Mission Possible: Achieving and Maintaining Academic Improvement

Mission Possible: Achieving and Maintaining Academic Improvement
Penny Billman, Ph.D, Senior Research Scholar, NIU Outreach, Northern Illinois University , 2004.
Dr. Penny Billman surveyed principals at schools that won Academic Improvement and Spotlight Schools awards in 2003-4 to determine key factors in their exemplary academic accomplishments. Six critical strategies emerged from the interviews.

Closing Illinois' Achievement Gap: Lessons from the 'Golden Spike' High Poverty High Performing Schools

Closing Illinois' Achievement Gap: Lessons from the 'Golden Spike' High Poverty High Performing Schools
Glenn W. McGee, Senior Research Fellow at Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies, 2002.

High Poverty, High Performing Schools

The U.S. Department of Education delivers No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School Awards to schools nationwide that are closing the achievement gap. These awards are based on recommendations by chief state school officers who used application materials supplied by schools.
http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs

Education Trust has identified high poverty high performing schools across the country, using a variety of databases. Ed Trust's criteria included schools with restrictive admissions policies such as gifted and magnet schools. Interesting and useful data. See the 2002 series on "Dispelling the Myth."
http://www.edtrust.org

Northern Illinois University Spotlight Schools research underway:

1) Richard Bryant, Jr. (doctoral candidate)  How are principals and teachers in high poverty, high performing schools involved in curriculum leadership?

2) Teresa Wasonga (faculty member)  How do ecological interrelationships created in high poverty, high performing schools (community, students, parents, teachers, administrators) impact achievement?

The Achievement Gap - check for 2005 ISBE updates

The Illinois Interactive Report Card contains tables showing disaggregated scores for all groups required by NCLB (plus gender) in all Illinois schools.
http://iirc.niu.edu

Tables displaying the 2005 Illinois achievement gaps in all subject areas at all grades tested ISAT
http://www.isbe.net/news/excel/2005_GAP_7-yr_trend.xls

PSAE
http://www.isbe.net/news/excel/2005_GAP_PSAE.xls

Paul Ruiz, Education Trust, "P-20 101" includes excellent slides about the achievement gap.

"What New 'AYP' Data Tells Us About Schools States and Public Education." See also the "Zap the Gap" tables.
http://www.edtrust.org

The Education Watch State Summary contains comprehensive, state-by-state Achievement Gap tables.
http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/states.html

Education Commission of the States provides information about what
various states are doing to close the achievement gap and links to extensive resources on the topic. Go to Education Issues, "Closing the Achievement Gap."
http://www.ecs.org

The National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices offers a policy paper on closing the achievement gap at http://www.subnet.nga.org/educlear/achievement/index.html