1. There have been other attempts to fix under-performing Chicago Public Schools. Most haven’t worked. What makes the AUSL turnaround approach different?
2. What is the proof that the schools need changing?
3. Why do you replace the entire school staff?
4. What happens to the teachers and staff who are displaced?
5. Aren’t you just shifting bad teachers to other schools?
6. Can you prove that this approach is successful?
7. How do you know you’re really providing the students what they need?
8. Isn’t AUSL just a private institution taking over public schools?
   
   Teacher Training Academies
9. What and where are the Training Academies?
10. What makes the urban teacher residency (UTR) program different from other teacher training programs?
11. Can anyone become an AUSL Training Academy resident?
12. Why is this type of training so important?
13. Are AUSL Training Academy graduates employed under the same terms as CPS teachers?
14. Where do the principals for the AUSL Turnaround schools come from? Have they been principals before?
    
    Turnaround Schools
    
15. What and where are the turnaround schools?
16. How is the turnaround accomplished? What is the timeline?
17. Do parents have any input?
18. Who may attend an AUSL turnaround school?
19. Are there fewer students in turnaround school classrooms than other CPS schools?
20. Chronically under-performing schools often have major discipline problems. How does AUSL address discipline?
21. What is AUSL’s history? How did it get started?
22. How is AUSL funded?
23. How can I find out more about AUSL?
    

1. There have been other attempts to fix under-performing Chicago Public Schools. Most haven’t worked. What makes the AUSL turnaround approach different?

AUSL school turnaround works, and creates successful students, because of two things: top-to-bottom school transformation, and special teacher training.

AUSL transforms under-performing CPS schools by completely overhauling them without relocating students. Students return in the fall to renovated facilities, a new curriculum, new leadership and staff (principal, teachers and all other staff), and an entirely new culture of success. We have transformed twelve turnaround schools since 2006 and will expect to take on more for the 2012-13 school year.

Specially trained teachers are our "secret sauce." Many of the teachers in new turnaround schools are graduates of AUSL's urban teacher residency (UTR) program. Through the UTR program, we recruit and develop teachers in training (we call them residents). The residents spend an intense year working alongside a mentor teacher in one of nine AUSL Training Academies, all of which are Chicago public schools. Residents also take graduate-level academic course work, and receive tools and support tailored to prepare them to meet the specific challenges of transforming an under-performing urban school.

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2. What is the proof that the schools need changing?

There is, unfortunately a wealth of evidence that many schools are failing to adequately educate their students. For the most recent 5-year cohort of CPS high school students, 59.7% graduated within five years of entrance. However, when you remove CPS's top performing high schools (those who graduate 75% or more of their students in five years) the graduation rate plummets to 52.0%. At this point a little over half of incoming freshmen are likely to graduate in five years – one in two drop out – a deplorable statistic that is moving the city backward, not forward.

Contributing to the high school graduation rate is the high school readiness of 8th graders. CPS officials compared the ISAT cutoff scores for eighth grade — long criticized for setting the bar too low — with college readiness results for the Explore test for the same students. While 80.7 percent of eighth-graders met state standards on the ISAT reading test, only 31 percent are college-prepared based on the other test. Similarly, 81.5 percent scored adequately on the ISAT math test, but only 20 percent are considered college-ready in the subject. As a result, few are prepared for college and even fewer graduate from college. 35% of CPS students who went to college earned their bachelor's degree within six years, well below the national average of 64%.

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3. Why do you replace the entire school staff?

For a school to be selected by CPS for turnaround, it must have a long history of poor performance. Sherman (28.9% met or exceeded state standards the year before turnaround) and Harvard (31.8%), the first two turnaround schools, were ranked among the 10 worst out of more than 3,000 Illinois elementary schools, and both had been performing poorly for many years in spite of many other attempts at intervention. During all of those years, these schools – despite good intentions and staff efforts – were failing to adequately educate the children enrolled there.

