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November 28, 2012

Schools Head Finds a Formula Data-Driven Approach Helps St. Louis Become Latest System to Improve Grades

Stephanie Banchero:

Five years ago, students in the public-school system here were almost as likely to drop out as earn a diploma. School-board meetings routinely devolved into shouting matches, with a board member once pouring a pitcher of ice water over an administrator's head.

St. Louis schools chief Kelvin Adamsmeets with his management team this fall to review such data as the number of students expelled or truant.

Then, the state of Missouri stepped in, stripped the district's accreditation and installed a new board to run the schools. That board hired Kelvin Adams, an unpretentious leader who had spent the previous 18 months as the chief of staff of the New Orleans Recovery School District, which had been created by the state to transform the hurricane-ravaged schools.

Since taking over here, Mr. Adams has lifted the high-school graduation rate by 18 percentage points and eliminated $25 million in debt. Attendance is up and misbehavior is down. State test scores are still painfully low--about three-quarters of elementary-school students can't read or do math at grade level--but the progress on tests was enough to persuade state officials last month to grant the district provisional accreditation.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at November 28, 2012 2:31 AM
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