Education Leaders Craft Blueprint For Turning Around Underperforming Schools

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw-Hill Education announced the release of a white paper, "Pathways to High Performance: Turning Around Underperforming Public Schools," co-authored by Arthur Griffin, Jr., senior vice president, Urban Advisory Resource, at McGraw-Hill Education, and James Pughsley, Ed.D, education consultant and former superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.  

The white paper explores the topic of reinvigorating the morale and achievement records of low-performing public schools based on three fundamental imperatives:

• Leadership imperatives, where boards, superintendents, principals and teachers have delineated roles yet work together toward a common goal;
• Instructional imperatives, for which development of a well-executed instructional framework has a sole objective in improving student academic achievement; and
• Environmental imperatives, involving an internal environment that must create, promote and maintain a culture of excellence, and external factors involving partnerships with the community, parents, local officials and the state and federal governments who set and oversee standards.

To illustrate how other public schools may be transformed by applying these three imperatives, Griffin and Pughsley draw upon their professional experiences in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School (CMS) District in North Carolina, currently the 20th largest school district in the U.S. Griffin was on the CMS board of education from 1985 to 1997 and was the board's chairman from 1997 to 2002. Pughsley was deputy superintendent from 1996 to 2002, and superintendent from 2002 to 2005. Under Griffin's and Pughsley's leadership, the school district experienced a 32 percent increase in reading levels for Grade 5 African-American students, among other marked improvements, and CMS was named a finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education as a result of its accomplishments.

"In a turnaround situation, a clear vision and persistent execution on the part of leaders at every level – from the board to individual teachers in the classroom – is essential," said Griffin. "To have any chance of success, district leaders must give everyone in a leadership position permission to allow innovation and new ways of looking at student achievement, and must resist accepting the status quo," he added.

Many of the key themes presented in this white paper will be discussed at the "Innovation in Education" Summit in New York City on September 29, 2010, sponsored by the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation. During the event, thought leaders in the education sector will examine some of the most critical issues facing schools and colleges nationwide.  

Griffin joined McGraw-Hill Education in 2004, following his 17 years on the CMS Board of Education. He is a recipient of the Richard R. Green award, as National Educator of the Year, sponsored by the Council of the Great City Schools, and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, the Broad Superintendents Academy, University of Virginia's Partnership for Leaders in Education, member of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Advisory Committee and a resident faculty member of the Broad and Texas Institute for School Board Members.  He has served on the Executive Committee of the Council of the Great City Schools and Steering Committee of the Council of Urban Boards of Education.

Pughsley served as Superintendent of CMS from 2002 to 2005, and currently serves as consultant to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in designing and developing the Accomplished Principal Certification program.  He has served on the national commission on No Child Left Behind housed within the Aspen Institute, and as a member of a national task force on public education for the Center for American Progress and the Institute for America's Future.  

To download ""Pathways to High Performance: Turning Around Underperforming Public Schools," visit http://www.mheccsi.com/pdf/white_paper_pathways_high_performance.pdf

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading innovator in the development of teaching and learning solutions for the 21st century. Through a comprehensive range of traditional and digital education content and tools, McGraw-Hill Education empowers and prepares professionals and students of all ages to connect, learn and succeed in the global economy. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 65 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com.

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Education