Turnaround at San Francisco School: Edison Charter Academy

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For decades, Edison Charter Academy (K-5) in San Francisco had the unfortunate distinction of consistently ranking as the lowest performing school in the district. Although it had been reconstituted twice, neither time had any lasting, positive effects on the school's academic performance.

Its demographic representation was similar to that of many urban, public schools-52 percent Latino, 30 percent African American, 4 percent Caucasian, 2 percent Asian, and 12 percent other. Eighty percent of the students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.

Six principals were hired in the span of four years. At one point, three were employed at the same time-one handled discipline, one focused on curriculum, and the third was responsible for writing the new management plan. Still, significant challenges remained. Behavioral problems were widespread and academic achievement low.

When Vince Matthews took to the helm as principal in 1999, things would quickly begin to change.

"In years prior, parents from the district had done everything they could to keep their children from attending the school," said Matthews. While the school could accommodate 500 students, only 250 were enrolled.

During his first week as principal, Matthews learned that 27 of the school's 32 teachers had resigned, unwilling to continue teaching in an environment with such overwhelming disciplinary challenges. Before leaving, these teachers wrote an urgent letter to the school board, pleading for help. The board responded by creating a partnership with May Institute, with the goal of turning the school around. The Positive Schoolssm initiative began a few months later.

"By then, 30 to 50 percent of my day was spent dealing with office referrals," said Matthews. "Student behavior in the cafeteria and hallways was raucous and hard to manage. Most teachers, like myself, dreaded lunch duty and transition times. I was crying for help, the teachers were crying for help, and we knew we couldn't keep going this way. In three short months, we had 70 suspensions. We were just in a dark place where we needed help."

For Matthews, one thing was clear. The school's disciplinary program was reactive and punitive, and he knew that had to change. He realized that staff were not clear in their behavioral expectations of students. "If you came into our school and asked, 'What are the school rules?' you would hear from each child that they meant something different. We thought everyone understood their meaning, and they absolutely did not."

Through a close collaboration with the Positive Schools program consultants, school staff developed a school-wide plan that was geared to preventing problem behaviors in a proactive, rather than reactive, way. The plan clearly stated the school rules and the behavioral expectations that outlined how students would follow those rules. To help their students clearly understand the new protocol, teachers included these expectations in their lesson plans and posted the rules prominently throughout the school. Additionally, staff were trained to teach and reinforce appropriate behavior in students, ensuring that students had the skills they needed to succeed.

New procedures for playground time and classroom transitions were established, and student behavior was consistently monitored-from the classrooms and hallways to the cafeteria and playground. When students demonstrated appropriate behaviors, they were awarded "Panther Points" slips-recognition for their positive, pro-social behavior. The slips were entered into a raffle for weekly drawings.

"Going from the negative to the positive and having a program in place that is not only effective-but is one that we understand, the kids understand, and the parents understand – has made all the difference in the world," said Matthews.

In the first year after implementing the Positive Schools program, the school saw a 97 percent decrease in suspensions. "When you're clear with students, and they know what's expected of them, they live up to your expectations," said Matthews. This had a powerful impact on staff, as teacher retention rates demonstrated. In the second year of the program, 94 percent of teachers returned-a dramatic contrast to previous years.

Following Positive Schools implementation, student academic performance, as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test 9 (SAT 9) administered in grades 2 through 5, was examined. A value-added assessment of the same group of students through each of these grades showed steady gains in both reading and math. Edison students improved from the 23rd percentile rank in the 1997-1998 baseline year to the 36th percentile in 2000-2001. Meanwhile, students in the comparison school actually declined in performance over the same period, moving from the 40th percentile to the 24th percentile. On the SAT 9 math achievement test, Edison students advanced 14 percentile ranks from an average percentile ranking of 32 to 46, while the comparison school declined 13 ranks from an average percentile ranking of 48 to 26.

"As educators, we have the opportunity to change lives," said Matthews. "If we don't make sure that the time in the classroom is protected, so teachers can give students those skills that they'll need to be successful in life, then we haven't done all we can do."

The story of one San Francisco school validates what teachers and school administrators have anecdotally expressed for a long time: students can make great gains in academic achievement when they are in class, on-task, and not distracted by disruptive behavior. Teachers using effective management practices can minimize challenging behaviors among students and focus primarily on academic instruction. Recognizing that behavioral climate and academic achievement are inseparable factors for rich and effective teaching and learning environments is the key to producing positive changes in both pro-social skills and academic performance.

"Without question, the Positive Schools program has changed our lives," said Matthews.


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