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Why Every At-Promise Student Needs College ReadinessAn Interview with Dr. Dan Lopez, President of TurnAround SchoolsBy Alex Kajitani
At the middle school where I teach, it is statistically assumed that only half of our students will go on to complete high school. Similar to many schools in high-poverty, mostly Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods, this often puts us, as teachers of at-promise students, at philosophical odds. Do we:
A) Focus mainly on the 50% who will go on to finish high school (with a significantly lower percentage of that group (hopefully) going to college)?
B) Focus on basic academic skills, so our students will have the minimum skills necessary to survive?
C) Focus on character education, so they’ll at least be nice people?
The answer:
D) None of the above.
The true solution to giving at-promise students the tools they need to be successful in life is this: college readiness. For all of them.
This month, we turn to Dr. Dan Lopez, President of TurnAround Schools (http://turnaroundschools.com/ ) and the No Excuses University. His work, alongside his brother, principal Damen Lopez, is revolutionizing schools, communities, and at-promise students who might have otherwise been written off as failures. Founded in 2006, TurnAround Schools is based upon the following two principles:
1) Every child has the right to be prepared to attend college.
2) It is the responsibility of the adults in the school to develop exceptional systems that make that dream a reality.
Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down with Dr. Lopez to discuss the incredible success his organization has experienced, and why truly effective school reform begins by making “No Excuses.”
Kajitani: Begin by telling us about the mission of TurnAround Schools and the No Excuses University.
Dr. Lopez: TurnAround Schools and the No Excuses University began with the goal of meeting the needs of high-poverty, high-diversity students in kindergarten through 5th grade; and we were immediately pushed to expand it into a K-8 initiative. We focus on college readiness, which is different than college prep. Beginning a conversation with a student in high school about going to college is too late – we believe that this conversation needs to happen far earlier, as early as pre-kindergarten.
Many of us have seen the statistics regarding how 3rd grade reading scores are used to measure the number of prison beds that will be needed in the future. It is clear: success at an early age is absolutely critical. Of course, college readiness looks much different in 1st grade than it does in 5th or even 8th grade; however, college can and should be a dream for each and every student.
Kajitani: What results have you seen so far?
Dr. Lopez: When we started TurnAround Schools and the No Excuses University (NEU) Network, Los Peñasquitos Elementary (San Diego, CA) was our only campus. Damen Lopez (Dr. Dan Lopez’s brother) was the principal there, and helped usher in an incredible turnaround. Located across from one of North San Diego’s largest subsistence housing apartment complexes, Los Peñasquitos was one of California’s top-performing elementary schools, earning the coveted “10/10*” rankings for five of the six years Damen was the principal there. We now have nearly 100 schools in the NEU Network, spread across 15 states, all of which are supporting the dream of college readiness for nearly 55,000 students. If the NEU Network were its own district, it would be among the top 100 largest districts in the country, and if we were a charter school network, we would be among the country’s largest.
We are now seeing academic success similar to that of Los Peñasquitos on each campus, with our Six Exceptional Systems providing the support and tools necessary for each of these schools to be successful. The No Excuses University concept is empowering for the kids; however, it mainly serves as a reminder for the adults – that we cannot make excuses for our students. Instead, we must keep them on the path toward the goal of college.
Kajitani: Tell us more about these Six Exceptional Systems and how they create truly effective change at a school site.
Dr. Lopez: All six systems are grounded in our first system, the need for a Culture of Universal Achievement. First, teachers and administrators must join together in believing that at-promise children can be successful and that the collective efforts of the school will be sufficient to make that dream a reality. Once this belief is in place, energy that was previously expended by arguing and making excuses will go directly into neutralizing many of the challenges students bring to the school.
The next exceptional system is effective Teacher Collaboration. The development of every other system requires collaborative efforts. Focus on creating an exceptional system for collaboration and commit it to writing.
Once teachers collaborate effectively, they can use those skills to design common grade-level lessons that reflect academic standards. We call this Standards Alignment. This is difficult work, it is far from glamorous, and is only made possible by teachers who know how to work well together.
