“Kansas City schools need to improve dramatically”

Laura Lloyd, in an excellent opinion in the KC Star (As I See It), questions why nothing seems to improve for KC public schools except for a few success charters, and points out that the district doesn’t seem interested in implementing the radical changes necessary to succeed.

She references M. Night Shyamalan’s new book, “I Got Schooled,” who writes that to narrow the achievement gap between white students and students of color, these five factors must occur:

• Remove bad teachers, who are identified through a rigorous evaluation process.
• Provide superior leadership — principals who are monitoring the caliber of instruction at all times.
• Use data well — testing kids in a variety of innovative ways.
• Keep schools small.
• Extend the school day and school year beyond the current nine months a year and seven hours a day.

We encourage you to read the full essay, available on the KC Star’s website.