WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the Overview
on Making Visible Improvements

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Early in the Turnaround Process.

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Watson Elementary is one of the lowest-
performing schools in the district.

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Ms. Addison has just come on 
board as the third principal

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the school has had in two years.

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She faces the challenge of 
turning the school around--

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something the previous 
principals failed to do.

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The school staff and parents 
from the community want

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to help make changes at Watson,
but they are skeptical

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that Ms. Addison can succeed.

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Ms. Addison needs her staff, parents,
and students to believe that things

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will be different this time, and she 
doesn't have long to convince them.

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She needs to make changes quickly
and successfully to build everyone's

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confidence that the school can 
be turned around.

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She needs some "quick wins."

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Quick wins are highly visible
improvements that can be implemented

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early in the turnaround process.

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They can rally staff and parents
around the turnaround effort,

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build the momentum of the process,
and help overcome internal resistance.

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Research has shown that choosing one
or two quick wins is a strategy

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commonly used by schools
that have had successful turnarounds.

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The research shows that schools 
using quick wins as part

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of their turnaround process not only 
see reform efforts gain momentum,

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but also notice that the quick 
wins themselves become the driving

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force of the turnaround.

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Quick wins send a clear message
to the staff and community:

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not only can the school change,
it already is changing.

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Researchers and experts have identified
the following key actions for developing

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and implementing a quick win
at a school site.

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Conduct a needs assessment
at the school site.

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Set goals that can be achieved 
quickly and are both visible to

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the school staff and the 
wider community.

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Develop a process for accomplishing 
goals that can be achieved quickly.

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To properly identify powerful 
quick wins, it's important

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to conduct a needs assessment.

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This type of assessment can be conducted
informally, through discussions

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with staff and parents; or formally,
through surveys or classroom observations.

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School leaders can also review existing
student assessment data as well

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as attendance and behavioral measures.

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When setting goals for a school 
turnaround, be sure that the goal

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can be achieved within a few months.

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A focused goal can generally be achieved
more quickly than a broad one.

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Identifying one or two clear goals
that can be accomplished immediately

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sends the message that it is possible
to reach the ultimate goal--

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raising student achievement.

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Try to minimize dependence on others
for decision-making or financial support.

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For example, goals that require a 
lengthy district approval

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process or involve staff consensus
cannot be implemented quickly.

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When embarking on a school turnaround 
plan, choosing goals that benefit

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a number of stakeholders at the 
school site is a solid way

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to promote buy-in.

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Because halls and stairways were 
crowded, one middle school designated

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one set of stairs for going up
and another for going down.

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Hallway traffic moved smoothly; 
students and teachers did not

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get slowed down on their way 
to the next class.

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Let's look at some quick wins
that school leaders can use

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to begin the turnaround process.

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Altering schedules can improve the
functioning of the school.

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For example, one school extended 
lunch to allow students to go to

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the "Discovery Room."

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This room was created to provide 
a time and place for students

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to obtain additional 
instructional support.

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Schedules can be altered for 
teachers' benefit as well.

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Including planning time for 
teachers can enhance quality

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of instruction and alleviate 
teacher burnout.

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It can be valuable time 
for problem solving,

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as well as for discussions on 
instruction and assessment data.

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These types of changes can generally 
be accomplished quickly

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and have an immediate 
impact on instruction.

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Another quick win involves 
improving access to resources.

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One school developed a workroom 
for teachers that contained professional

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instruction materials and resources.

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In this way, the essential materials
were quickly and readily accessible.

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Other schools ensure all book orders 
are submitted in the spring

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so all books will be available on 
the first day of school in the fall.

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School leaders can make quick change
through the improvement

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of school facilities.

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One principal, upon arriving at a dirty,
cluttered school, immediately met

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with the district and custodial 
personnel to develop

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and supervise a clean-up plan.

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Establishing a safe and orderly 
school environment can also

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be a quick win.

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After discovering that a large portion
of the school's disciplinary problems

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involved the types of clothing worn
by students, the principal implemented

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a mandatory uniform policy.

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Soon the number of discipline referrals
at the school dropped significantly.

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In short, there are a number of ways
that quick wins can jump-start the

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school turnaround process.

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Adjustments can be made to staffing 
assignments, including the creation

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of intervention teams.

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These are teams of teachers who work 
together as effective problem-solvers

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for specific issues or content areas,
such as reading instruction.

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This can facilitate collaboration
and have a positive impact

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on teachers' ability to help students 
improve their performance.

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Promoting pride in the school 
community can foster a

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sense of unity among students and staff.

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At one middle school, the principal 
gave teachers more responsibility

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for curriculum development.

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His demonstration of trust in 
them as a community

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of educators made his staff feel 
more valued and unified.

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To learn more about Quick Wins,
please see the additional

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materials on the Doing What
Works website.