Think of the region as a hospital for ailing schools: a place where problems are studied and diagnosed, then treated. It comes as the federal No Child Left Behind law ratchets up pressure on districts across the country to improve.
The schools were chosen based on test scores, incidents of violence, student and staff attendance, and teacher turnover, among other factors.
Their remedies could include deviation from the standard curriculum, new discipline procedures, the hiring of outside companies to assist, and a requirement that teachers reapply for their jobs next school year.
"Whatever is necessary to clear the path so that there are no barriers in these schools . . . we are prepared to do," said Marilyn Perez, the administrator overseeing the region.
Four of the 11 schools are getting new principals, and the sprawling Olney High has been divided into two schools, with a wall erected up the middle. Each has its own principal and will have different arrival and dismissal times.
Many more changes are likely to be rolled out after the December break, Perez said.
But first, teams of educators and consultants from both inside and outside the district will visit the schools in the fall and scrutinize everything: discipline, attendance, motivation, training, leadership quality, parental and community involvement and language barriers.
They also will seek input from parents, staff and the community.
"We want to approach this school by school, . . . understanding that there is no simple solution or simple intervention," said Gregory Thornton, the district's chief academic officer.
A growing number of districts are creating similar regions.
