Troubled schools hope to turn academic corner

New principals hoped to make the grade this year at Northwest Indiana’s lowest-performing high schools.

The leaders faced a huge challenge — serve as a catalyst for change at the schools and reach benchmarks set by the Indiana Department of Education.

By fall, the state will decide whether the schools improved enough. If not, they’ll face state intervention and possibly a takeover by an outside team.

The leadership job isn’t for the meek.