More Tools for Turnaround

The new issue of School Administrator brings together some valuable new information on turnaround and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Strategic Staffing Model. The cover story features an article by CMS’s Chief Academic Officer and valued ERS partner, Ann Clark, who provides an inside story on the effort to put the most effective principals and teachers in the highest-need schools. The district—the second-largest in North Carolina—became an ERS partner in 2008 after years of both low test scores and job satisfaction among teachers. One of the main goals in our work with CMS was to implement a Strategic Staffing Initiative, and the results have been dramatic. The article also includes a sidebar on “The Family Model” school design that Principal Tonya Kales implemented after reading Karen Miles and Stephen Franks book, The Strategic School.

Also in this issue of School Administrator is an article by ERS Manager Kristen Ferris on staff retention and support in the context of turnaround schools. Exploring the experience of three districts, Ferris highlights how success in recruiting top talent to the neediest schools and retaining them requires changing working conditions.

You can learn more about CMS' Strategic Staffing in our video “Turnaround in Action” and our case study published in 2010.