically, after a school has received four consecutive “F” grades, rather than the current six.
Perhaps the most controversial point was the idea to establish a board-specific turnaround unit to manage all intervention activities.
As it has before, that idea launched discussions of power and authority between state superintendent Glenda Ritz, her department and the state board itself.
Ritz said she saw the recommendation as an attempt by the board to become Indiana’s primary education agency, which she argued is the responsibility of the Department of Education.
Despite heated discussion, the board approved all of the committee’s recommendations.
The complete slate of ideas will be shared with the general assembly and Governor Mike Pence for consideration.
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