Accountability-driven school reform: are there unintended effects on younger children in untested grades?

Henry, Gary T.; McNeill, Shelby M.; Harbatkin, Erica

doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.07.005

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 59 publications

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“…Waiver-based reforms in New York, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Louisiana produced either null or negative effects on student achievement (Atchison, 2020; Dee & Dizon-Ross, 2019; Dougherty & Weiner, 2017; Hemelt & Jacob, 2017, 2018). A similar state-initiated reform in North Carolina that focused on tailoring turnaround services to school needs also led to negative effects on student achievement, early grade outcomes, and teacher retention (Henry & Harbatkin, 2020; Henry et al, 2022). By contrast, an Ohio reform that involved supporting district and school leaders in developing comprehensive plans produced positive effects on school-level student achievement (Player & Katz, 2016).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Efficacy and Implementation of Michigan’s Partnership Model of School and District Turnaround: Mixed-Methods Evidence From the First 2 Years of Reform Implementation

Burns

Harbatkin

Strunk

et al. 2023

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

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The recent Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to identify and turn around their lowest performing schools, but it breaks somewhat from prior policies by granting states significant autonomy over how they identify and turn around these schools. This mixed-methods study, which draws on administrative, qualitative, and survey data, examines the effectiveness of Michigan’s approach to school turnaround under ESSA. We find that students in turnaround schools experienced significant achievement gains in math and to a lesser extent in English language arts (ELA), with effects concentrated among the lowest achieving students. Analyses of qualitative and survey data suggest that these outcomes were influenced by state-level supports, strategic planning, the threat of accountability for continued low performance, and improved leadership quality in turnaround schools.

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