Violence down, scores up at Earle

I want to hear about more stories like this. Just this morning I was browsing the Sun-Times website and there was a story about a shooting at another CPS school on the south side. No shootings here but once upon a time there were problems with violence and now a resurgence here. So let's have a looksie...

On his first day last August, the new principal at Earle School in Englewood gathered his staff to help draw up a list of "brutal facts" about their struggling school.

"Chaos." "No clear discipline guidelines." "Lack of RESPECT."

Eighteen brutal facts ultimately filled two oversized sheets that Principal Adrian Willis then hung prominently in his office.

One by one, Willis has checked off every item.

In one year, state test scores rose to new heights and violence dropped dramatically -- from 47 incidents last year to seven this year -- and teacher and student attendance soared.

"They just turned this school around," said Mary Simpson, a veteran seventh-grade teacher.

A little more on the man responsible...

Willis, a tall, thin 45-year-old with a firm hand but a gentle way, left a plum job at a gifted Mount Greenwood magnet school for Earle, where 97 percent of the students are from low-income families.
He is one of three CPS principals recruited last summer to take over needy schools. To help lure them, the Chicago Public Schools for the first time is offering each of them performance bonuses of up to $72,000 over four years. They're also being trained through a University of Virginia program for principals trying to turn around troubled schools.

Bonuses haven't been determined for this year, but scores at Earle are way up. In 2006, 30 percent of students performed at grade level. That jumped to 41 percent this year, preliminary composite results of state exams in math, science and reading show.

"Before we could hardly learn and we were kind of scared," said Frank Jones, an eighth-grader at Earle, 6121 S. Hermitage. "Now we learn more, we do more. . . . After Mr. Willis, everything cleared up."
...
Earle was out of control when Willis arrived. One principal was removed in 2005 and two principals came and went the next year. Fights broke out daily and unruly behavior ruled in the classrooms. Teachers skipped school to avoid the chaos.

But Willis was prepared. Besides working with gifted students, he had worked as an assistant principal in Garfield Park and had taught in Chatham.

At Earle, Willis and his administrative team set strict discipline policies and drew parents into the building. They started weekly staff and grade-level meetings to analyze curriculum and test results.
...
He also added new teacher training, launched more after-school offerings and monitored everything religiously. He tracks down tardy teachers and writes notes of praise when he sees something he likes. "He brought life back, he made it feel like a real school," said Jennifer Bobo, one of several teachers who praised Willis for his passion and openness. "I get hugs from kids every day. They want to be here, they want to learn."
The groundwork for a new Earle is in place, Willis said last week.

"Last year, no one could look at test scores or a teacher binder because they just had to survive the day," he said. "Now that it's calmer, there's more learning going on. . . . They were ripe for change."

The bonuses are a plus, he said, but that's not why he took the job.

"I have an obligation to help all children make gains," Willis said. "We've really ignited their desire to come to school."

Now if only we can do this at all the schools and I'm sure that the CPS is doing what this man is doing. Still I'm quite glad I don't have any kids in the system yet.