A CROWN CASE STUDY WITH LAUREL-CONCORD- COLERIDGE SCHOOLS, NE
Superintendent Randy Klooz began his journey six years ago to unite two school districts and build a culture of student success at Laurel Concord Coleridge school districts in Northeast Nebraska. Randy identified key areas of improvement then strategized with his building leaders and School Board members to develop a plan the staff and local community would support. First and foremost, they wanted to increase student achievement scores from the bottom 10% in the state to a top performer in the state. To achieve this goal would require strategically improving district process AND the quality of their people.
Randy recognized student success had to begin with hiring the best educators he could find. He reached out to Crown for tools to identify talented teachers who are student centered and focused on growing students to their highest potential. Randy and the Crown team developed a strategic plan together with a compelling vision his principals and teachers would be passionate to support.
Randy fondly describes a situation that shows how talent can rise above a resume. A teacher repeatedly applied to the district in the past but was never considered a viable candidate. As a Crown certified interviewer, Randy and his team decided to take the next step and listen for her teaching talent. To their surprise, they found this person was highly talented and questioned why she was previously turned down for a teaching role in their district. This teacher is now a top performer and great contributor to student achievement. When your team is trained to listen for attitudes, beliefs and behaviors consistent with high achievers you never miss a diamond in the rough.
Using the Crown interview, Randy and team were able to confidently hire highly talented educators. At times, they avoided hiring people who were highly recommended as a great teacher, but did not possess attitudes and actions focused on increasing student learning in a collaborative school culture. With the data collected through the interview process, the schools Principals were able to be confident and transparent in their decision-making. By including Crown’s interview in their hiring process, the district saved both time and money which we can agree is a valuable resource!
Randy recognized hiring great teachers would only be effective if he hired great school leaders. Crown has been helpful in interviewing principals for all of the district’s buildings. These leaders are becoming partners in developing teachers as guides to help students fill learning gaps and excel in their talents. Crown provides in-depth growth and development feedback for your leaders so they are consistently to finding areas to improve. This creates a culture of excellence from administration to teachers and students!
Six years later, after much success, Randy is transitioning to a new superintendent role at a larger district. As Randy reflected on his work and accomplishments with the Laurel Concord Coleridge Schools he is extremely proud. They have reached their top goal by raising student achievement from the bottom 10% in the state to the top 20%, as celebrated in the stats below:
| Testing Subject | 2011-2014 | 2014-2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 4 points below state average | 5 points above state average |
| Math | At State average | 8 points above state average |
| Science | At State average | 11 points above state average |
Randy is a dynamic leader with had a clear vision of excellence. He stepped out of his comfort zone partnering with Crown but it ultimately helped the district achieve critical goals for this school community. He developed his school leaders and teachers to build a district of excellence.
If you would like to learn more about how Crown helps organizations get results like this please contact us.