The students at these schools needed and deserved a radical change, quickly. AUSL's school turnaround model starts fresh. An entirely new and highly qualified staff brings the talent, resources, and high expectations needed to get the school back on track. A turnaround creates a new climate and culture of success, based on high expectations for student achievement and supported by new school leaders, teachers, programs and facility improvements, and other upgrades.

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4. What happens to the teachers and staff who are displaced?

Teachers and staff who are displaced when a school is turned around have time, with pay from CPS, to find another position within the school system. There are openings each year in CPS's 600 schools.

The fact that teachers and staff are displaced by CPS is one of the most difficult things about the turnaround process, but it’s important to keep in mind that the students are the focus of the turnaround effort. Children have only one shot at a quality education, and CPS has asked AUSL to create an environment where great teachers, school leaders and students can flourish.

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5. Aren’t you just shifting bad teachers to other schools?

No. Even in failing schools there are some good teachers and staff, and they find opportunities elsewhere. School turnaround isn’t about any individual teacher. It’s about creating a team of teachers who are specially trained for the challenges of re-creating an entire school culture and transforming an urban school from failure to success. The system-wide, whole school transformation brings in new talent and resources, and dramatically raises expectations for everyone in the school: school leaders, teachers, staff, students and parents. And it is working.

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6. Can you prove that this approach is successful?

AUSL opened its first turnaround school, the Sherman School of Excellence, in 2006. We’ve seen steady gains in the achievement of Sherman's students since that time. The percentage of Sherman students meeting state testing standards have improved from nearly 29 percent to over 59.5 percent, a significant gain of almost 30 percentage points in comparison with an overall CPS improvement rate of 3.8 percentage points.

AUSL's second turnaround school, in 2007, was the Harvard School of Excellence. Before it was turned around, Harvard was ranked in the bottom five out of more than 3,000 Illinois elementary schools. The percentage of students meeting state standards improved from 31 to 40 percent in the first year alone and has since increased to almost 66 percent. Steady, positive improvements in achievement and attendance results are a hallmark of all 19 of the CPS schools managed by AUSL. Click Here to see the results page on our website for the most recent results.

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7. How do you know you’re really providing the students what they need?

AUSL relies on a variety of tools to continually assess student needs and determine if they are being met. For instance, AUSL has developed special assessment tools for math, science, reading and writing, and we assess each student periodically throughout the year to determine progress and gaps in knowledge. Teachers have immediate access to the results, so they know what needs to be done to supplement the curriculum and meet the needs of individual students. That way, the students don’t continue to fall behind. When the time comes for the annual tests, the students are better prepared and their performance shows it.

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8. Isn’t AUSL just a private institution taking over public schools?

AUSL is a nonprofit enterprise created specifically to help develop a pipeline of teachers selected and trained for the demands of urban schools. AUSL manages turnaround schools under contract with CPS. AUSL schools are and remain CPS schools during their turnaround. The teachers are all Chicago Teachers Union members and all school staff members are CPS employees.

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9. What and where are the Training Academies?

AUSL’s Training Academies are:

Chicago Academy Elementary School, Portage Park
opened by AUSL in 2001

Dodge Renaissance Academy, East Garfield
re-opened by AUSL in 2003

Chicago Academy High School, Portage Park
opened by AUSL in 2004

The Tarkington School of Excellence, Marquette Park
opened by AUSL in 2005

Collins Academy High School, North Lawndale
opened by AUSL in 2007

National Teachers Academy, South Loop
managed by AUSL since 2007

Eric Solorio Academy High School, Gage Park
opened by AUSL in 2010

Howe School of Excellence, Austin
Turned around by AUSL in 2008, converted to a teacher training site in 2011

Morton School of Excellence, East Garfield Park
Turned around by AUSL in 2008, converted to a teacher training site in 2011

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10. What makes the urban teacher residency (UTR) program different from other teacher training programs?

AUSL’s urban teacher residency program combines a full year of Master's Degree level university course work with a full year of progressively responsible teaching under the guidance of a mentor teacher.

