EAST CLEVELAND — Wednesday afternoon, Henry Pettiegrew II, Ph.D., superintendent and CEO of East Cleveland City Schools, will host a book signing and leadership conversation about the district's turnaround.
Pettiegrew's book, "Turnaround Blueprint: A Field Manual for System-Level School Improvement," was released in June.
The event will be held Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the East Cleveland Public Library, 14101 Euclid Ave. in East Cleveland. It will feature a Black leadership panel discussion, a Q&A session and a book signing.
In September 2025, when the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released its annual school report cards, East Cleveland City Schools earned an overall rating of three stars, up from two stars the previous year.
During an interview that month, Pettiegrew told me the three-star rating marked the first time in more than a decade that the district had officially met state standards.
He said confronting challenges directly and focusing on the whole child had been critical to the district's progress.
"The teachers are doing a yeoman's job every single day of handling issues, problem solving [and] being solution-oriented," Pettiegrew said. "Students are coming in hungry to learn. Our teachers are providing engaging lessons. Principals are being coached to be the best — to provide support to teachers. And then our parents, our wonderful, wonderful parents in the East Cleveland City Schools, they have been supporting us every step of the way."
He credited teachers and families with improving communication and helping build momentum.
"We're knocking on doors, we're having those real conversations, and if parents or students need particular things, supports or items, we're right there to help," Pettiegrew said.
He also said the district was using data to help teachers create individualized lessons.
"We're trying to work on generational poverty here in East Cleveland, so it's necessary for us to grab the students' attention and give them exactly what they need when they need it," Pettiegrew said.
In January 2026, the district was released from Academic Distress Commission oversight.
News 5 covered "We Are EC Day," a celebration of everyone’s hard work.
In a formal letter to Pettiegrew, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce said the district had met 16 of 20 benchmarks, exceeding expectations under its Revitalization Plan.
The state cited several areas of improvement, including a more than 12-point increase in the district's Performance Index, stronger early literacy and numeracy outcomes, continued academic growth in grades three through eight and improved high school performance.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
