Research for Action (RFA) is currently in the second year of a five-year external evaluation of the Project Leadership and Investment for Transformation (LIFT) Initiative in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District (CMS). Project LIFT is a public-private partnership between CMS and the local philanthropic and business communities in Charlotte, designed to turnaround nine schools in the West Charlotte Corridor. Starting in the 2012-13 school year, Project LIFT operates as a semi-autonomous Zone within CMS, providing the initiative with CMS infrastructural support and access to an initial $55 Million investment of private resources to drive a multifaceted reform effort in Charlotte's highest poverty schools. Project LIFT's long-term goals are to significantly improve student achievement in the following ways: (1) 90% of students will achieve proficiency in math and English across the zone; (2) 90% of students will meet annual growth goals in math and English; and (3) 90% of WCHS students will graduate on time. For this report, the findings present alignment with the following contemporary theories of key elements and early outcomes associated with complex turnaround efforts in high poverty schools: (1) Multi-faceted school turnaround initiatives create major changes in schools during start up; (2) Full implementation of turnaround initiatives can take multiple years; and (3) Turnaround schools typically make early strides to improve school climate and build on existing support in local communities. These initial changes create the conditions necessary for increased academic achievement in later years of the initiative. This report is organized into the following four sections, reflecting the major elements of the Theory of Change above: (1) Project LIFT in Context; (2) Year 1 Student Outcomes: School Climate; (3) Year 1 Student Outcomes: Student Proficiency Rates; (4) Summary of Year 1 Report and Preview of Year II. Three appendices are included: (1) Appendix A: 2012-13 Data Sources for Preliminary Implementation Memo; (2) Appendix B: 2012-13 LIFT Onboarding Staff/Building Internal Capacity in Year One ; and (3) Appendix C: 2012-13 Project LIFT Key Program Focus Areas Partners
Authors
- Authorizing Institution
- Research for Action
- Education Level
- ['Grade 9', 'Junior High Schools', 'Middle Schools', 'Secondary Education', 'High Schools']
- Location
- North Carolina
- Peer Reviewed
- F
- Publication Type
- ['Reports - Evaluative', 'Reports - Research-practitioner Partnerships']
- Published in
- United States of America
Table of Contents
- Prepared by Research for Action April 18 2014 1
- Michael Norton Kelly Piccinino Ph.D. 1
- About Research for Action 2
- Acknowledgements 2
- Table of Contents 3
- Project LIFT Year 1 Report 4
- Executive Summary 4
- Introduction 4
- Key Findings Contextual Factors Affecting Year One Implementation 5
- Key Findings Year One Student Outcomes School Climate 7
- Multiple Signs of Climate Improvement in LIFT Schools 7
- Key Findings Year One Student Outcomes Academic Proficiency 9
- Summary and Next Steps 10
- Project LIFT Year 1 Report 11
- Introduction 11
- Theory of Change 11
- Organization of the Year One Report 12
- Section I. Project LIFT in Context 13
- State and Local Contexts Impacting LIFT Implementation 13
- Overview of Year 1 Qualitative Implementation Findings 19
- Section I Summary 21
- Climate at LIFT Schools - Attendance 23
- Climate at LIFT Schools - Suspensions 25
- Early Warning Indicators for First Time 9 Graders at West Charlotte High School 29
- Summary of Findings School Climate 31
- Section III Year 1 Student Outcomes Student Proficiency Rates 32
- Math EOG Proficiency 33
- Reading EOG Proficiency 34
- Science EOG Proficiency 36
- EOC High School Assessments 38
- Summary of Findings Student Academic Proficiency 39
- Section IV Summary of Year I Report and Preview of Year II 41
- Appendix I. Assessing the Impact of the Project LIFT Initiative Methodological Challenges and Solutions 46
- Methodological Challenges 46
- Solution Student Matching 46
- Comparative Analyses 49
- Limitations for Comparative Analyses at West Charlotte High School 49
- Equivalence of LIFT Students and Matched Comparison Students 50
- Appendix II. North Carolina End of Course End of Grade Performance 2011-12 and 2012-13 60
- Appendix III. Student Academic and Behavioral Performance LIFT schools versus Comparison Schools 61
- Appendix IV. Supplemental Table for Teach for America Teachers Out of School Suspensions 64
- Appendix V. Preliminary Implementation Findings Memo 66
- Project LIFT Preliminary Implementation Findings 66
- Introduction 66
- Purpose of Research for Actions Project LIFT Preliminary Implementation Memo 66
- Section I. Project LIFT in Context 67
- Components of Project LIFT Four Pillars 69
- Section II. Preliminary Implementation Findings 70
- 1. Talent 71
- What to Watch For 72
- 2. Time 73
- What to Watch For 74
- 3. Technology 75
- What to Watch For 76
- 4. ParentCommunity Engagement 76
- What to Watch For 78
- Section III. Conditions Necessary for Successful Project LIFT Implementation 78
- 1. Leadership 78
- 2. Capacity 79
- 3. Communications 80
- Section IV. Summary and Preview of End of Year One Final Report 80
- Year One Final Report 81
- Content 81
- Data sources 81
- Delivery 81
- Appendix A 2012-13 Data Sources for Preliminary Implementation Memo 82
- Appendix B 2012-13 LIFT Onboarding StaffBuilding Internal Capacity in Year One 83
- Appendix C 2012-13 Project LIFT Key Program Focus Areas Partners 84
- TALENT PARTNERS 84
- TIME PARTNERS 84
- TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS 84
- PARENTCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PARTNERS 84
- References 85