This full-year, full-time commitment to training is greater than the time required to complete other teacher training programs, which typically involve six to 16 weeks of full-time training. AUSL residents are paid for their full-time commitment during the training year. They spend an intense year working under the guidance of a mentor teacher who provides opportunities for the resident to observe, practice and receive coaching evaluation and support during and after each school day.

AUSL’s university partner, National-Louis University offers residents a Master's degree program over the summer and one day per week that is customized and complements the residents’ in-classroom work with their mentor teachers. Residents who successfully complete this integrated program become certified teachers and are awarded a master’s degree.

After their year of training, successful graduates are employed as Master's degree teachers in AUSL turnaround schools, where they receive ongoing coaching and support.

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11. Can anyone become an AUSL Training Academy resident?

Anyone with a bachelor's degree, a commitment to teach in Chicago, and a passion for our special mission of transforming Chicago's under-performing schools is welcome to apply. We carefully screen candidates to select those who possess the dedication, commitment and resilience that are required to succeed in an urban public school. The program is popular and selective; typically we accept close to 10% of applicants. For more information about our training program, including how to apply, click here.

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12. Why is this type of training so important?

AUSL believes that intensive training is necessary to prepare someone to succeed in the demanding, difficult professional work of teaching in urban schools. Nationwide, half of urban school teachers leave the profession within three years, citing inadequate preparation and lack of support. Our program is designed to address those problems by fully training our teachers for the challenges of urban school teaching, and by providing plenty of support during the training and in the critical early years of teaching. AUSL-trained teachers stay with the profession much longer than most new teachers: 89 percent of our program's graduates are still in the classroom 2+ years after graduation, and 77 percent are still teaching 5+ years after graduation.

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13. Are AUSL Training Academy graduates employed under the same terms as CPS teachers?

Yes. AUSL graduates are employees of CPS, members of the Chicago Teachers Union and earn a salary based on their education and experience, as is the case for all CPS teachers. As Masters degree teachers, AUSL-trained teachers are paid about $3000 more in their first year than bachelor's degree teachers.

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14. Where do the principals for the AUSL turnaround schools come from? Have they been principals before?

Many of the principals selected for AUSL schools have experience as principals or assistant principals. Principals are selected through a rigorous and competitive process, and meet all CPS and Illinois requirements. Also, principals for new turnaround schools are employed full time for at least six months prior to the opening of their school, so they can, with help from many others at AUSL, be at the center of the effort to recruit staff, meet and listen to parents and community leaders, and plan for the launch of their turnaround school.

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15. What and where are the turnaround schools?

The turnaround schools are:

Sherman School of Excellence, Englewood, managed by AUSL since 2006

Harvard School of Excellence, Auburn-Gresham, managed by AUSL since 2007

Howe School of Excellence, Austin, managed by AUSL since 2008 (Now an AUSL Teacher Training Academy)

Morton School of Excellence, East Garfield Park, managed by AUSL since 2008 (Now an AUSL Teacher Training Academy)

Orr Academy High School, Austin, managed by AUSL since 2008

Bethune School of Excellence, East Garfield Park, managed by AUSL since 2009

Dulles School of Excellence, Greater Grand Crossing, managed by AUSL since 2009

Johnson School of Excellence, North Lawndale, managed by AUSL since 2009

Curtis School of Excellence, Roseland, managed by AUSL since 2010

Deneen School of Excellence, Greater Grand Crossing, managed by AUSL since 2010

Bradwell School of Excellence, South Shore, managed by AUSL since 2010

Phillips Academy High School, Bronzeville, managed by AUSL since 2010

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16. How is the turnaround accomplished? What is the timeline?

CPS has instituted a new set of rules beginning in the Fall of 2011. In the months leading up to December 1, CPS evaluates the performance of schools to identify those that are in need of reconstitution, transformation, consolidation, closure or some other form of intervention. Beginning this year CPS will select and announce those schools in December. After a public comment period, the Board of Education makes final decisions at its February board meeting on which schools will be reconstituted (turned around), as well as who will manage them.

