I thought this Los Angeles Daily News story was interesting but unfortunately not really surprising.

As the Obama administration seeks to turn around failing schools, a new report on California schools underscores the difficulty of boosting the academic achievement of low-performing schools.

The study by the Brown Center of Education Policy compares the rankings of 1,156 public schools in California in 1989 with their rankings in 2009.

The researchers found that 63 percent of the 290 schools that ranked in the bottom quarter in 1989 were still at the bottom 20 years later. Only 1.4 percent of those schools moved to the top quarter.

In contrast, the study found that 63 percent of the 289 schools that ranked in the top quarter in 1989 were still at the top in 2009. And only 2.4 percent fell to the bottom quarter.

"It's extremely difficult to turn around these low-performing schools," said Tom Loveless, the report's lead author. "Within the state, schools that were laggards 20 years ago are still lagging, and the ones that were leading the state are still leading the state."

The author suggests the report shows that it is "extremely difficult to turn around" schools. I think instead that the report shows it is difficult to turn around schools when there are no consequences for failure. I think it shows it is difficult to turn around schools when the main strategy is more of the same rather than implementing new strategies proven effective in other schools.

To be fair, it is difficult, but it isn't impossible. There are schools that have done it, right here in California. I think it requires a dedicated leader, a staff willing to implement new strategies and a razor sharp focus on student achievement for every student.

I think Dr. Loveless needs to look at Sanger Unified's school turn arounds. They have a number of schools that had proficiency rates of 20% or less in 2002 that are now over 60% proficiency, significantly higher than the statewide average. Look at Centerville Elementary, Del Ray Elementary, Fairmont Elementary, Jefferson Elementary and Wilson Elementary. Sanger Academy Charter is another Sanger school that deserves a look. These schools have done the difficult thing. These principals and teachers have turned around failing schools. The research we should be sharing with every educator is the practices of these turnaround schools.