Urban Success Stories, by Edward J. McElroy

Have you heard? Teachers in urban schools everywhere are achieving impressive results with their students

I heard it said once that you'll never see the headline, "Plane Lands Safely at Airport." Most people don't consider commonplace or expected occurrences to be newsworthy. It takes something that is unexpected or surprising to get our attention.

Much of the good news about school improvement never hits the presses. If you teach in a high-achieving school or district, you may be frustrated that the public expects, but does not always applaud, stellar performance. Teachers in lower-performing situations may find that hard-won achievement gains are eclipsed by criticism that much work remains to be done, or that the perception of their school system trumps the reality. You might not have heard about it, but urban school systems across the country are posting gains in student achievement that deserve our attention.

Baltimore, MD
Several years ago, leaders of the Baltimore Teachers Union (an affiliate of the AFT) and the district's CEO teamed up to turn around 10 of the city's lowest-performing public schools. The schools adopted a rigorous curriculum, supported by strong discipline codes and professional development. They also have a longer school day and year, for which teachers receive extra compensation.

At Bay-Brook Elementary and Middle School, in just one year, the school's median rankings rose from the 28th percentile to the 36th percentile in reading and from the 23rd percentile to the 38th percentile in mathematics. In some grades and subjects, Bay-Brook went from having few or none of its students meeting or exceeding standards to nearly half of them making the grade just the following year.

Cleveland, OH
Three low-achieving Cleveland, OH schools participated in a program that is based on years of proven research and was developed by reading experts at the AFT. Kindergarten, first and second grade teachers received intensive training in content and techniques and a skilled coach at each school helped the teachers to put their training into practice.

The results have been encouraging. For instance, at Cleveland's George Washington Carver Elementary School, located in one of that city's poorest neighborhoods, 73 percent of the fourth graders passed the state reading test – a big jump from previous years and more than double the school district average. Because of results like that, preK through second grade teachers in all of Cleveland's public schools have now taken the AFT training.

Philadelphia, PA
Several years ago, district administrators overhauled Philadelphia's most academically troubled schools. Some of the schools were turned over to private managers, some to local universities, and others were "restructured" – overhauled and given extra support by the school district. The 21 restructured schools adopted a rigorous curriculum, bolstered professional development and ran after-school programs for low-achieving students.

In the first year alone, the restructured schools reduced the number of students scoring below basic levels by 15 percentage points in math and 11.3 in reading. The restructured schools significantly out-performed schools operated by universities and private managers.

Teachers know that, under challenging conditions, helping struggling students make consistent, dramatic improvements in achievement can be tougher than landing a 747 on a cocktail napkin. Yet, with the right supports, these gains are achievable. Impressive as we know they are, they often don't make headlines. But they do something more important – they change students' lives.

Edward J. McElroy, former President of the American Federation of Teachers.