The fourth exceptional system is Classroom Assessments that Guide Instruction and Interventions. Teachers need a way to gauge whether their lessons were effective and identify which students are not on track for becoming proficient. In addition, teachers must determine exactly what areas of learning need attention. Thus, grade levels and departments should invest time in creating common course assessments that are both summative and formative.
Assessments inevitably generate data. All too often teachers are given large amounts of data, with no direction on how to use it most effectively. Thus, there is a need for A System for Easily Managing Data. If this data is to be available and useful to teachers, a simple system must be in place to manage it well.
Once student data is easily available, there is a need for Data-Driven Interventions, Both Academic and Social. Data is used to identify students who are not on track for becoming proficient in the core academic areas. Additionally, necessary social interventions must be addressed as well– including issues such as character, low attendance, or unfavorable home lives. By identifying specific areas of need, teachers can collaborate on, and customize interventions to meet the specific needs of each child. Often, school leaders want to jump straight to interventions; however, without the other exceptional systems in place interventions often prove much less effective.
Kajitani: Currently, I have students in my eighth-grade math class who have trouble adding and subtracting. How will the concept of “college readiness” benefit them?
Dr. Lopez: Certainly, it’s not going to hurt them. Far too often, we lower our standards in order to “meet” our students. We must keep our expectations high, and commit to a continuous conversation with our students regarding attending college. When I was the principal at a continuation high school, I often touted the different routes one can take to get to college, such as community college, or career and technical schools; however, I did so in a manner that kept them focused on self-improvement. As teachers of at-promise students, we must continuously adjust our realities, but never our expectations.
Kajitani: How important is a highly effective leader in this process? In other words, can the teachers do it without a great principal?
Dr. Lopez: Implementing the Six Exceptional Systems is very difficult to do without effective leadership, and this leadership is key to the success of the NEU concept. However, these systems can absolutely work in a teacher’s individual classroom, even if they’re not being used in the entire school. A teacher using these systems begins to share them with their grade level or department, and the systems then permeate throughout the campus. One teacher can certainly be a catalyst for an entire school site. However, an entire school will certainly be successful much more quickly with a committed leader in place.
Kajitani: Tell us about your Institutes, and what a teacher or administrator can gain by attending?
Dr. Lopez: We run approximately eight Institutes across the country each year. At our Institutes, we share practical strategies that will allow attendees to create and implement the Six Exceptional Systems on their own campus. You won’t find hours of theory. Instead, you’ll work with current practitioners who are already part of the NEU Network, and learn NEU strategies daily – strategies that teachers and administrators can put into place the very next day, and for years to come.
Kajitani: Finally, what are the long-term plans for TurnAround Schools?
Dr. Lopez: We have three major goals:
First, to continue to revolutionize public education from the bottom up. We are going to continue to expand the NEU network of schools, and promote their growth and collaboration.
Second, we are going to support the creation of No Excuses University Academy Prep Schools. Our first campus is slated to open this August in West Covina, CA, and will be called NEU Academy Prep for Math and Science, Novus Campus, in partnership will Rowland Unified School District.
Third, we are going to continue to pursue the creation of a “Dream Campus,” which is a residential school for foster children. Currently, less than 3% of children in our foster system ever graduate from college. That is a dream we need to expand and support.
For more information on TurnAround Schools and their upcoming Institutes around the country, visit: http://turnaroundschools.com/.
* A “10/10” school refers to a ranking of 10 out of 10 when compared to schools with similar demographics and student population, and the second “10” refers to a 10 out of 10 ranking when compared to all elementary schools in California.
Dr. Dan Lopez is the president of TurnAround Schools and has spent 14 years in public education. Decorated with administrator of the year awards in San Diego County, Dr. Lopez worked as the principal of Abraxas High School for four years. He is the former president of the California League of Middle Schools, and is an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University. He also sits on the school board of the Ramona Unified School District. He earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Alliant University. To contact Dan directly, email him at
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Alex Kajitani is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is also known around the country as “The Rappin’ Mathematician,” speaks nationally about “Making Math Cool,” and delivers powerful keynote speeches about the importance of supporting and motivating teachers. Visit www.AlexKajitani.com to check out his ideas on education.
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at•promise: [at•prom’is]
adj. Belief that all students
can succeed
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