K-12 Education - Characteristics and Turnaround Strategies of Schools Identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement - March 2026

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

K-12 Education report to congressional committees examines the national landscape of school improvement under Title I, Part A of the ESEA and focuses on Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools. It analyzes Department of Education data for SY 2019–20 and SY 2022–23, estimating characteristics linked to identification and exit, and incorporates educator interviews, state reviews, and multi-state/district case discussions. Findings address CSI school growth, academic and economic disadvantage, exit rates, key educator-identified strategies, and persistent challenges including attendance and staffing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time1 h 48 min

AccessFree to download

What GAO Found

Key findings on CSI identification and exit

Educator-identified strategies and persistent challenges

Why GAO Did This Study

Scope, data sources, and methodology

Contents

Appendix I: Description of Data Analysis

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

Tables

Figures

United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Committees March 2026 K-12 EDUCATION Characteristics and Turnaround Strategies of Schools Identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement Highlights GAO-26-107849 K-12 EDUCATION Characteristics and Turnaround Strategies of Schools Identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement March 2026 A report to congressional committees Contact: Jacqueline M. Nowicki at [nowickij@gao.gov](nowickij@gao.gov) What GAO Found Under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), states are required to measure the performance of their public schools. They must also identify three categories of low-performing schools for support and improvement, including those that need comprehensive support and improvement (CSI)—among the lowest-performing schools in the nation. • The number of CSI schools increased from 6.5 percent of all public schools in school year (SY) 2019–20 to 7.3 percent in SY 2022–23. Most of this increase was due to schools that were recategorized from needing additional targeted support and improvement (ATSI) to needing CSI because they did not meet their state’s criteria to exit ATSI. • CSI schools in SY 2022–23 were more academically challenged and economically disadvantaged than the CSI schools identified in SY 2019–20. For example, more CSI students experienced deep poverty in SY 2022–23 than in SY 2019–20. • Overall, 46 percent of CSI schools identified in SY 2019–20 had exited improvement status by SY 2022–23. Factors influencing the chances of a school exiting CSI status included student characteristics and size. For example, large-and medium-sized schools had increased chances of exiting, while schools with a higher percentage of poor students had decreased chances of exiting. Educators GAO interviewed commonly identified six strategies as key to exiting CSI, with effective leadership critical to all of them (see figure) . Many of these strategies are interrelated. For example, schools can use data to measure changes in school culture and monitor sustained improvements. Educators GAO interviewed also described various ways to sustain improvements. For example, in an elementary school that had recently exited CSI, school leaders said they continued to observe and provide feedback to teachers even though this type of monitoring was no longer required. Educators also described persistent challenges to exiting CSI related to student attendance and teacher shortagesand turnover. Key Strategies Educators Identified to Help Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools Exit Why GAO Did This Study Decades of educational reforms have demonstrated that turning around the lowest-performing schools in the U.S. remains a complex challenge. Schools identified for CSI must include (1) not fewer than the lowest-performing 5 percent of all Title I schools in the state,(2) all public high schools failing to graduate a third or more of their students, and (3) Title I schools previously identified as needing additional targeted support that have not improved within a state-determined number of years. Senate Report 115- 289 includes a provision for GAO to review school improvement activities. This report examines (1) the national landscape of school improvement, such as characteristics associated with schools identified for and exiting CSI; and (2) strategies that helped schools exit CSI and challenges faced, according to selected educators. To describe the national landscape of school improvement, GAO used SY 2019–20 and SY 2022–23 Department of Education data (the most recent available) . GAO used these data to estimate which school characteristics increased or decreased a school’s chances of being identified for and exiting CSI status. GAO also interviewed Education officials and reviewed relevant federal laws and state documents. To identify strategies that helped selected

FAQs

What does the report examine about Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools?

It examines (1) the national landscape of school improvement, including characteristics associated with CSI identification and exit, and (2) strategies that helped schools exit CSI and challenges faced, based on selected educators.

How did the share of CSI schools change from SY 2019–20 to SY 2022–23?

The number of CSI schools increased from 6.5% of all public schools in SY 2019–20 to 7.3% in SY 2022–23, with much of the increase from schools recategorized from ATSI to CSI due to not meeting state exit criteria.

What factors and challenges influenced whether schools exited CSI status?

Exit chances were influenced by student characteristics and school size, with large-and medium-sized schools more likely to exit and schools with a higher percentage of poor students less likely. Persistent challenges included student attendance issues and teacher shortages and turnover.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang