This morning at Coolidge Senior High School, Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced reform plans for the 27 DCPS schools that require restructuring under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for five years in a row. As we’ve mentioned before, the five restructuring options offered under NCLB include: reopening the school as a public charter, replacing all or most school staff relevant to AYP failure, collaborating with an external partner, submitting to a State takeover, or developing another major restructuring effort.

The 27 schools in restructuring status are: Anacostia SHS, H.D. Woodson SHS, Eliot JHS, Ballou SHS, Ronald H. Brown MS, Browne JHS, Johnson JHS, Cardozo SHS, Garnet-Patterson MS, Shaw JHS, Coolidge SHS, Hart MS, Green ES (will be closing at the end of this school year), Dunbar SHS, Kramer MS, Miner ES, Eastern SHS, Lincoln MS, Moten ES, Roosevelt SHS, MacFarland MS, Stanton ES, Spingarn SHS, Sousa MS, Truesdell ES, Webb-Wheatley ES, and Woodrow Wilson SHS.

The plans will be put into effect for the 2008-09 school year. Mayor Fenty said, "With restructuring plans now underway, the school system can begin to take a critical step toward education reform by strengthening school leadership, and improving teacher instruction and student learning in restructuring schools."

D.C. Wire has posted a good summary of the plans. In short, either the principal or the instructional staff will be replaced or asked to reapply at 17 of 26 schools on the list. Five schools will work with a private partner and seven will work with an alternative plan, with Coolidge HS and Dunbar HS having been placed on the list for more than one restructuring option. None of the schools will be turned into public charters or delivered to the State.

According to a DCPS release, these plans were developed after six months of deliberation and many community meetings with parents, faculty, administrators and staff at restructuring schools. Schools that will be partnering with an external organization will continue to work with the Chancellor to select that group, with announcements expected in June.

Full details after the jump.

DCPS restructuring plans include the following options:

Option 2- Reconstitution

DCPS may replace some or all staff, hire new leadership or create new curriculum, adding resources or combining all of these actions in order to focus on and improve areas of AYP failure.

Option 2A: Administrative Reconstitution

DCPS will replace or require administrative staff members to reapply for their positions at 10 schools. Option 2A schools include: Anacostia Senior High School, Dunbar Senior High School, Eastern Senior High School (instructional staff to be reconstituted in 2009), Garnet-Patterson/Shaw Middle School, Hart Middle School, Lincoln Middle School, MacFarland Middle School, Moten Elementary School, Sousa Middle School and Woodson Senior High School.

Option 2B: Instructional Staff Reconstitution

DCPS will replace instructional staff relevant to AYP failure at 7 schools. This could include school leadership as well. Option 2B schools include: Eliot Junior High School, Cardozo High School, Coolidge High School, Stanton Elementary School, Truesdell Elementary School, Webb-Wheatley Elementary School and Wilson High School (no more than 20 percent of instructional staff)

Option 3- Partner with an external organization

Five schools will partner with external organizations with expertise and experience in turning around low-performing schools in order to increase AYP success as effectively and as quickly as possible. Option 3 schools include: Anacostia High School, Ballou High School, Coolidge High School, Dunbar High School and Hart Middle School

Option 5: Other Major Restructuring

Seven schools will assume restructuring plans tailored to the specific needs of each individual school. Option 5 schools include: Ron Brown Middle School, Browne Junior High School, Johnson Middle School, Kramer Middle School, Miner Elementary School, Roosevelt High School and Spingarn High School.

In addition, certain option 5 schools will incorporate one of the following key interventions as cornerstones of the schools’ overall restructuring plans:

CLUSTER INITIATIVES consist of two clusters (one with ten schools, one with three) whose principals operate together with dedicated leadership from the Chancellor’s office and with significant autonomy in decisions regarding curriculum, instructional practices, professional development and school operations.

Cluster Initiative Schools: MacFarland, Miner, Webb-Wheatley

FULL SERVICE SCHOOLS include positive behavior supports and interventions, enhanced staffing to support the behavior management and mental health needs of students, as well as facilitated outreach to families.

Full Service Schools: Ron Brown, Eliot, Garnet-Patterson-Shaw, Johnson, Kramer, Sousa

SCHOOL-WIDE APPLICATION MODEL SCHOOLS (SAM) will redistribute special education resources into the general education classroom so that all students are able to experience the benefit of specialized instruction and services.

SAM Schools: Moten, Stanton

Browne, Roosevelt and Spingarn will undertake plans tailored to meet their specific needs.

Information from DCPS.