Improved test scores, fewer behavior referrals in C.R. schools because of new learning model

CEDAR RAPIDS — Teachers in Cedar Rapids attribute a new learning model to their renewed joy in teaching, deeper student engagement and improved student behavior.

Using the learning model called Instructional Empowerment, students work in teams of three or four to tackle questions posed by the teacher, fostering a culture of respectful discourse and a sense of belonging in the classroom.

The model shifts classrooms from teacher directed to student-led learning and ensures all students are engaged, helping close achievement gaps, educators say.

Lorna Adrian, 9, a fourth-grader at Cleveland Elementary School, said the conversations she has with her classmates using the Instructional Empowerment model helps her think critically instead of just memorizing facts.

“Instead of saying it in your head, you’re actually hearing someone else say it to you. And for me, it’s if someone says it, I can understand it better and remember it,” Lorna said.

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She and other fourth-graders in Melissa Haars’ class Friday discussed Islamic Empires in the Middle Ages as a part of their reading curriculum. The goal was for students to be able to refer to details and examples from the text and explain those when coming to a conclusion.

“They are taking ownership of their learning. They are making sure their friends are learning, so that if someone at their table doesn’t quite understand it, they can explain it to them too. Sometimes a kid’s language helps them learn, too. And they’re seeming to remember things a little better,” Haars said.

Test scores improving under instructional model

This is the third year of teachers implementing Instructional Empowerment into their lesson plans. The learning model is now in every school in the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

Cleveland Elementary has seen an increase in scores on state testing, including a 14 percent increase in literacy and a more than 11 percent increase in math from September 2024 to September 2025, according to a presentation to the Cedar Rapids school board earlier this year.

The implementation of the learning model also corresponds with a reduction in office referrals, which educators say is because students are more engaged in the classroom.

Office referrals have decreased by 27 percent at Cleveland Elementary, 24 percent at Franklin Middle School, 37 percent at Harding Middle School, 29 percent at Van Buren Elementary School, and 6 percent at McKinley STEAM Academy from this time last year.

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The instructional model is an almost $2 million investment for the 2025-26 school year, according to a contract approved by the school board June 2025. The district spent almost $2.5 million on Instructional Empowerment for the 2024-25 school year and $466,280 for the 2023-24 school year.

The contract includes professional development and small group coaching on-site and virtually for district administrators and educators in all 31 schools.

Cedar Rapids district’s Superintendent Tawana Grover also implemented Instructional Empowerment in Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska, where she led previously.

Implementing the learning model aligns with goals stated in the district’s strategic plan approved by the school board in September 2023. The goals include by June 2027 increasing the percentage of students who score proficient or above proficient on state assessment tests to 80 percent and reducing academic achievement gaps in reading and math across all subgroups by 20 percent by June 2027.

How does Instructional Empowerment work?

Using the model, students are placed into groups of three to four and given discussion topics. They first consider the question quietly before sharing with their small group, and then summarize their findings to share with the class.

Students are assigned jobs like facilitator where they are tasked with getting the conversation started and asking their teammates to share their ideas and questions.

The learning monitor prompts their classmates to explain their responses, helping the group move beyond surface-level understanding.

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Especially for younger students, Instructional Empowerment gives them the language to engage in conversations. If a student has a question, they are prompted with “I am wondering …” or “I am not sure I understand …”

If a student agrees with another student, they are prompted with “I agree because …” or “I was thinking the same way because …”

If students disagree, they are prompted with “I respectfully disagree because …” or “I was thinking differently because …”

If a student has more to add, they can say, “I agree and would like to add …” or “In addition, I think …”

The result is increasing inclusion and confidence in the classroom and a deeper understanding of the lesson, Haars said.

Cleveland Principal Condra Allred said Instructional Empowerment is about “less direct instruction.”

“Instead of the teacher in lecture mode, it’s a lot more hands on. I believe kids get way more out of it. It moves our higher learners along, and helps our struggling learners,” Allred said.

Allred said in her 25 years in the classroom, educators have encouraged student collaboration. But that led to some students doing “all the work” or students “dividing and conquering.”

Instructional Empowerment encourages “equal participation,” Allred said. While some students might be stronger leaders, every student is expected to share their answers and any questions they might have.

Allred said even non-verbal students are able to participate with accommodations.

“I believe our students are treating each other in kinder ways,” Allred said.

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More data shows positive outcomes

In Kristin Leis’ first grade class Friday, the students wrote their answers to a question asking about who community helpers are in the community.

Students first responded independently, writing or drawing their answers, before being invited by Leis to talk as a group. The group was then asked to come to a consensus, choosing one community helper and explaining how they help in the community.

The stated learning goal was for students to be able to explain why people have different jobs.

Eleanor Forstie, a third-grade teacher at Cleveland, said she receives a lot of support from the school’s instructional coach on adapting her lessons to fit within the Instructional Empowerment framework.

Forstie said she’s seeing students embrace it and become more comfortable with it. She hears students prompting others to “stay on task” and get out their learning materials. “Students learn well from each other,” she said.

School leaders at Kenwood Leadership Academy, an elementary school in Cedar Rapids, in a presentation to the school board in May, shared how Instructional Empowerment is reducing achievement gaps and raising overall student achievement.

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Student assessment results showed significant improvements during the 2024-25 school year in language arts, math and science for Black students, students in special education and students in English Language Learner program at Kenwood.

Overall student proficiency at Kenwood increased 13 percent in language arts and 12 percent in math from the 2023-24 to the 2024-25 school year, according to data presented to the school board.

Fostering critical thinking, problem solving and respectful discourse

Maura Hobson was working for Instructional Empowerment when she conducted a needs assessment for the Cedar Rapids district. That’s when she knew she wanted to work for the district because of “the people, their beliefs in the potential of this district to improve student outcomes,” said Hobson, now a chief of schools in the district.

Hobson said Instructional Empowerment “provides opportunities for students to have true discourse and conversation using critical thinking and problem solving.”

“In groups of 25, not every kid is going to raise their hand and be a part of the conversation. But with Instructional Empowerment, every student speaks and has an opportunity to voice their learning,” Hobson said.

Hobson said the idea is for the instructional model to eventually be “self-sustaining.” The Cedar Rapids district will not be paying Instructional Empowerment for its services perpetually.

“When I worked with Instructional Empowerment, I would say, ‘My job is to be out of a job,’” Hobson said.

Hobson said the practice is a “shift” in how teachers traditionally prepare lesson plans. That’s why there’s professional development and support at each school building to implement it, she said.

She doesn’t want it to be another burden on teachers. Eventually, she hopes it will become “second nature” to them.

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The instructional model “makes kids feel like they belong to a classroom, like they’re part of the learning. They don’t want to let their team down if they’re not there,” leading to decreases in absenteeism, said Sara Croll, division executive director of growth and revenue at Instructional Empowerment.

“The impact we’ve seen in high school is really strong, especially for disengaged students on the verge of dropping out or not feeling like they belong. They’re not learning to communicate and how to be part of a team,” Croll said.

“The challenge for teachers is to step back and not save the day, but let kids struggle productively,” Croll said.

Grover has presented with Instructional Empowerment at conferences over the years, which she is not compensated for, Croll said.

“She’s a true advocate. She knows how to push the envelope and think outside of the box. I’m a big fan of hers. She always redirects the compliments to the teachers,” Croll said.

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