Much Better Than Adequate Progress

"I used data. I compared and had teachers compare their students' entering test scores with their exiting test scores. This data was included in their end-of-the-year evaluations. I also met with every teacher at the end of the year and discussed their results. They were not allowed to make excuses, but needed to have a plan to improve any of their weak areas --- yes, their weak areas, not the students'.

"I spent a lot of time trying to fix poor teachers. I told them my expectations, provided lots of training, and monitored them constantly. I would walk through their classrooms every day until I saw what I wanted to see. I also modeled lessons and provided time for them to observe exemplar teachers. I was always up front and honest with them, focused on the data and best practices in pedagogy. They improved or transferred.

"I know I sound like a preacher, but it boils down to who is in that classroom --- and until someone in authority says, 'It is about the kids, put kids first and stop being afraid of hurting some teacher's feelings,' then things will not change.

"If you asked them now, the teachers at Frankford would tell you that they can make chicken salad out of chicken [waste]. It is that belief in their ability to make the students successful that is the key.

M. Hall Stanton Elementary School, Philadelphia

Located in an economically devastated neighborhood in North Philadelphia, Stanton has about 500 students, all of whom are African American and almost all of whom meet the qualifications for free and reduced-price meals. About 6 percent of the students are identified as having disabilities.

In 2003, only 13 percent of the students met state reading standards and 20 percent met state math standards. The school was part of the state's restructuring process. In 2004 and 2005, not only did Stanton make AYP, but in 2005, 73 percent of the students met state reading standards and 84 percent met state math standards, higher rates of passage than the state of Pennsylvania.

Barbara Adderley, principal:

"It used to be that we were not held accountable. Now, everybody's accountable. I have to do my job. Teachers have to do their job. We have to ensure that these children are successful.

"We have children who sit in front of us every day who want to be successful in life. If we don't help them, they're going to be lost.

"It would be easy to feel sorry for our kids. Many of them don't speak fluently, much less read fluently. They experience every ill that urban American poverty offers.

"But they don't need us to feel sorry for them. They need us to make sure they understand what they are expected to do. They are capable, but they can't be expected to learn to read and write and understand mathematics unless we teach them.

"Each student at Stanton has an individual plan in place to make sure he or she learns. Each teacher knows what books the child should read, what math games the child should play, and what skills the child needs to learn next. In this way, we make sure no child is lost.