Hazlehurst City School District is doing it! As part of a robust move toward a more future-ready and learner-centered system, the district first participated in a Discovery Analysis to evaluate its alignment with high-performing educational systems, also known as a collaborative benchmarking process. The outcome of this process was for district teams to have a deep understanding of their district’s strengths, gaps, and needs, which will help identify strategic improvement pathways.
A rural district in west-central Mississippi, Hazelhurst City School District is situated about 30 miles south of Jackson. The district serves about 1300 students across three schools: an elementary, middle, and high school. Hazlehurst City School District may be small, but its vision for student success is anything but—proving that size doesn’t define ambition when it comes to the future of our young people.
“I am most optimistic about the developmental process, personally and professionally, and the impact our holistic development will have on our scholars. More importantly as we continue to develop, we will continue to learn more about one another’s strengths and our personal strengths and use them on our pathway to success. Also, I am excited about the continued collaboration with our leadership team and having the opportunity to learn any new information to enhance my leadership skills and capacity.” –Hazlehurst City School District visioning workshop participant
District leaders and educators know their local context best and bring the wisdom of practice to co-design new solutions. Context matters and there are multiple pathways and entry points to redesigning a new education system. Keeping these partnership principles in mind, NCEE worked with Hazelhurst leaders to observe classrooms, conduct interviews, and analyze artifacts to identify strengths and areas for growth.
The Discovery Analysis surfaced an emphasis on progress, resilience, and literacy at Hazlehurst City School District. Among other strengths, respectful classroom interactions, use of technology, and real-world connections were evident, particularly in elementary schools. Reflecting on recommendations for growth, the district is focusing on developing a Learner Profile, realigning curriculum, enhancing career preparation, improving resources and infrastructure, and broadening professional development.
District leaders then participated in a visioning workshop with NCEE to:
- Build safety, inclusion, and excitement among the coalition leading the work.
- Develop a deeper understanding of the future-ready, learner-centered district system framework and the evidence that supports it.
- Critically examine the findings of the Discovery Analysis.
- Apply the findings to develop a shared vision of success for the district and community.
- Consider improvement pathways to build coherence among system elements.
Hazlehurst City School District has the buy-in, and is getting to work on one of the first recommendations—tackling the development of a Learner Profile. A Learner Profile will operationalize their vision statement with specific competencies that students need to be successful in school, work, and life. A Learner Profile names the priority goals for teaching and learning across grade levels, not just upon graduation. It is the “north star” that guides decisions about the learning experiences, systems, and structures that define how a school is designed.
“I think setting up this plan would help our district in a way that is so transparent to all stakeholders involved. Our stakeholders along with our students would be able to see what is taking place and how our students are being led.” –Hazlehurst City School District visioning workshop participant
NCEE is proud to partner with forward-looking districts and school leaders, and celebrates their dedication to this work.
