Four Schools To Exit Underperforming Status

The state announced that four schools designated as "underperforming," or Level 4, will exit that status after meeting their turnaround goals. Of the more than three dozen schools that the state designated Level 4 in 2010 and 2011, the majority have exited underperforming status.

"Some of the smartest efforts in the Commonwealth can be found in turnaround schools," said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell D. Chester. "I'd like to recognize all the educators and families who are providing students with a better future by raising expectations and implementing reforms." 

Turning Around Southbridge Schools

Ken O’Brien

“Across the United States, approximately 1,235 high schools serving 1.1 million students—only 5 percent of the nation’s high schools—have graduation rates at or below 67 percent. While the high school graduation rate recently reached 81 percent in 2013, the number of chronically failing high schools remains much too high. Among this group of failing public high schools, approximately 7 percent of students—who are overwhelmingly low-income students of color—are attending schools where it is not likely that they will go on to college or career.”

So reported the Center for American Progress in Dramatic Action, Dramatic Improvement: The Research on School Turnaround issued at the end of last month.

On January 27 of this year, in an article titled “Graduation rates up, dropouts decline”, the Worcester Telegram reported that Southbridge had a dropout rate of 69.9%, just missing the cutoff referenced above.