Crown Point Case Study from Latest NYKids Study Now Available!
As recounted in a previous blog, the NYKids team is underway with a new study! To celebrate our 20th year of research, NYKids is returning to study schools we identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies (what we call “persistent positive outliers”) as well as those that we identified as typically-performing yet who have risen to positive outlier status (what we call “emergent positive outliers”).
We are excited to announce in this blog that our first case study of Crown Point Central School, a persistent positive outlier, is now available here on our website.
NYKids first studied Crown Point as part of our 2017-18 College and Career Readiness study as a positive outlier. The following year, we returned to Crown Point to conduct interviews and focus groups with 11 students to hear how they described their experiences in school and plans for after graduation. Recently, our team identified Crown Point once again as a positive outlier based on its above-predicted graduation rates. This winter we traveled to Crown Point to learn more about how their staff helped maintain positive status outlier since our first visit! This blog recaps a few of the highlights.
Crown Point Central School
Located in rural Essex County, in New York’s “North Country,” Crown Point CSD serves just over 300 students in a large, stately brick building situated in the town’s center. The close-knit nature of the school and community provide Crown Point with – as many educators put it – a sense of “family” where everyone knows each other. Many educators described their deep roots in the community, some of them as graduates of Crown Point CSD. They credited this familiarity with the school and community with providing them with insights into the unique culture and context in which their students live and also with helping them communicate effectively with family members.
We found three major themes which characterized Crown Point Central School:
- Collaboration with a Shared Goal
We all work together for the common good of our kids. And if we’re not doing that, why are we here? – Superintendent
At Crown Point, we found collaboration among colleagues and between teachers and leaders embedded in the school culture. For instance, educators felt that they could always turn to their coworkers for support – whether the matter was school-related or personal. In a rural context where resources in and outside of the school were sometimes insufficient, educators recognized the need to always pitch in and go the extra mile to ensure that students’ needs could be met. While educators explained that at times they differed in their approaches, the shared goal of “doing what’s best for the kids” was a mantra repeated by several educators during interviews.
2. Collective Responsibility in a Close-Knit Environment
If there’s one thing going on in the school, everyone on the staff knows. – support staff
Educators described how the close-knit environment of Crown Point allowed them to communicate regularly with one another if any issues with students needed to be addressed. By developing close relationships with every student, educators felt that they could closely monitor students’ well-being and share critical information.
3. Staying Connected and Investing in the Community
You always should be open and be available for [family members]. – support staff
Lastly, educators at Crown Point felt that an integral part of their identity, and a factor that accounted for their student outcomes, was their long-standing and deep ties to the community. Many educators explained how they had grown up in Crown Point and continued to reside there with their families. The consistency and continuity provided by these roots gave educators deep insights into the specific challenges faced by students and their families as well as resources and strengths on which they could draw in their educational pursuits.
What’s next?
Read the entire Crown Point Case Study on our website and stay tuned for more case studies as NYKids continues to visit emergent and persistent positive outliers this spring!
As always, we thank you for your interest in NYKids! Please reach out to us at nykids@albany.edu or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn! We also encourage you to contact us if you are interested in NYKids direct school improvement support this summer.
