The Susquehanna Valley Central School District is among fifty rural schools partnering with a Harvard University research team to test new strategies for reducing absenteeism, building college readiness and boosting college enrollment.
Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) developed the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) initiative to give schools the opportunity to apply the Proving Ground model of evidence-based improvement to student outcomes in rural districts. According to the NYS Education Department, nearly 400,000 students in New York are educated in rural and “remote” schools.
"We are thrilled to have been selected to participate in this project, as we have been focused on the issues of attendance and college readiness for the past several years and have been working to uncover best practices and strategies on our own,” said Natalie Brubaker, Susquehanna Valley CSD Assistant Superintendent. “This project will allow us to work alongside similar districts all battling to find solutions and use our collective knowledge and expertise in an action-research approach to improve educational outcomes for our students."
NCRERN, funded by a $10 million federal grant, will produce tools for identifying students most at risk for absenteeism and being unprepared for college as well as change management resources designed to guide rural schools in addressing chronic absenteeism, college readiness, and college enrollment. Throughout the five years of the project, SV and other member districts will collaborate on shared challenges, learning from each other to guide future work on school improvement. Susquehanna Valley and the other applicants were chosen based on alignment between the district’s strategic goals and the work of the Center, capacity to utilize data for decision making, commitment to continuous improvement practices, and geographic distribution. The districts selected to be part of the National Center for Rural Education Research Network deserve congratulations," said Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent Anita Murphy. "Their selection represents a uniquely valuable opportunity for them to bring the power of evidence and the Proving Ground improvement model to bear on some of the most pressing issues facing rural districts including chronic absenteeism and college readiness and enrollment. I look forward to learning alongside our districts as they work to improve student outcomes together.”