School Case Studies

Author(s): 
David Farbman

In 2004, the Kuss Middle School became the first school to be declared "chronically under-performing" in Massachusetts.The school joined the MA Expanded Learning Time Initiative adding 300 hours to its school year. This updated case study tells their story.

Author(s): 
Roy Chan

For years, Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School was plagued by low student achievement and high staff turnover. Then, in 2010, with an expanded school schedule made possible with federal funding, Orchard Gardens began a remarkable turnaround.

Author(s): 
Megan Britt & Emily Raine

Clarence Edwards Middle School was on the verge of being shut down. But by 2009, a renaissance at the Edwards made it one of the highest performing and most desired middle schools in Boston, dramatically narrowing and even eliminating academic achievement gaps while delivering a far more well-rounded education to its high-poverty student population.
 

Author(s): 
Roy Chan

Once among the highest-performing schools in Palmdale, a city 60 miles north of Los Angeles, Tumbleweed Elementary had fallen on tough times over the last decade. Then, in 2010, California labeled Tumbleweed “persistently low achieving,” ushering in a new era of school-wide transformation, featuring an expanded-time schedule, supported by federal funds. Today, with the benefits of more learning time and other key reforms, Tumbleweed is demonstrating dramatic improvement. This case study, the second in a series, takes you inside Tumbleweed’s turnaround.

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