Regarding schools AUSL manages:

Principals hired for each school are announced when the reconstitution decision is final. The principal begins interviewing and hiring teachers and other staff. A significant portion of the teachers for new turnaround schools are selected from the class of AUSL residents who are wrapping up their training year.

During the spring, the principals also meet as many parents, community leaders, students, and others in the community as possible and listen carefully to what the community wants for the school. For example, community requests implemented by AUSL in prior turnaround schools include extended learning time and extra-curricular arts and sports programs.

The entire school staff for a new turnaround school comes together in mid-July for five weeks of planning to prepare for the opening of school. During the summer, the school's facility is renovated, using money provided by CPS and AUSL's donors. Physical improvements may include new outdoor athletic facilities, paint, landscaping and science and computer labs, which signal to the community that the school is going to be a different place in the coming year.

In the final weeks before school starts, the principal and staff open up the new school to the community, hosting a picnic and tour of the school and visiting the homes of students to introduce themselves. On the first day of school in September, the students return to a completely different experience of school.

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17. Do parents have any input?

They definitely do. AUSL believes that parent and community involvement are important to student success. Several community meetings in the spring are used to introduce the principal and listen to the concerns and ideas of parents and others in the community who are committed to the school's success.

Principals also show parents they are valued by offering many opportunities for them to volunteer. One of the parent volunteers at AUSL’s Orr High School, Johnny Parker, who is a grandfather of an Orr student, said he was thrilled he finally had a chance to really get involved. “I’ve been in this neighborhood 28 years,” Parker told us, “and I’ve been waiting all that time for a chance like this. Now I can’t stay away from the school.”

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18. Who may attend an AUSL turnaround school?

AUSL turnaround schools are neighborhood public schools, and any child living within a school's attendance boundary is automatically admitted.

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19. Are there fewer students in turnaround school classrooms than other CPS schools?

No, the class sizes are the same, ranging from 25 to 28 children.

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20. Chronically under-performing schools often have major discipline problems. How does AUSL address discipline?

It sounds simplistic, but when a turnaround school first opens the new staff sets the stage by letting the students know from day one that they have high expectations. Also, every adult in the school understands and is committed to ensuring that the school's culture and climate are orderly, safe, and conducive to learning. Culture and policies are determined on a school-by-school basis. They may include things such as a school uniform policy, requiring the students to assemble in straight lines before entering the building at the start of each school day, not allowing students to be in the halls without adult supervision, not allowing cell phones, gum chewing, etc. The school's policies and procedures are consistently applied and the students adapt to the changes very quickly.

Adults at AUSL schools know that “letting things slide” does students a disservice. For example, if a discipline problem continues with a particular student, the principal typically will meet as soon as possible with the parents to address the issue. This lets the student and parents know that the administration cares about each and every child. We have heard from many parents who are happily surprised by the positive changes they’ve witnessed in their children and in the school culture (Click here to see the testimonials on our website).

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21. What is AUSL’s history? How did it get started?

AUSL was founded in 2001 by Martin J. Koldyke, a retired Chicago venture capitalist who was also the founder of The Golden Apple Foundation, which supports excellence in teaching through teacher recognition and scholarships. Mr. Koldyke assembled a group of experienced educators, with support from CPS, business, and community leaders, to launch AUSL's urban teacher residency training program. National-Louis University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Erikson Institute have also been key partners. From its start at The Chicago Academy, AUSL has expanded its program to develop training academies at seven other Chicago public schools.

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22. How is AUSL funded?

AUSL's financial support comes from a variety of sources. CPS provides resources to support part of the cost of AUSL’s urban teacher residency program and its turnaround schools. AUSL also is supported by donations from foundations and individuals. Major donors include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (which has donated $10 million over four years), New Schools Venture Fund, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Boeing, The US Department of Education, The Illinois State Board of Education and other groups and individuals.

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23. How can I find out more about AUSL?

Email cewing@ausl-chicago.org.

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