When ACE launched in fall 2015, each of the seven targeted schools, including four elementary schools and three middle schools, had carried the state\u2019s \u201cimprovement required\u201d designation for three or more years consecutively. Collectively, the seven schools serve a population that is overwhelmingly students of color (41 percent Latino and 57 percent African American) and economically disadvantaged (92 percent).<\/p>\n

The ACE program offers annual stipends ranging from $8,000 to $15,000 (with the amount based on teacher evaluation ratings) for teachers to relocate to one of the targeted schools. The school district also assigned new leadership to the schools, with its selection of principals based on their track record at other campuses. Teachers already working at the targeted schools could interview for their position and received a stipend as well if selected. In the end, roughly 85 percent of teachers on the ACE campuses during 2015-16 relocated from other schools.<\/p>\n

Landry said moving new teachers into the schools en masse is \u201cthe centerpiece strategy\u201d for the ACE program. \u201cWe had seen models where districts moved one or two teachers at a time, but they weren\u2019t able to have an impact in schools where nothing else really changed,\u201d Landry explained. He added that the number of teachers who could transfer to an ACE school from a non-ACE school was capped at four to make sure other campuses didn\u2019t experience an exodus of great teachers because of the program.<\/p>\n

Tracie Washington, who was named principal at Dade Middle School at the launch of the ACE program, said the initiative demonstrates the power of great teaching. \u201cTeachers have the hardest work in this building,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are face to face with my students every day. Drawing and retaining the best teachers at their craft is the best component of ACE.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In addition to new leadership and an influx of highly rated teachers, the ACE program spurred other important changes. For example, each campus adopted an extended school day, with an extra hour of instruction and targeted intervention for students, along with after-school enrichment opportunities, tutoring and homework support until 6 p.m. Schools also provide dinner and transportation at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

In other changes, the ACE schools receive funding for counselors to provide ramped-up support for students\u2019 social and emotional health. Also, teachers at the schools are enrolled in enhanced professional development and group learning activities.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, all seven ACE schools were taken out of their existing high school feeder patterns to form a cohort of their own. The district assigned Jolee Healey as executive director of the ACE program feeder pattern. A former teacher and principal in Dallas, Healey is in the ACE schools every day. The seven principals meet once a month with her to review student performance data, share best practices and compare challenges and successes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe principals really enjoy learning from each other,\u201d Healey said of the meetings. \u201cWe spend a lot of time looking at data on attendance, discipline and achievement. We assess strengths and needs, and we talk about next steps to achieving our goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healey added that the overall goal of her work with the principals and their schools is to \u201chelp create school cultures that value hard work and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Moving to \u2018distinction\u2019<\/h3>\n

The Dallas Independent School District\u2019s hard work and efforts are paying off. Following the 2015-16 school year, six of the seven ACE schools moved off the state\u2019s \u201cimprovement required\u201d list. What\u2019s more, four of the schools received statewide \u201cdistinction\u201d designations for outstanding performance after just one year in the program. At the ACE elementary schools, the number of students in kindergarten and first and second grades who were reading at or higher than grade level jumped by 30 percent on average. And all of the schools saw gains in student scores on state subject tests, with an average increase of 16 percentage points.<\/p>\n

The ACE program improved more than grades. Six of seven campuses saw substantial declines in disciplinary incidents, with an average 67-percent reduction. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that something really different is happening in these buildings,\u201d Healey said. \u201cThese schools have gone from feeling chaotic and unsettled to providing a calmer, more comfortable and more nurturing environment for students, with strong systems in place to support their success.\u201d<\/p>\n

During 2016-17, the seven ACE schools continued receiving additional support from the school district to ensure that they can sustain their gains and stay off the \u201cimprovement required\u201d list. The current plan is for these schools to stay in the program for three years before returning to their regular high school feeder patterns. The teacher stipends will phase out after the third year, but teacher surveys indicate that most of the teachers in these schools will want to stay in their current positions after the ACE program ends. Among the key factors teachers point to for wanting to keep teaching in these schools are strong leadership and a positive school culture.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Due to budget constraints, no schools were added to the ACE program for 2016-17, but plans are in the works to expand to six additional schools for 2017-18. The initiative is spreading to other cities too. In early 2017, the Fort Worth school district announced plans to apply the ACE model at five struggling schools in its community. Fort Worth\u2019s embrace of the model followed a convening hosted by Dallas\u2019s Commit! Partnership where school superintendents in the region learned about the ACE program\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Dade teacher Domonique Mack summed up what\u2019s special about the ACE program in describing why she jumped at the opportunity to teach at the school. \u201cI knew that I would be with a team and that we would have the structures in place that would allow us to give these scholars something that every child across America needs \u2014 and that\u2019s an opportunity to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pilot program in Dallas shows how an influx of high-performing teachers can transform struggling students. In 2013, when Billy Earl Dade Middle School opened in a blighted, high-poverty neighborhood in South Dallas, it faced a slough of struggles from the start. In its first four years, it went through four principals, and student scores on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"parent":8034,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"class_list":["post-9568","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"yoast_head":"\n