Good morning, CharterFolk.
Today we are pleased to share a Contributor Column from Aimee Evan, Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd.
We provide an introduction from Aimee below.
I’m a Senior Research Associate and School Improvement Specialist at WestEd. My work centers on partnering with school and system-level leaders to elevate the quality of education for all students. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago and attending Chicago Public Schools during a time when the system was labeled low-performing, I personally saw how education can transform lives—if it’s done right. This experience shaped my deep commitment to improving education systems and creating better opportunities for all students.
As an expert in school improvement and accountability, I work closely with decision-makers to help them navigate complex challenges and build systems where schools—and, therefore, students—can thrive. I’ve had the privilege of working nationwide, supporting charter school authorizers, school leaders, and governing boards in identifying early warning signs of distress and developing proactive solutions to get schools back on track.
Through my work with the National Charter School Resource Center and on a Charter School Program Dissemination grant with the National Charter Schools Institute, I’ve seen firsthand how charter schools, while given the autonomy to innovate, sometimes need additional support in making the right decisions to drive long-term success. I focus on helping authorizers and leaders build the frameworks and systems they need to make informed decisions that ultimately benefit students. By working together, we can create environments where schools can flourish, and every student has the opportunity to succeed.
A Collaborative Approach to Building Resilient, Thriving Schools
For nearly 25 years, my career in education reform has been a journey through the complexities of school turnaround. As a former middle school teacher—working with both special and general education students—I’ve taught in turnaround schools and studied what truly works (and what doesn’t) in school revitalization. I’ve also partnered with system leaders to design frameworks and structures for turnaround support, helping to guide leaders in creating charter schools where all students thrive.
When we think of turnaround, the first thing that may come to mind is often the conversion of a struggling school into a charter school. But today, charter schools themselves are facing their own versions of turnaround, where they are given the opportunity to improve instead of closing their doors for good. It was about a decade ago when I had a front-row seat to the intersection of turnaround work and charter schools through my experience with IDEA Public Charter School.
IDEA Public Charter School: A Retrospective
IDEA Public Charter was once the only career academy in the District of Columbia. It offered an innovative program: the Academy of Construction and Design students could earn certifications while solving real-world problems. IDEA even owned a row house where students would practice electrical wiring under the guidance of certified electricians. On paper, it was one of the most impressive programs in DC.
But in reality, it was the worst-performing high school in the district, whether charter or traditional. There were high suspension rates, low attendance, and most devastating of all, students weren’t learning.
How did IDEA get here? The decline wasn’t immediate—it was a series of small, miscalculated decisions that led to a much larger problem. One of the first missteps? Attempting to expand with a middle school and a facilities renovation all at once. Over time, these efforts overloaded the leadership, and with the board complacent, teachers were ignored, families left behind, and students were forgotten.
Eventually, the authorizer chose to offer IDEA the chance for turnaround instead of closure. And that’s when I became part of a monumental transformation. The turnaround was hard—requiring significant time and financial resources. By the time we were involved, dysfunction had seeped into every corner of the school.
Reflecting on the Roots of Decline
That journey with IDEA left me with a crucial question: Why do we wait until schools hit rock bottom before intervening?
It’s a question that’s been at the heart of my work. Could we catch schools in decline earlier—before their performance hits rock bottom? Could we recognize early warning signs of distress and act to prevent a school from slipping into chaos? Just as we know that students at risk of dropping out need intervention, schools in distress need proactive support.
We set out on a research journey to find answers. Could we use the lessons learned from past failures to predict and prevent future ones? Our studies revealed that many schools show similar warning signs before their decline becomes irreversible—problems with leadership, governance, finance, staffing, culture, and instruction.
This research became our “Indicators of Distress” framework. The goal is simple: identify these early signs of trouble so that decision-makers can intervene before problems become entrenched, giving schools the chance to course-correct before it’s too late.
Turning the Tide
Our first report …
… explored the perspective of authorizers—those who have the first opportunity to spot warning signs and intervene. By focusing on early warning signals in leadership, governance, finance, staffing, and other critical areas, our goal was to empower authorizers to take timely action.
Our second report …
… broadened our scope to include school leaders and boards. We wanted to uncover the signs visible to those closest to the school’s day-to-day operations. Through these findings, we learned that schools well-equipped with strong systems—both internal and external—are better positioned to overcome distress. We also saw that the schools best equipped to navigate challenges are the ones that can adapt, pivot, and align operations with student and community needs.
