Tennessee Approves Pearson As Partner to Help Turn Around Struggling Schools

Pearson K-12 Solutions Set to Provide Whole School Reform, Professional Development and Technical Assistance

July 7, 2010.: Tennessee has approved Pearson K-12 Solutions to provide Whole School Reform, Professional Development and Technical Assistance to improve its struggling schools as part of its Race to the Top implementation.

Pearson K-12 Solutions President Scott Drossos noted, “We are all set to bring our comprehensive research-based School Turnaround Education Partnership (STEP) model that helps schools make fundamental changes and sustain improvements for the long term. We have the opportunity to draw from Pearson’s vast resources – including curriculum, assessment, technology, and professional development for teachers at every stage of their careers – to create a customized, coherent improvement plan for the struggling schools.”

Drossos said that for students, a positive school culture is linked to a strong sense of school membership, which in turn is linked to academic and behavioral outcomes, including reduced dropout rates.: The Pearson STEP model strives to help schools create a culture that is family-friendly and safe, where all students and families are respected, and where students feel connected to their learning and their school.

A key component of Pearson’s turnaround strategy is a strong, multi-pronged focus on providing comprehensive training and resources to teachers. The Pearson teacher professional development plan is comprised of several components, including its proven Learning Teams model where groups of teachers work in collaborative environments to identify student problems and develop instructional solutions.

Pearson K-12 Solutions’ School Turnaround Education Partnership (STEP) plan includes a combination of 10 core elements that have helped improve underperforming schools for years, and has consistently demonstrated gains in student achievement as well as in school culture and distributed leadership:

Systematically Plan for School Improvement
Develop Instructional Leadership
Create Collaborative Education Partnerships
Emphasize School Culture
Embed Achievement Support
Align Curriculum
Optimize Conditions for Teaching & Learning
Foster Knowledge Driven Decision-making
Utilize Technology for Learning
Evaluate for Continuous Improvement

Drossos noted that Pearson is making unprecedented levels of investment in new models: for education and that the company is committed to providing a broad spectrum of solutions and services to schools to ensure that their teachers and students are successful.