To illustrate the shortcomings of Governor Wolf’s improvement plan for schools we travel west to UPrep, a post-secondary preparation middle/high school, in the Pittsburgh School District that underwent an extensive turnaround initiative in 2008. Despite innovative programs, and outside partnerships and funding, UPrep never lived up to its potential.
Unfortunately, one key element to an effective turnaround was missing from UPrep: staffing flexibility, specifically the ability for school leaders to implement strategies that recruit and retain a team of effective teachers.
Check out PennCAN’s second one-pager, to find out more about why the turnaround efforts at UPrep were thwarted by adult interests and to see an example of how a school in Tennessee flourished when school leaders were allowed flexibility in staffing.
