2024 article
Beyond Prescriptive Reforms: An Examination of North Carolina's Flexible School Restart Program
Pham, L. D., Matthews, G. F., & Drake, T. A. (2024, January 15). EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS.
author keywords: school reform; school improvement; comparative interrupted time series; low-performing schools
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
4. Quality Education
(Web of Science; OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: February 12, 2024
Although multiple studies have examined the impact of school turnaround, less is known about reforms under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). To advance this literature, we examine North Carolina’s Restart (NCR) model. NCR aligns with ESSA by giving school leaders increased flexibility. Also, NCR differs from previous turnaround models by repackaging a traditionally sanction-based approach to instead motivate school leaders with increased autonomy. Using comparative interrupted time series models, we find positive NCR effects in math, but not in English Language Arts or on nontest-based student outcomes. Also, nearly a quarter of the positive NCR effect can be explained by decreased teacher and principal turnover. These results provide evidence to support current shifts toward reform models featuring local autonomy.