Persistently low-performing schools have been repeatedly targeted for comprehensive reform for more than two decades, usually with poor results. These efforts have suffered, however, because they were often poorly implemented or insufficiently grounded in rigorous research. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted in 2015, provides a framework for reversing this track record of failure through the greater adoption of proven, evidence-based practices and programs. This paper reviews the history of K-12 turnaround efforts and how evidence has been, and could be, used to improve upon these previous efforts.