December 09, 2003
A failing Pittsburgh district turns it around:
He said that in 1992, district students scored near the bottom on standardized tests and combined SAT scores of 800 were the lowest in the state. No advanced placement courses were available and Frazier was placed on the state's "watch list" of districts in dire financial straits.
This is fantastic news, especially when you understand how they pulled it off. Instead of complaining about their level of funding and campaigning for more money, they reformed their whole approach to education even to the point of rewriting all their curriculum.
In 2002, the combined SAT scores averaged 992, higher than state averages. Eight advanced placement courses are available, and the district has received awards for making significant academic progress on standardized test scores.
In 1992, Smeigh and the district's teachers and administrators undertook a massive reorganization, a change he calls "evolutionary, not revolutionary. We raised expectations among teachers and parents, creating an environment in which every child can learn and will want to learn."
(Hat-tip to Number Two Pencil)
Smeigh said the district will rewrite its curriculum "forever."
The district bases its curriculum on the state standards.
"That's not happening in school districts across the nation," Smeigh said, "so the children are not being tested on what they are being taught."
In addition to aligning the curriculum with standards, Frazier has integrated technology in all aspects of education, including remedial learning, and strives to emphasize meaningful instruction, "to teach the way children learn."
