"School Improvement Grants(SIG)had no effect on student achievement, according to a new report released by the U.S. Dep't of Ed. Here's why the program failed after spending $3.5 billion: The SIG required certain interventions and did not give any autonomy or decision making power to the people who already worked in the school AND the grant 'staff' merely measured and “coached” What the school really needed was smaller class size, and another math teacher instead of a “coach.” Experienced teachers for the most part know what to do, but are overwhelmed by the large number of students who have special issues! Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on technology – but the librarian and IT person were let go. WHO TO BLAME; "the problems in the school lay with the teachers – not with poverty, an insufficient number of qualified staff, and an unstable district. Yeah Bad teachers!"