Turnaround Policy and Practice: A Case Study of Turning Around a Failing School with English-Language-Learners

Pushed Out for Missing School: The Role of Social Disparities and School Truancy in Dropping Out

“…Other implications from this study can help us better prepare pre-service and in-service teachers and educators on the critical importance of building trust and relationships with students, especially for students of color [62]. For example, Reyes and Garcia [65] found that in a low-income school with Latino students and English-language learners that was up for closure, a culturally and linguistically relevant principal was able to establish connections with the community, the students, and the parents in order to address the challenges that a high-poverty school faces. What was learned from this study is that through a shift to a leader who understands the community he was serving, change was achieved.…”

District and University Partnerships in Support of a High Needs Urban Elementary School

“…Reyes and Garcia (2014) question the practice of assessing demographically different schools according to identical criteria and with the same consequences for unsatisfactory performance. Low-income urban minority schools have far fewer resources than affluent middle class suburban schools and performance-based interventions often do not consider these differences or their impact upon student achievement.…”

“…This is promising evidence that schools can improve with changes in the ways that leaders operate” (p. 692). Reyes and Garcia (2014), summarizing the effective turnaround of a low-income urban minority school, write that “[t]he school was a candidate for school closure but using some unorthodox management skills and (a) culturally/linguistic/professional school leadership model, the principal was able to remove toxic staff and change the existing teaching staff” (p. 368). These models of intervention clearly demonstrate the problematic tendency to treat school administrators and teachers as objects to be changed rather than as agents of change (Cucchiara et al, 2015).…”

Teaching English in the United States: Looking Back and Moving Forward towards a Brighter Future

“…Principals set the tone for providing opportunities for parents of ELLs to have an active role in their child's education. Parents can share their expertise as visiting teachers in the classroom, serve on the school leadership team (Wiemelt & Welton, 2015), create a parent center within the school (Reyes & Garcia, 2014), and start parent empowerment groups for families from particular linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Theoharis & O'Toole, 2011). In addition to providing opportunities for parent involvement, ensuring parents of ELLs have access to information concerning the education of their child is essential.…”

“…Principals must seek out creative ways to fund teaching and learning. For example, as part of efforts to turnaround a low-performing urban elementary school serving predominantly low-income, Latin@ students, including 63% ELLs, one principal converted a campus position into program funding for a fine arts program featuring violin, mariachi, baile folklorico, and modern dance (Reyes & Garcia, 2014). In another case, the principal of an urban elementary school serving 16% ELLs from Latin@ and Hmong backgrounds, sought permission from the school district to use discretionary gifted and talented allocations in new ways, as well as permission from the state ESL coordinator to use ESL resources differently (Theoharis & O'Toole, 2011 minority-owned businesses, local politicians, and foreign educational and governmental entities.…”