Atlanta Public Schools has begun implementing a bold strategy to increase student achievement dramatically and to transform its lowest-performing schools through comprehensive direct services to students, recruitment and development of top turnaround leaders and teachers, operating model changes and education partnership opportunities.

The APS Turnaround Strategy includes input from district and school leaders, community stakeholders, parents and school-based staff. This phase of the strategy focuses on several key areas that include high-impact tutoring; math and reading specialists to directly support students to improve math and reading skills; extended learning time; a Spring Break Academy; recruitment of respected turnaround school leaders; targeted professional learning for teachers; and accelerated roll-out of social emotional learning in schools. Several components of this work are now underway. A full implementation will launch over the next several months and will include operations changes at several schools.

At the Atlanta Board of Education’s February 1 meeting, Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen, Ed.D, will present recommendations to board members and the community to explore operations changes for some of the district’s lowest-performing elementary schools and to partner with education providers to support the Turnaround Strategy.

The APS Turnaround Strategy targets several schools that the Georgia Department of Education has identified as eligible for the state’s proposed takeover Opportunity School District. APS’ strategy targets those 26 schools—starting in the Carver, Douglass and Washington clusters, where some of the district’s lowest-performing schools are in need of immediate help for students.

“Our Turnaround Strategy aims to help low-performing schools make significant progress in both the short and long term,” Superintendent Carstarphen said. “It is also focused on increasing equity in the system through a deeper investment of resources in our most challenged schools, improving quality instruction, and making sure that our students’ experience in our schools increases their engagement and hope that will lead them to graduate and enter successful careers.”

Last semester, APS issued a Request for Qualifications for education providers to help with turnaround services, interventions and supports for one or more of the district’s low-performing schools. The RFQ asked for partners who have a proven and strong commitment to the communities they serve, excellent performance results and experience in achievement gains for students similar to APS students. Two nonprofit partners emerged as finalists to focus on the Carver Cluster. 1) The Kindezi Schools is a network of public elementary through middle charter schools that offers small class sizes in two schools in Atlanta.  2) Purpose Built Schools is an arm of Purpose Built Communities and is a partner organization to Charles R. Drew Charter School. A third finalist submitted a proposal not specific to a cluster. Nonprofit education partner par.

profit lity.till considering the long-term plan for then turnaround work, we cannot do this along. urnaroudn udents nor manRensselaerville Institute’s School Turnaround initiative has turned around over 200 schools in over 40 school districts across the country. This organization may be considered to support needs across the district.

In making the following recommendations, APS leaders considered several criteria. They include input from stakeholders, each school’s three-year College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI), enrollment, the condition of the school buildings and proximity and performance of nearby schools.

Carver Cluster

Over the last several weeks, APS leaders have met with school families and other Carver community stakeholders to collect their thoughts and desires. After considering community feedback and interest, APS is considering two partners to support the Carver Cluster. Kindezi and Purpose Built Schools, two nonprofits with a track record of strong student achievement in Atlanta, submitted proposals to work with the following schools:

Kindezi – Gideons Elementary School

Purpose Built Schools – Thomasville Heights Elementary, Slater Elementary, Price Middle School and Carver High School. While both organizations are known as charter operators, APS is only considering Kindezi and Purpose Built Schools as neighborhood schools with traditional attendance boundaries—not charter schools. The next phase of the process is for the community to provide input on the potential providers through community meetings.

Community Conversations Schedule:

• Thursday, Feb. 4 @ 6 p.m. Carver High

• Tuesday, Feb.  9 @ 6 p.m. Gideons

• Thursday, Feb. 18 @ 6 p.m. Thomasville Elementary

Stakeholders will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed partners via a survey beginning Monday, Feb. 22. The Board is scheduled to take action on the education partner recommendations at its March 7 board meeting. If the school board approves these recommendations, the planning process will begin immediately with the potential for some partnerships to launch as early as the 2016-2017 school year.

Douglass Cluster

For the Douglass Cluster, the administration is recommending a merger of Grove Park Intermediate School with Woodson Primary School. During the 2012 redistricting process, Woodson Primary School was created as a Kindergarten thru second grade site, serving the same attendance zone as Woodson Intermediate School, which has third through fifth grades.  Grove Park’s three-year CCRPI average is 46.5, the third lowest in the district, while Woodson’s 2014 CCRPI is 83.2. Both schools are significantly under-enrolled and need renovations. 

To ensure stronger alignment between the primary and intermediate programs, the schools will consolidate on the Grove Park campus at the start of the 2016-17 school year. A proposed SPLOST 2017 could provide as much as $18.5 million for renovations at Grove Park. The vacated Woodson site will be considered for an early childhood center.

Community Conversations Schedule:

• Parents Meeting – Tuesday, Feb. 2 @ 6 p.m. Grove Park Intermediate

• Douglass Cluster Public Hearings –          

  • Monday, Feb. 22 @ 6 p.m.  Grove Park Intermediate
  • Wednesday, March 2 @ 6 p.m. Woodson Primary

Washington Cluster

Many Washington Cluster stakeholders have provided suggestions to improve educational opportunities in their community. After careful consideration, the administration is recommending the following for this cluster:  

• Close Bethune Elementary School and open a new innovative K-8 Science Technology, Engineering & Math academy in the former Kennedy Middle School. Bethune has a three-year CCRPI average of 42.1, the second lowest in the district. A new school which will open with elementary grades in 2016-17, and phase in the middle school grade, beginning in the 2017-18 school one year at time, would address these academic needs and the anticipated growth of the Westside. Since Kennedy Middle was closed during the 2012 redistricting process, community leaders have advocated strongly for repurposing the facility and leveraging the asset as part of the community’s redevelopment efforts.  APS will do initial facility improvements this summer using nearly $2 million from current Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds. A larger scale renovation using $10 million from SPLOST 2017 is planned for future years. The community will be encouraged to participate in a planning process for the new academy including setting the vision for the school, identifying potential STEM partners and ultimately naming the new academy. The district is still considering the long-term plan for the Bethune facility.

• Merge Connally Elementary School with Venetian Hills Elementary. All students would attend classes on the Connally campus, following facility improvements this summer. Connally has the third lowest three-year CCRPI average (46.5) in the district. Venetian Hills’ 2014 CCRPI is 76.8. Both schools also have very low enrollment numbers. About $23.5 million has been budgeted for the merged Connally/Venetian Hills in SPLOST 2017 that could be used for renovating Connally. The Venetian Hills campus is also under consideration for an early childhood center.

• Community Conversations Schedule:

  • Parents Meeting – Wednesday, Feb. 3 @ 6 p.m. Washington High

  • Washington Cluster Public Hearings

    • Wednesday, Feb. 17 @ 6 p.m. Connally Elementary

    • Monday, Feb. 29 @ 6 p.m. Bethune Elementary

Other Clusters

All APS clusters with low performing schools will continue to benefit from the turnaround strategy through investments in building leader and teacher capacity, increasing time and focus on foundational skills and strengthening wraparound services to support nonacademic needs.

“My colleagues and I have worked in collaboration with the administration and a number of affected stakeholders in the development of our turnaround strategy,” said Courtney English, Atlanta Board of Education Chair. “I fully expect the board to embrace these bold steps to accelerate our ability to provide a high quality education for all of Atlanta’s children.”

The Turnaround Strategy is part of the district’s broader turnaround plans that have been underway since 2014-2015 school year.