5 lessons as urban school district reform continues

Despite decades of reform initiatives, school districts struggle with a significant achievement gap between children from low-income households vs. middle-class and affluent children.

Socio-demographics are the most powerful predictors of a school district’s academic success. Some education experts have an analogy involving growing corn in Iowa vs. the desert: Even if the seeds are the same, the differing environments result in starkly different outcomes, no matter how skilled the farmer.

The challenges are especially acute in America’s urban districts, partly because of the concentrated poverty in inner cities, partly because of the large populations served by big urban districts, and partly because of how urban revitalization is helped or hindered by the quality of neighborhood schools. 

The best strategy to improve outcomes for low-income children is economic integration — an option largely off the table in most communities because of housing patterns.

“It’s incredible, when you look at the research, that when you put an (economically disadvantaged) kid in a middle-class school, within three to five years, they’re doing just as well as kids from that community,” said Amber Arellano, who just stepped down as CEO of EdTrust Midwest, a think tank based in Detroit. “They’re getting a way richer curriculum and more advanced coursework. They’re getting more opportunities for acceleration. They’re getting tutoring if they get behind or if they have a learning disability. There are just more supports.”

Reformers have come to learn there are no quick fixes. But there are strategies that can move the needle, experts say. 

Among the lessons learned:

The importance of leadership

“Leadership matters,” said James Moore, an Ohio State University expert in urban education. “If there’s anything we’ve learned it’s that it is important we choose the right leaders and give the leaders the support to carry out the work.”

For school superintendents, the trick is handling everyday crises as well as developing long-term vision. The latter requires identifying a district’s problem areas, crafting a strategy to address those and doing the hard work of implementation.

“It’s an incredibly difficult job,” said Amber Humm Patnode, acting director of Proving Ground, part of Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. “It’s walking that fine line of accountability while recognizing the challenges” faced by staff, students and parents.

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