Report: School turnaround mostly failing in Washington

Researchers at the University of Washington say the federal school turnaround program is mostly failing in Washington state, even though teachers and administrators are trying their best to make a difference for kids.

The federal government is spending more than $3 billion nationwide to help districts turn around their worst-performing schools.

In a report released Thursday, researchers from UW's Center on Reinventing Public Education say Washington school districts are failing to make aggressive reforms.

The lead author says teachers are working very hard but their efforts are mostly wasted because the districts don't have a good plan. She says part of the problem is that districts were rushed into reform by the federal government. Another issue is the hodgepodge approach they are taking.

She expects a similar critique could be made for turnaround efforts in other states.