Brookfield Central Case Study from Latest NYKids Study Now Available

This summer, NYKids has been busy releasing case studies of schools which participated our latest study of Persistent and Emergent Positive Outliers in New York State. This study explores schools we identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies (“persistent positive outliers”) as well as those that we previously identified as typically-performing yet have  risen to positive outlier status (“emergent positive outliers”).

We are excited to announce in this blog that our case study of Brookfield Central School, a persistent positive outlier, is now available here. NYKids first studied Brookfield as part of our 2013 High School Completion study. Recently, our team identified Brookfield once again as a positive outlier based on its above-predicted graduation rates.

Brookfield Central School

Brookfield Central School is in Madison County, New York, about two hours west of Albany and one hour east of Syracuse. Just under 200 students PreK-12th grade attend Brookfield in a large school building in the center of the rural town. Brookfield educators who participated in this study reported that the small school size helps adults foster deep relationships with youth and the wider community.

Brookfield youth are offered an impressive array of curricular options ranging from college-credit bearing classes to career and technical education. Offering diverse educational pathways was described as a priority in Brookfield and seen as associated with developing youth into people eager and able to become active participants in their communities and the wider society.  Brookfield educators provide examples of hands-on learning opportunities meant to engage young people in learning.

We found three major themes that characterized Brookfield Central School:

Building and Rebuilding Relationships

I think that’s the difference between this school and a lot of other schools. We care about them [students] as human beings and as people before we… educate them.  – teacher

Many educators at Brookfield felt that strong relationships were at the center of Brookfield’s success. The close-knit environment and small class sizes gave educators the opportunity to develop deep connections with students over their school careers. In addition to relationships between educators and students, Brookfield educators placed high value on promoting positive relationships among peers. Several programs and extracurricular activities were designed to promote connections between younger and older students – relationships which continued to develop as young people progressed to higher grades. Educators also spoke of the close relationship between community members and school staff which was evident in the large turnout for extracurricular activities and sporting events. Many educators at Brookfield described recent efforts to rebuild trust with the community after considerable turnover in staffing.

Working Together to Meet Students’ Needs

If there is one defining thing [about Brookfield], it is the people in this building that… love the people inside the building. – principal

Another characteristic which was evident at Brookfield was a collaborative culture between staff members. In a rural context where resources were sometimes limited, educators described the need to work together to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of their students. Often wearing “many hats” – as several staff members put it – Brookfield educators explained how they took on additional duties and responsibilities to ensure that no student would be deprived of an opportunity. Although educators acknowledged that the large staffing changes were not easy, a commitment to students’ well-being was viewed as a priority shared across the entire school. Moreover, many educators felt that the collegial atmosphere of Brookfield is crucial in supporting new hires as they adapt to their new positions. For instance, mentoring programs were mentioned by several staff members as a helpful avenue of support.

Providing Choice after Graduation and Emphasizing “Soft Skills”

We want to produce positive, productive citizens so when they get out of here, whatever they do, they are adding to society in a positive way. – superintendent

A common refrain among educators at Brookfield was that student success could not be measured by a test but was instead defined by their readiness to participate as active members of society. This belief was evident in the curricular offerings at Brookfield which emphasized hands-on learning and coursework which was relevant to students’ lives outside of school. For instance, Brookfield recently brought back the   for students and is currently participating in a state-sponsored pilot program to implement  practices.

Take-Aways and Next Steps

Stabilizing Leadership

As research (including NYKids’ latest publication) suggests, school and district leaders play a crucial role in supporting staff members (new and veteran) and stabilizing school systems especially through substantial changes and crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

New leaders such as those we interviewed at Brookfield show the importance of clearly communicating expectations to staff members and working together to meet students’ needs even as they continued to face new challenges.

Supporting New Staff through Mentorship

Brookfield educators provide additional empirical evidence that newer staff members can benefit from, mentorship programs that provide curricular, pedagogical and emotional support.

These mentoring efforts are crucial to retain teachers – especially in rural locations where staffing can be difficult.

Engaging Students with Hands-on, Relevant Curriculum

Brookfield educators engaged students (and the wider community) through hands-on, relevant curricula through CTE offerings and the recently-reinstated Future Farmers of America program.

The emphasis on providing students with programming which capitalized on their interests and existing knowledge coincided with a perspective held by many staff members that success at Brookfield is not measured simply by academic prowess but instead by students’ readiness and capability to contribute positively to their community and the wider society.

You can read the entire Brookfield Case Study on our website here, and we hope you stay tuned as NYKids continues to release case studies of more positive outliers this spring!

We thank you for your interest in NYKids! Check out our webpage for case studies of additional persistent and emergent positive outlier schools. We welcome you to reach out to us at nykids@albany.edu or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!