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http://www.rrstar.com/article/20141221/SPECIAL/141219360?template=...
By Corina Curry
Rockford Register Star
December 21. 2014 5:00AM
FILE PHOTO
The districts steadily increasing graduation rates caught her eye, Preece said, but the Alignment Nashville model kept her coming back.
Typically when problems arise, people look for a program as the solution, which can yield incremental change but is hard to scale and is dependent on
funding, Preece said. I knew that we needed to change the system with which we interacted, or didnt interact, with (the Rockford School District). ... We
needed something that raised the tide for all children.
Rogers persuaded her board that helping Rockford launch Alignment was the right thing to do. Preece raised money to help pay for consulting services, and
Alignment Rockford was born.
There are 10 other Alignment communities including Elgin; Jackson, Mississippi; Polk County, Florida; and Coachelle Valley, California with more being
developed.
Alignment USA formed in 2012. Preece was Alignment Rockfords executive director for nearly five years, then became a consultant for Alignment USA,
helping other communities do what Rockford did.
Rockford took Nashvilles Alignment model and re-created it, bringing educators and business people together to work in a strategic manner to raise student
achievement and outcomes for all students. Both efforts strongly emphasized high school reform through the use of academies schools within schools that
cluster students with similar interests with teachers who work closely with those students on college and career readiness.
When we did Rockford, it was an experiment, Rogers said. What we saw was, this can be replicated and it can be very powerful in other communities. ... The
fact that we are all over the country now, thats all Laurie. That would not have happened if we didnt go to Rockford.
Alignment Nashville will celebrate its 10-year anniversary Jan. 15.
Corina Curry: 815-987-1371; ccurry@rrstar.com; @corinacurry
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