An elementary school in Kansas City, Kan., has gone from one of the worst in the state to a nationally-recognized model of education reform.

Three years ago, Emerson Elementary School was listed among the lowest-performing schools in Kansas.

Because of it status, the federal government offered Emerson a three-year, $3 million grant in exchange for a radical restructuring. All the district’s employees first had to prove they could help educate inner-city youths. Half the staff was transferred.

The Kansas City Star reports in two years, the school increased reading proficiency by about 40 percentage points and math proficiency by about 20 percentage points.

Achievement improved so much that last month two Emerson administrators were among a dozen educators honored at the White House as “champions of change.”