'Failure Is Not An Option'

Struggling high school uses standards to guide reform

We know the story of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and her band of misfit friends embark on a journey to find something larger than life. They are in search of the Great and Powerful Oz, who has the power to make their every wish come true. Their story is one of relationships and adventures, from which they discover that what is truly important becomes visible as they overcome obstacles to achieve a common purpose. Their journey is not unlike that of educators. School reform is hard. Turnaround seems impossible but holds the same promise of something larger than life: successful students who become healthy, contributing members of society. Dorothy was repeatedly told to “follow the yellow brick road.” Similarly, school reformers have a path of

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Authors

Sherry Lambertson

Sherry Lambertson (slambertson@excellenceined.org) is executive director of the Institute for Excellence in Education in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Grant High School

Grant, Mich.

Grades: 9-12

Enrollment: 572

Staff: 25

Racial/ethnic mix:

White: 79.2%

Black: 0.52%

Hispanic: 17.66%

Asian/Pacific Islander: 1.05%

Native American: 0.35%

Other: 0%

Limited English proficient: 6.99%

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Free/reduced lunch: 48.43%

Special education: 11.54%

Contact: Jonathan Whan, superintendent

Email: jwhan@grantps.net

Grant High School ACT Scores

	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Composite	17.5	17.8	17.9	18.5	20.3
English	15.9	16.4	16.9	17.5	20.1
Reading	17.5	18.3	18.0	18.9	20.5
Mathematics	17.5	17.7	17.8	17.9	19.4
Science	18.5	18.2	18.3	19.2	20.8

References

Costa, A.L. & Garmston, R.J. (2002). Cognitive coaching: A foundation for Renaissance schools. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

Covey, S.R. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Garmston, R.J. & Wellman, B. (2009). The adaptive school: A sourcebook for developing collaborative groups. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

Marzano, R.J. (2001). A new era of school reform: Going where the research takes us. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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