Andover Central
School District to join Harvard center on rural education
The National
Center for Rural Education Research Networks will address chronic absenteeism,
college readiness, and college enrollment
Cambridge, MA — Today, Andover Central School District joins
50 rural schools as a part of the National Center for Rural Education Research
Networks (NCRERN), an initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research
(CEPR) at Harvard University. Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at
the U.S. Department of Education, the district will have the opportunity to
apply the Proving Ground model of evidence-based improvement to address chronic
absenteeism, college readiness, and college enrollment.
“As a district we will be providing data to Harvard
University, networking with other selected school districts and growing
professionally through collaboration with both national and international experts. Through this intensive learning we will be
implementing different strategic plans based on the three focus areas over the
next five years. This is an incredible
opportunity for Andover Central School District” stated Kathryn Slavinski,
Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assistant Superintendent.
NCRERN will produce tools for identifying students most at
risk for absenteeism and being unprepared for college as well as change
management resources designed to guide rural schools in addressing chronic
absenteeism, college readiness, and college enrollment. Throughout the five
years, the Center’s member districts will collaborate on shared challenges,
learning from each other to guide future work on school improvement.
“The network brings together our expertise in strategic
management and analytics and our partners’ expertise in supporting rural
students,” says Bi Vuong, Proving Ground director and NCRERN interim director.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with districts committed
to learning with us and sharing their expertise with each other.”