Arizona Schools Show Notable Improvement
In an encouraging development, nearly 25% of Arizona schools previously designated as needing improvement have successfully enhanced their academic performance within the last year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
The concept of School Improvement status signifies that a school needs to elevate its educational outcomes to meet federal criteria. A strategic initiative, Project Momentum, has been instrumental in facilitating this progress by providing targeted educational support to teachers.
State Superintendent Tom Horne highlighted, “We also have literacy coaches and math coaches that go out to help the schools, and when they do that, the success rate goes up substantially.” This initiative is credited with aiding schools in exiting the improvement status.
The challenge of underperformance in some schools is partly attributed to a lack of qualified teaching staff. Horne pointed out, “We also have a teacher shortage, so you have classes with permanent substitutes who don’t have any of the training that’s needed.”
Efforts are underway to address this issue, with collaborations between the education department and Arizona universities aimed at equipping future educators with the necessary skills for classroom success.
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