SPECIAL ISSUES      PRESS RELEASE      Students Show Marked Improvement in     Christina Schools:     CTAC releases report on impact of new approach to school reform   Winning Support for... > Students Show Marked BOSTON, MA August 7, 2006 - The Community Training and Assistance Center ("CTAC") released a report today that demonstrates significant improvement in student learning is possible when systemwide reform is the focus. The report details an unusually high level of education progress and highlights the successes gained by the largest school district in Delaware, Christina School District, after a two-year intensive effort to improve education in their public schools. Christina undertook system-wide reforms to address a persistent pattern of underachievement and to tighten the achievement gap among groups of students within the district. More than 3,900 parents were active in school planning and more than 2,900 annually assessed the accountability and effectiveness of the reform. Primary findings include:

Student achievement increased as evidenced on three major independent assessments (Delaware Student Testing Program, SAT 9/10 and Northwest Evaluation Association’s MAP);  For the first time in this district, student achievement among African American and Hispanic students significantly improved; The teachers and administrators at the Standard Bearer Schools (CTAC developed model for planning that focuses on addressing the root causes of student achievement) indicated, to a statistically significant extent, improvements in conditions related to teaching and learning, organizational support and alignment, school planning and human resource practices; and District capacities in data, research, instructional support, organizational development, professional development, fundraising and corporate involvement were strengthened markedly. "The results of this reform demonstrate that meaningful improvements are achievable when communities come together to implement a comprehensive approach to improve student learning," said William Slotnik, Executive Director of CTAC. This initiative began with an assessment of district readiness and capacity; broad-based implementation of the reform plan, New Directions in Christina, started in the 2004-2005 school year. The comprehensive approach was designed to build the capacity of the district to make and sustain improvements in student achievement, strategic management and policy, leadership, human resource development and management and stakeholder satisfaction and ownership. The CTAC report details changes in the way the district and schools aligned instruction with standards, assessed students, managed data, conducted school planning and involved stakeholders, particularly parents, in school improvement. CTAC is a national non-profit organization with a twenty-eight year record of success in developing leadership, planning and managerial expertise within school systems, states, community-based organizations, collaborative partnerships, state and municipal governments, and health and human service agencies. Click here to download the full report (1.187KB).