How do you turn around a failing school?

Charlotte elementary school shows more money is not the answer

Ann Doss Helms is the best education reporter in the state of North Carolina, and she published a fascinating article last week about how a failing elementary school in west Charlotte turned itself around. 

The short version is this: Allenbrook Elementary was a classic example of a struggling high-poverty school: 85% of students qualify for free lunch, and two-thirds are classified as “economically disadvantaged” by the state. And for years, it was mired in poor performance. Plenty of students earned As and Bs on their report cards, but fewer than a third of them were proficient in reading or math. An abysmally small percentage were meeting growth targets, and the school earned an “F” grade from the state.

Then in 2020 came a new principal, Kimberly Vaught. She cast a new vision for the school, reorganized the support staff, engaged parents with frank conversations and motivated students with big dreams. Then the school began a three-hour tutoring program after school three days a week,…