Who is Responsible for Providing Supports? A Collaborative Approach
Identifying when a school is in distress is just the first step in a much larger process. Once we know that a school is facing challenges, the real work begins: designing and delivering targeted supports to help those schools get back on track. This is where intervention becomes an art—one that must be tailored to each school’s unique circumstances and needs.
However, this raises another important question: Who is responsible for providing the help once distress is identified? Charter school authorizers are often placed in a difficult position—they are tasked with the critical responsibility of monitoring school performance, ensuring accountability, and making tough decisions about renewal and closure. Yet, at the same time, they are frequently asked to provide direct support to struggling schools, which can feel like a conflict of interest. It’s a delicate balance, and many authorizers are justifiably cautious about taking on both roles.
Who is responsible for providing these supports? is a question we’ve been grappling with for years, particularly in our work with authorizers. The truth is, these roles don’t have to fall on any one entity alone. Our work with authorizers has focused on designing systems of support that clearly define roles, map assets and resources to need, and create strong coalitions among all of the stakeholders in the charter school ecosystem. These include:
- Authorizers: As oversight bodies, authorizers are in the unique position to monitor and assess the health of charter schools. However, while they may identify schools in distress, they sometimes lack the resources and expertise (or are philosophically opposed) to providing the in-depth support needed. If this is the case, instead of supporting schools directly, their role can be to coordinate, convene, and connect schools with the appropriate support networks.
- State Education Agencies (SEAs): State education agencies often have access to broader resources and systems that can support struggling schools. SEAs can play a key role in facilitating support through targeted technical assistance, access to state-level funding opportunities, and facilitating connections to specialized expertise. They can also help build policy frameworks that enable intervention and improvement efforts to happen in a timely and efficient way.
- Charter School Associations: These organizations are a critical resource for providing ongoing professional development, training, and guidance to charter schools. They often have a deep understanding of the specific needs of charter schools and can offer direct, targeted support—whether it’s through training for school leaders, developing peer networks for teachers, or helping with governance issues. Charter school associations can also help in navigating relationships with authorizers and SEAs, ensuring schools have a comprehensive support system in place.
- External Partners: Nonprofit organizations, improvement consultants, and specialized service providers can also play an important role in the support ecosystem. These external partners often bring specialized expertise to the table, whether it’s in leadership coaching, curriculum design, financial management, or community engagement.
Through a Charter School Program dissemination grant, we’ve worked with authorizers in over 20 states, helping them identify the indicators of distress most explicit in their portfolios and designing tailored support systems for struggling charter schools. These efforts create a framework of collective responsibility. When states and authorizers come together to address early distress signals, we set a foundation for long-term improvement.
Building Resilient, Thriving Schools: The Urgency of Proactive Intervention
Schools like IDEA didn’t face challenges because of a lack of dedication or commitment. Rather, they experienced a series of small, often overlooked misguided decisions that, over time, became more difficult to manage. The crucial mistake wasn’t in these small issues themselves but that they compounded into a crisis too large to ignore. When these errors were left unchecked, they snowballed into something far harder to fix.
Imagine a future where schools like IDEA are noticed and supported before they reach a crisis point. This isn’t just a pipe dream; it’s a future we can build together. The true value of an Early Warning System lies not only in identifying challenges early but also in equipping schools with the right resources and strategies to address them. With thoughtful, tailored interventions, we can catch issues before they escalate, helping schools thrive rather than struggle at the brink of failure.
Education is too vital to leave to chance. We need to shift from a reactive stance to a proactive one. Early warning systems aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re essential for spotting the first signs of trouble and addressing them before they escalate. Investing in prevention gives every school the chance to grow stronger, ensuring they continue to provide the high-quality education every student deserves.
The cost of inaction is too great to ignore. Schools like IDEA have already shown us what happens when we wait too long. But the good news? We don’t have to stand by and watch. By committing to early intervention, we can change the trajectory of struggling schools. Together, we can build a system that doesn’t just react to problems—it prevents them from ever taking root. Let’s make this vision a reality for the sake of every school, every educator, and every student.
Excited to make a difference? We are too!
Join us for the A GAME convening, May 12-15, in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is your chance to dive deep into the Indicators of Distress, explore Asset Mapping, and discover how to design Responsive Goals that truly impact schools.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with a community of passionate, like-minded leaders who are ready to roll up their sleeves and take action. We can’t wait to see you there and work together to create lasting change!
Want to learn more about the A GAME community? Find out here!
Have questions or want to chat more? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to me directly—let’s start the conversation! aimee.evan@wested.org