"A community leader transferred his children from private school to his neighborhood school based on the school's high achievement and new curriculum programs. We are proud to know that we are helping our children succeed and increasing confidence in our public schools."

—Claudette Rogers, District Master Language Arts Teacher K–6, Orange Public Schools

About Orange County Schools
Located in one of the most densely populated states in the nation, Orange, New Jersey, is an urban district situated four miles outside of Newark and fifteen miles from New York City. The 2.2 square mile district is comprised of eleven schools, serving more than 4,500 students in pre-K through grade 12, with a teacher to student ratio of fourteen to one. Of all students, 65% receive free or reduced-price lunches, 84% are African American, 15% are Hispanic, and 1% are White or American Indian.

The Challenge
In 2002, four out of the five elementary schools in this low-income district failed to reach 50% of state standards in reading proficiency.

In contrast to districts struggling with declining student enrollment, Orange, New Jersey, has been faced with skyrocketing population growth. A tremendous influx of students from Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean has rapidly changed the make-up of the student population. Already struggling to meet adequate yearly progress goals, Orange had the overwhelming task of increasing student achievement among a culturally diverse population while simultaneously dealing with the operational challenges of opening new schools.

Not uncommon in high-need districts, teacher recruitment, training, and retention pose major challenges. To meet these demands, the district relies on many alternate-route teachers with no formal education background.

It was clear that the district needed a new formula to help its diverse set of students and teachers succeed. Orange administrators soon found that securing funds to purchase a new research-based reading program and recruit new teachers was only one of other challenges they would face. Getting all schools to effectively and systemically implement the new curriculum created another set of difficulties.

Keys to Success
In two years, student achievement skyrocketed. The district credits eight keys that led to this success.

1. Organize quality teacher recruitment job fairs
The district began holding job fairs twice a year to address the teacher shortage, successfully drawing over 400 candidates to each fair. To provide candidates with a positive first impression, each fair is held at the newest school facility and the entire central administration office attends. In addition, a video presentation featuring Orange is given so that prospective teachers have a feeling for the community as a whole, not just for the school building in which they might work.

2. Use a research-based reading program
Orange selected a reading program that would be compatible with the abilities of both students and teachers. Methodology had to be restructured, and still flexible, to address the various classroom needs of a diverse student population. Additionally, to further engage student learning, lesson illustrations needed to reflect the students' rich ethnicity.

3. Invest in professional development
Once staffing and curriculum decisions were in place, central office administrators orchestrated professional development for each school based on teacher skill level. Each school's instructional leader decided which teachers should attend the afterschool training and deducted the cost from his or her budget. Among the programs offered for new teachers were entire semesters dedicated to reading instruction.

4. Share and transfer knowledge
Teachers attending the professional development training began videotaping examples of effective teaching methods among their more experienced peers as class projects. Not only did this assignment give new teachers the chance to see effective teaching methods in action, but it also became a way for schools to capture best practices and allow teachers to learn from one another. The most successful schools have built on-site videotape libraries. Considering the impact of teacher turnover and the cost of professional development, this is extremely valuable.

5. Go slow to get buy-in
An incremental approach to implementing the new reading program proved to be an effective strategy for the district. Orange found that getting immediate school buy-in was a challenge, but administrators experienced success when they took the process slowly.

6. Gradually introduce new curriculum concepts
The core components of the new reading program were also introduced at a slow pace to let teachers become comfortable with new methods, such as differentiated instruction. For example, the concept of a "literacy center"—where teachers divide the classroom into small groups of students and focus on specific literacy activities within a set time block—was brand new.

To start, teachers only had to hold one literacy center time block and were encouraged to progress to two and then three when they felt ready, allowing them to ease into the new curriculum requirements at their own pace. This proved to be beneficial for new teachers trying to learn effective strategies, and veteran teachers who may have been reluctant about a drastic paradigm shift.

7. Be patient
While poor test scores and modest student achievement were clear indicators that a new, research-based approach to literacy was needed, some veteran teachers were reluctant to part with familiar practices. "Some teachers were still teaching from old textbooks, and using the new program only as a supplement," shared Claudette Rogers, district master language arts teacher K–6. "We realized that as long as the textbooks were in the room, the teacher might use them, so we physically removed all old textbooks from every classroom."

8. Support new teachers
While veteran teachers enjoyed freedom to adapt lessons and activities to their own styles, alternate-route teachers needed solid fundamental guidance within the reading program. In Orange classrooms, there are many varying levels of students. Rogers pointed out that, "Teachers who may not be able to draw upon prior experience with diverse learners need very specific materials to keep them from pulling their hair out." She added, "We are lucky in that our new materials are not only aligned with New Jersey curriculum standards, but also that the teacher's editions practically serve as state reference guides."

Results
After the second year with the researched-based program and extensive professional development in place, three of the five elementary schools previously failing to meet even 50% of proficiency standards saw their results soar by an average of more than 25%. Scores for Cleveland Street School, with an 83% economically disadvantaged population, increased by more than 33%, from 39.5% proficiency in 2002 to 72.9% in 2004. Even Oakwood Avenue School, already the high-achieving standout of the district with 88.2% proficiency in 2002, shot up to 95.6% in 2004, the highest percentage in the state.

Conclusion
Considering the population growth trend in Orange, New Jersey, the need for ongoing school expansion and teacher training will continue, however the district's incremental approach and solutions to problems within a growing system should continue to address the challenges brought about by these changes. The district is aiming for 100% proficiency in reading by 2008.