“We were all pulling on the same rope”: Case Study Findings Now Available from Shaker Road Elementary School

NYKids is happy to share a blog from our most recent study on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education workforce. It highlights key take-aways from Shaker Road Elementary School in the South Colonie Central School District.

The Study

In March 2021, the NYKids research team undertook a study to try to understand educators’ experiences during the first year of the pandemic. We were especially interested to learn what conditions might account for different levels of stress and job satisfaction from school to school, and so solicited the participation of schools across the state.

School Selection Criteria

Shaker Road Elementary School met the criteria for inclusion in this study based on the 2021 survey of educators’ responses to the pandemic because it exhibited more positive workforce responses with regard to stress and job satisfaction than other schools in the sample (n=38). With a score of 80% compared to an overall sample mean of 36.9% and standard deviation of 15.4%, Shaker Road Elementary School qualifies as a positive outlier in this study.

Facilitators for Adaptation and Innovation: Highlights from the Shaker Road ES Case Study

• Tackling Pandemic-related Challenges through a Team-Based Approach

While not discounting the testing conditions created by the pandemic, educators at Shaker Road ES approached these challenges through teamwork and collegiality. Supportive relationships among colleagues were evident in the distributive forms of leadership utilized by school and district leaders which provided educators with autonomy in how to address remote and hybrid teaching. Teachers also exhibited a high level of collaboration as they frequently communicated with each other and shared pedagogical strategies and lesson plans in order to meet the needs of their students throughout the pandemic. As the principal put it, “[We] were all pulling on the same rope, and that was obvious.”

Although participants acknowledged the stress and uncertainties across the last two years, a common refrain was that they were not alone in their struggles and that their colleagues were there to support them. “Anyone will do anything for anybody,” said one teacher as she explained why she felt Shaker Road was a unique place to work.

• Close-knit Relationships between Educators and Families

A consistent theme articulated by educators at Shaker Road ES was the caring and close-knit relationships which existed between staff, students, and families. Leaders, for instance, explained that the high levels of trust families had for the school was generated through the consistency brought by veteran leadership teams and educators. Several respondents also explained how the ties between Shaker Road ES and the surrounding community ran deep: the children of many staff members had gone through (or were currently attending) the school, and several teachers were former students as well. A member of the support staff described the unique character of these relationships and their benefit to students:

 It’s not like this in other schools… this school is very close-knit. We’re very supportive of each other. Lots of community outreach, and the parents are really involved. And the kids feel that.

During the pandemic, staff members sought to maintain close relationships with families by communicating using various tools such as Google Classroom, ParentSquare, and social media platforms. Educators at Shaker Road ES also adapted events and programs throughout the pandemic to continue fostering families’ connection to the school. A “super strong and supportive” Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), as one teacher described it, was also mentioned by several participants as an important ally in fostering these relationships and conveying important information to the community.

• Meeting the Diverse Needs of Students and Families

Going through it together, I think made a big difference in terms of how people continued to feel connected to their children’s school. We did lots of other things off the screen, too. We were involved in food drives and clothing drives, we did parades through neighborhoods. We found different ways to get the staff driving through neighborhoods and visiting with kids. – principal

Educators at Shaker Road utilized an array of strategies to meet the various needs of students and their families. Seeking to ameliorate families most immediate needs during the pandemic, educators provided families with food, school supplies, and computers. Such programs involved educators taking flexible roles such as packing and delivering items to homes and maintaining donation services throughout the school shutdown. In addition, school staff sought to preserve the close connections between the school and the wider community by developing creative ways to continue holding extracurricular events and programs either virtually or socially distant. Lastly, districtwide social-emotional learning frameworks and other interventions were set in place to address the social-emotional and mental health needs of students. These varied approaches ensured that students and families were supported in multiple ways throughout the pandemic.

To see more from this case study please check it out on the NYKids website.

As always, we thank you for your interest in NYKids and invite you to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.