Cedar Rapids schools plans to to ‘turn the tide’ of declining enrollment, improve student outcomes

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids school leaders are endeavoring to “turn the tide” of declining enrollment, improve student outcomes and increase graduation rates with a three-year strategic plan, Superintendent Tawana Grover said.

The district’s strategic plan — introduced to the Cedar Rapids school board at a work session July 17 — sets “high expectations” that are “aspirational and achievable,” said Grover, who began as superintendent April 3.

One of the goals is to increase the graduation rate by 10 percent by June 2027. The current graduation rate within four years from Cedar Rapids schools is 80 percent, Grover said. This is lower than the statewide average, which shows almost 90 percent of students in Iowa's Class of 2022 graduated within four years, according to the Iowa Department of Education.

“We’re hoping to graduate more students and graduate them with more than a diploma,” Grover said. “Are they walking out with college credits — with a certification, so they are workforce ready? That is our ultimate goal. Our success is defined by the success of our students when they graduate.“

Another goal is to increase the district’s enrollment by 10 percent by June 2026. There has been a decrease of about 1,000 students enrolled in the district in the last decade.

“Right now, we’re the second-largest school district in the state” behind Des Moines public schools. “We want to stay that way, but that means we have to turn the tide with our enrollment,” Grover said.

Strategic plan documents provided to the board last month were not made available to the public. The Gazette obtained a draft of the plan through an open records request.

Part of the plan "hinges“ on a school facility plan that requires a combined $445 million bond referendum to be approved by voters, Grover said. The first half of the bond referendum could go to voters in November. The plan would ensure all buildings in the district are new or recently renovated by 2037.

The district’s current strategic plan expired at the end of 2022.

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School board President David Tominsky said school leaders put a “ton of work” in to creating the strategic plan with “measurable goals that will allow the district to “hit the ground running.”

“It takes guts for us to say we need to stabilize the district,” school board member Jen Neumann said. “I’m glad we’re verbalizing that and I’m excited about that.”

Neumann said she would like to see the district engaging more volunteers in school buildings. “We’re not going to change our funding structure anytime soon. We need to make sure we have supports to do what we want to do in this plan,” Neumann said.

A final draft of the strategic plan could be approved by the school board by October, Grover said. The plan is a “blueprint” for helping the district achieve its mission statement of “Every Learner, Future Ready,” she said.

It was created in consultation with Top RANK, an executive search and diversity consulting firm based in Cedar Rapids, and AVID, a San Diego, Calif., organization that partners with schools to accelerate and enhance the work already happening, according to the company’s website.

Increasing enrollment

By June 2026, there would be a 10 percent increase — about 1,500 more students based on current levels — in student enrollment, according to the strategic plan.

There has been a decline of about 1,100 students from Cedar Rapids schools since the 2010-11 school year, with enrollment during the 2022-23 school year at 14,900, according to district data.

“Our focus is understanding, getting out and doing exit interviews with families, understanding why families are coming here — the ones that stay — but also figuring out why some families might be leaving and how we need to be able to adapt to maintain our position,” Grover said.

The district will begin collecting data about why families have left the district to determine what factors need to be addressed to recruit and retain students, according to the plan.

A diverse committee that represents a cross-section of roles and schools will be convened to help highlight the mindsets, skills and attributes of students in the district. The diverse educational opportunities for Cedar Rapids students and families will be showcased and expanded and an emphasis made on student achievement gains and college and career readiness, according to the plan.

Student achievement

By June 2024, the district would reduce the suspension rate by 10 percent and reduce any disproportionate gaps in behavior infractions by student demographic groups including race, students who are in the English Language Learner program and students with an Individualized Education Plan, a legal document created for children with special needs to address their needs and set performance goals, according to the strategic plan.

This starts with increasing mental health supports for students by increasing counseling and other mental health services, according to the plan.

By June 2027, 80 percent of students would score proficient or advanced on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, and by June 2027, there would be a reduction in gaps in reading and math achievement across all demographic groups.

Progress toward these goals begins with acknowledging existing gaps and creating a plan based on current data, according to the plan.

The district also would facilitate more diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging training for all staff connecting the importance of cultural competence and equitable student outcomes, and analyze and supplement curricular materials to make them more culturally relevant to all students

Strong family engagement

By June 2024, 90 percent of families would respond positively about how they are treated at school on a districtwide survey.

By June 2025, 80 percent of families would be involved in their child’s school somehow and by 2027, a feeder system of community schools would provide meaningful services to families.

The district plans to achieve these goals by offering parent workshops and training about specific concerns, like teens and technology and supporting literacy at home, for example. More schools also will offer classes in English as a second language, health care and legal services.

These services are modeled off of programs offered at Hoover Community School, the only school in the district currently with a “community schools” designation.

Community schools are public schools that provide services and support that fit each neighborhood’s needs, created and run by educators, community partners and social services agencies, according to the National Education Association. The model goes above and beyond what traditional schools offer. Services not only are available to families but to anyone in the school’s neighborhood.

Hoover is a “shining star” in the district, Grover said. Similar services could soon be available to more families as the Cedar Rapids Community School District applies for a national grant to expand the community school model to Jefferson High School and Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, which Hoover elementary feeds in to.

The district also will collect school-level data about the percentage of family volunteers, share best practices and provide targeted support to schools seeking more family involvement.

Energizing the staff

Other goals outlined in the plan include a 10 percent increase in staff retention by June 2025, and a 20 percent increase in hiring educators of color by June 2026. Some of the strategies to achieve this include increasing staff pay, especially for paraeducators and other support staff, and providing more teacher autonomy.

School leaders also would work to strengthen teacher professional learning communities, so teachers have more time to plan and collaborate with their colleagues.

By June 2024, 90 percent of staff would respond positively about their job satisfaction and that they understand the district’s priorities and why they matter on a districtwide survey, the plan states.

That means making sure they are “still energized, excited about their work and understand their value and purpose,” Grover said.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com