Heather Benfield

This analysis identifies emerging and sustaining practices for successful school turnaround in Massachusetts' Level 4 schools. Key areas of focus include fostering a community of practice through leadership and collaboration, improving instruction via teacher- and student-specific data, and providing data-driven tiered instruction. The report also examines district systems, strategic resource allocation, and the impact of intervention models and teacher turnover rates on achieving and sustaining rapid improvements in student academic achievement and closing achievement gaps.

This document presents a systems framework developed by The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd. It aims to assist state education agencies, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts for low-performing preK-12 schools. The framework outlines critical practices within four core domains: Turnaround Leadership, Talent Development, Instructional Transformation, and Culture Shift. By implementing these practices, the goal is to foster systemic, sustainable improvement, moving beyond isolated successes to make excellence the norm across all schools.

The meeting began with an executive session to discuss pending litigation pursuant to KRS61.8101C, following which a motion was passed authorizing board counsel to proceed with the recommended legal resolution strategy. The organizational portion of the meeting included the election of a chairperson and vice chairperson for one-year terms. Key discussions involved numerous recognitions, including teaching awards, excellence in applied behavior analysis, PBIS recognition for several schools, and acknowledgments for the Academy at Shaune program, the Central Yellow Jackets Flag Football Team, the Atherton High School football team, and the Men of Quality mentoring program on its 30th anniversary. The Board also acknowledged National School Board Recognition Month. A significant motion was made and passed to amend the superintendent's recommendation by directing full funding for mental health practitioners and retaining the existing school-based staffing model, which involved removing this item from proposed budget reductions by permitting principals to fund comparable support positions from their school budgets.

The Jefferson County Public Schools Comprehensive District Improvement Plan for 2025-2026 outlines a strategic direction under Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood, emphasizing stability, transparency, and continuous improvement. It builds upon three core pillars—Journey to Success, Racial Equity, and Culture and Climate—and introduces three interconnected strategic priorities: Financial Stability, Student Achievement, and School Safety. The plan aims to foster academic excellence, operational stability, and safe, supportive learning environments, with specific goals to increase proficiency in reading and math, close achievement gaps, enhance English Learner progress, improve school climate and safety, and boost postsecondary readiness and graduation rates.

The meeting began with recognitions highlighting significant achievements within the district. Recognitions included a special needs transportation assistant for exemplary service to a student, nine students placing at the Educators Rising National Conference, and three students returning to the Commissioner Student Advisory Council. Additionally, two teachers were recognized as finalists for the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children's Teacher of the Year. Jacob Elementary School received multiple best practice awards, and a high school junior was honored for becoming the first golf regional champion for JCPS in 21 years. Westport Middle School was named a unified champion school. Several schools received PBIS recognition across different levels. The latter part of the meeting involved revising the agenda to postpone consent items related to school relocations and consolidations/closures to the January 20, 2026 meeting, with supplementary information requested regarding the rationale and student accommodations for these changes. The board also approved the minutes of the November 18th meeting. The Superintendent provided a report summarizing district performance data, noting increases in proficiency rates across several content areas for various student groups, while also acknowledging areas below the state average, such as third-grade reading and eighth-grade math. The closing segment included discussion on postsecondary readiness.