As a candidate, Gov. Scott Walker promised to create a "turnaround task force" to help school districts deal with failing schools.

The task force would "provide needed guidance to school districts, ensuring that they don't drain financial resources from Wisconsin's many successful schools," Walker said during his gubernatorial campaign.

In August 2011, we rated this promise In the Works; the governor's office said the task force was being pursued by a school accountability group formed a month earlier by Walker and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers.

That group would "provide technical assistance and support to improve the lowest-performing schools," according to the Department of Public Instruction.

We found that no turnaround task force was actually formed, but that the work it was envisioned to do has been put in place as a result of the work of the accountability group.

The Department of Public Instruction pairs a low-performing school with a "turnaround partner," such as a non-profit organization or for-profit education group, for up to four years to assess problems and devise an improvement plan, said department spokesman John Johnson.

According to department guidelines, the partner organization must work in the school for at least 80 percent of the work week. Students at each grade level are expected to show improvement on measures such as standardized tests by the end of the third year.

Our rating

The state didn't create the turnaround task force Walker promised, but has created a mechanism for providing assistance to low-performing schools. We rate this promise a Compromise.

As a candidate, Gov. Scott Walker promised to create a "turnaround task force" to help school districts deal with failing schools.

The task force would "provide needed guidance to school districts, ensuring that they don't drain financial resources from Wisconsin"s many successful schools,” Walker said during his gubernatorial campaign.

Walker's spokesman, Cullen Werwie, said the promise is being pursued by a school accountability group formed in July 2011 by Walker and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers.

The group would "provide technical assistance and support to improve the lowest-performing schools,” according to the Department of Public Instruction.

So, we rate this promise In the Works.