The Locke Transformation Project - Converting an LAUSD High School into a Family of Charter Schools
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The Locke Transformation Project
Converting an LAUSD High School
into a Family of Charter Schools
Agenda
• Green Dot Public Schools: Mission and History
• The Locke Story: What We Did
• Results
2
Green Dot Public Schools mission
Mission Statement
Green Dot Public Schools is leading the charge
to transform public education in Los Angeles
and beyond so that all children receive the
education they need to be successful in
college, leadership, and life.
Green Dot will operate public
schools more effectively with
the same public dollars
And do it with a fully unionized
staff (certificated & classified)
3
Six key factors drive our success
• Accountability required from each student, family, and staff member
Small schools • Personalization of the education experience for all students
model
• Safety, the #1 concern for parents, is easier to ensure
• Rigorous curriculum for all students (UC A-G requirements for all high schools)
Culture of high
• Culture instilled by starting schools with a single 9th grade class
expectations
• Schools control all key decisions (budget, staffing, curriculum, etc.)
Empower and
develop • Principals are CEOs of their schools
employees • 10 professional development days for teachers; late start Wednesdays
• Families commit 35 hrs/yr and are invested in the education process
Neighborhood • Community is proactively engaged on significant issues
ownership
• Students have input into school policy (hiring, input on electives, etc.)
Best in class • Home office and school site management modeled after the best practices of
private industry
management
practices • Maximize $ in the classroom and focus stakeholders on student results
• Give students a safe environment between 3pm and 5:30 pm
Schools open
later
4Agenda
• Green Dot Public Schools: Mission and History
• The Locke Story: What We Did
Results
5Why Locke High School?
Antiquated Persistent
School Design Culture of Low
• Large student body Expectations
lacked • Students were
personalization tracked into
• Large teaching staff classes that met
made professional
development and
Systemic minimum
graduation
instructional problems requirements &
coaching an almost not A-G
insurmountable task surrounded coursework
Locke •By Every Measure, A Failing School
100
100
80
60
40
22
20 12
5
0
Entering Graduated Graduated A-G Went to
Freshmen 4-Year College
Source: 2007 UCLA Educational Opportunity High School Report for Alain Leroy Locke Senior High 7Elements of a Successful Turnaround
• Reconstitution & Hiring Autonomy Turnarounds are
not about making
schools into
• Alternative Governance charters, but
about how to
create dramatic
• Academic Autonomy improvement at
chronically
failing schools.
• Performance-based accountability Charter law
allows flexibility
for essential
• Small School Model changes.
- Incubation
8Reconstitution & Hiring Autonomy
• Full staff (administration,
teaching & classified) must
• Reconstitution & Hiring Autonomy reapply for their jobs
• New school leadership
must be given full
• Alternative Governance autonomy to hire staff
• Any rules in collective
bargaining agreements
• Academic Autonomy that may impact the above
(ex. “bumping & preferred
geographic placement
rights) must be waived
• Performance-based Accountability
- District policies and
guidelines should also
• Small School Model be waived where
necessary
- Incubation
9Governance & Academic Autonomy
• Alternate
governance should
• Reconstitution & Hiring Autonomy
be established via
charter petition or
through an
• Alternative Governance
empowered
subcommittee of a
local school board
• Academic Autonomy
• Schools must be
freed from all
district policies and
• Performance-based Accountability
practices related to
curriculum,
• Small School Model instruction and
- Incubation professional
development
10Performance-based Accountability
• A set of guiding
performance measures
• Reconstitution & Hiring Autonomy should be detailed and
agreed to between school
leadership and the alternate
• Alternative Governance governance body prior to
the opening of the new
school (s).
• Academic Autonomy • School should be allowed at
least a 5-year term of
operation to meet agreed
upon goals with strong
• Performance-based Accountability milestones in years 3 and 4.
• The new administration
• Small School Model must have the ability to
terminate staff within a
- Incubation reasonable timeframe if
individual performance is
not up to standard.
11Small School Model/Incubation
Small School Model
• ~500 student model to ensure
personalization of student
learning & effective instructional
• Reconstitution & Hiring Autonomy leadership
• Each school has their own
principal, independent public
accountability system, control of
• Alternative Governance their own budget, staffing and
curriculum and should not be
confused with small learning
communities
• Academic Autonomy Incubation
• New schools are encouraged to
incubate & grow to scale over
time to allow school culture and
• Performance-based Accountability innovation to flourish during the
initial years of existence
• To enable incubation, a phase out
• Small School Model or transition school, operates 2-3
- Incubation years with the express goal of
providing additional focus and
resources to the final graduating
classes of the original school.
12Agenda
• Green Dot Public Schools: Mission and History
• The Locke Story: What We Did
• Results
13Locke Today: Data from the First Year
Observation #1: In 2008-2009, the Locke Cluster
completed the academic year with 532 more students than
the previous year. The key driver was retention.
In addition to this increase in enrollment, the attendance
rate at Locke rose from 77.8% in 2007-08 to 89.3% in
2008-09.
Observation #2: The percentage of students
testing as “advanced” or “proficient” stayed
consistent in both English-Language Arts and
Math in 2008-2009.
This score consistency occurred even as the number of
students tested increased by 38%.
14Locke Today: Data from the First Year
Observation #3: In 2008-2009, the number of
graduates increased by 43% when compared to the
previous year.
In addition, the Locke High School API
increased 24 points to a score of 539.
The overall Locke cluster API was 540.
15Locke Today: Data from the First Year Observation #4: In 2008-2009, over 85% of Locke parents surveyed noted that Locke provided a safe environment, worked well within the community, and offered access to a better education than at a traditional public school. Likewise, over 70% of students surveyed noted positive impressions of Lockeʼs discipline policy, school spirit, and access to an adult when in need of assistance.
Potential Levers for Statewide Implementation
• Differentiate funding based on local conditions. For
example, grant size should be indexed based on
availability of facilities and school size.
8 Compensate for disparities between the size of the school
being transformed and the awardee’s existing inventory of
available classrooms (i.e. a 500 student elementary school
with 25 classrooms should receive considerably less funding
than a 3000 student high school with 60 classrooms)
• Encourage local education agencies to provide the
conditions for a successful turnaround
8 Reconstitution, local control and accountability
• Funding academies or residencies to create a talent
pipeline for turnarounds
8 Should be designed for both administrators and teachers
17Contact Information
Khurley@greendot.org
Cdejesus@greendot.org
www.greendot.org
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