Skepticism On Turning Around Failing Schools

USA Today (4/28, Toppo) reports that President "Obama wants to 'turn around' the USA's worst public schools, improving the schools we've got." However, early findings from the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program show that one third of schools got worse and the rest mostly saw modest gains. "U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan urges caution on the findings," saying, "We're in this for the long haul. One year of gains isn't success. One year of declines isn't failure." However, "nearly every observer, on both sides of the political spectrum, agrees: Big, centralized urban districts often make things worse, not better," and critics on all sides say that "'turnarounds' are bound to disappoint." While some say that failing schools should be replaced with charters, others not that charter schools "don't have a much better track record than other schools."