Oakland Unified School District is an urban district that is trying everything they can to stop students from dropping out. Madison Middle School is in East Oakland with a determined principal who wants to make a difference in their children’s lives.

Problem

Teachers were working hard and test scores were improving, but students were not motivated to learn. The lessons needed to be more rigorous and engaging. The teacher turnover rate was too high. The principal, Dr. Lucinda Taylor, not only wanted to increase student achievement and improve student engagement, she wanted to ...   more...