Washington state names companies to assist in reform

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Its responsibilities include not only assisting state’s 295 school districts (and one million public school students) inadministering basic education programs, but also implementing education reform when schools have persistently failed to achieve.

To facilitate reform, OSPI has named Global Partnership Schools, in partnership with CORE,as one of 11 educational service providers eligible to assist with school transformation and turnaround efforts throughout the state.

Assistance will be provided to as many as 47 eligible schools identified on the federal list of “persistently lowest achieving schools” as Tier I and Tier II during the 2009-2010 school year and in subsequent years for the period of the School Improvement Grant. According to OSPI, schools were identified using both academic performance of all students and improvement trends over the past three years.

Global Partnership Schools and COREwill emphasize high expectations for student performance and introduce intensive coaching, high-leverage educational strategies and structures to promote effective teaching and learning.

“Our partnership with CORE brings a tremendous depth of experience in school improvement,” said Global Partnership Schools CEO Manny Rivera. “CORE has been a hands-on collaborator with schools across the country for 15 years and is a terrific complement to Global Partnership Schools’ district leadership and management experience.”

“Together, we will bring the highest quality service to schools in Washington, offering proven strategies to engage students, enhance teaching, and turn around schools,” said CORE CEO Linda Diamond.