Improving low-performing/failing schools in the United States, especially in urban areas, has been a focal point of policymakers since the 1960s. Turning around low-performing schools gained increased attention after Congress passed No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top in the 2000s. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, championed improving failing schools with a $3.5 billion investment in School Improvement Grants (SIG program) to decrease dropout rates, increase college readiness among high school graduates, and improve their potential for postsecondary success. Our qualitative case study examined the turnaround leadership actions of an urban superintendent in New Jersey and a high school principal in Michigan. Our case studies identified specific turnaround leadership actions that practitioners could replicate in their urban school district or school. Finally, we conclude with several vexing policy implications regarding the future direction of improving or turning around failing schools, especially in urban areas.
As the U.S Navy strives to strengthen its maritime dominance in the 21st century, the need for higher operational availability is integral to being able to perform its mission. Corrosion of structures and systems in corrosion prone areas drives reliability and is a significant contributor to depot maintenance availability schedules and costs. Ultimately, corrosion is a key risk item that impacts all seawater exposed systems, reduces or even defines system life/reliability, degrades operational availability, and demonstrably increases lifecycle costs. Design decisions made in acquisition will affect time in maintenance, cost, safety, and operational availability throughout the life cycle. The proper corrosion control methods in the form of material selection, paints and coatings and cathodic protection determine the extent of corrosion. It is critical that corrosion control requirements are codified early in the design process. Design trade-offs that prioritize initial cost over corrosion control can equate to serious life-cycle cost and maintenance impacts, as well as system downtime or inability to perform a mission. This topic will discuss Navy relevant coatings, cathodic protection, and material selection requirements and source documentation, with practical end-user applicability.
Since Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD) has gained popularity over the last few decades, there were no industry standards to the extent that has reduced the current requirements to prevent coating damage (less than 1 percent) and provide adequate external corrosion protection for the life of the HDD crossing. With all the benefits of HDD there are disadvantages: no possibility of pipeline maintenance due to excessive depths and difficulty controlling external corrosion. HDD installation increases the likelihood of coating damage during the pull back process of the carrier pipeline. This includes operational stress and damage from bed rock and other hard abradants especially when the current requirements are significantly higher compared to the line pipe installations. This also occurs in girth, longitudinal, and spiral welded pipe that is used and more importantly the type(s) of coatings used especially in those at joints and tie-ins. This paper will discuss HDD installations with inadequate coating design and installations with damaged coating that may result in future integrity related issues.
Selecting materials and coatings is critical for permanent and service well equipment to prevent costly failures and downtime. Equipment manufacturers and users frequently rely on the knowledge and practices established in the industry over the past few decades, typically in the form of standards and guidelines. In addition, users may possess proprietary information to assist in selecting materials and processes for specific services and applications. This decision-making process can be difficult due to the need to process and analyze a large amount of material information, considering the complex interrelationships between factors such as well design, downhole interventions, materials properties and manufacturing, environmental compatibility, and regulatory compliance. This paper addresses the challenges associated with making critical decisions and assessing risks related to materials and processes, considering equipment design and operational and environmental conditions. This paper presents a systematic approach to managing and using information on the environmental compatibility of materials and the surface protection and enhancement techniques used to improve overall equipment performance.
