Article from Education Week describing the success in increasing graduation rates in a once trouble district. I can’t even imagine seventy-nine percent of Philadelphia students graduating. While I don’t know much about this story, one segment struck me as crucial to any genuine reform:

Respecting teachers. Both the superintendent and the school board agreed that teachers at the lowest-performing schools would be allowed to select the curriculum and professional development they thought would best help them reach their goals. Maintaining this kind of autonomy was not always easy—for the teachers or for those who advised them…

Cincinnati teachers were treated like professionals are in other fields. In addition to special off-site workshops, there was recognition for schools showing exceptional progress, along with praise—to the news media and face to face—for educators in buildings with significant signs of growth. Veteran and younger educators alike responded with genuine openness, willingness to learn, and a growing belief that major advances were possible.

Sadly, empowering those individuals who spend the most time with the children always seems to be last on the list of reforms.