Tulsa’s long academically suffering McLain High school is expected to be targeted by the State Department of Education for intervention. The high school is in Tulsa School Board Member Doctor Lana Turner-Addison’s district.
She is hopeful a McLain plan can be in place by the beginning of the next school year. She says it could be similar to what the school district did with Rogers High School. Rogers was turned into a college-prep school.
Doctor Turner-Addison met last night with community leaders as well Tulsa Public Schools educators. She says a representative from the state was also in attendance at the meeting. While she welcomes state help, she does not want to see the state take over the school.
State Superintendent Janet Barresi and Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Keith Ballard today issued a joint statement regarding work between the State Department of Education and Tulsa Public Schools’ officials on a partnership to benefit the community and increase student achievement.
The C3 (College, Citizen and & Career Readiness) Partnership will include a variety of benefits for students in the district. The C3 Partnership also will develop a new instructional model to address student achievement at McLain High School and Junior High, which will be identified as a C3 Partnership School:
"Over the past several weeks, we have been engaged in productive conversations about a meaningful partnership. Our goal has been to develop targeted and tailored strategies to improve student growth and achievement. As a team of reviewers has analyzed information about a number of low-performing schools, a consensus has emerged around the beneficial impact a partnership can have for McLain High School as a C3 Partnership School, along with additional benefits and regulatory flexibility for the entire Tulsa Public School District. While we are making a preliminary announcement today regarding McLain High School, there is still much work to be done. The State Board of Education must still make its decision in early April, and details of an overall partnership still must be finalized. The entire community must be meaningfully engaged in this process. We are committed to an inclusive process, and we are encouraged by the progress of discussions about details. We anticipate that future instructional strategies for McLain won't be fully developed until the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, with the possibility of some aspects being phased in prior to that time. This will be a collaborative effort with Tulsa Public Schools, the State Department of Education and the community. We will work closely to ensure that students who come to McLain have educational opportunities that will help them to succeed in careers, college and as productive citizens of our state and nation. Today's announcement is an important first step as we begin the process of gathering extensive parent, community, educator and student input before moving forward with any future instructional model for McLain."