By Mark Tallman
“Starting at the beginning of the year, I look for kids that are in trouble (for graduation). I get the kid down in the office, I talk to the parents, and we map out what we have to do to get them on track to walk across that stage.” - Field Kindley High School Principal Travis Stalford.
Coffeyville USD 445 students have some big challenges. The district has also been achieving some major successes.
From 2015-2022, Coffeyville had an average of 88.3 percent of students from low-income families plus students with disabilities, one of the highest among districts its size and far above the state average of 60 percent. Typically these students have more academic challenges.
The district has distinct demographic characteristics among its neighboring districts in southeast Kansas. It’s a highly mobile population that makes communicating with, tracking, and graduating such students more difficult. A majority of the approximately 1,700 students are from minority groups including Hispanic, African American, and Multiracial. Nearly 14 percent of students qualify for bilingual services, above the state average. There have been cases of students enrolling with little formal schooling, minimum command of English, and no exposure to the American educational system.
In 2022, Coffeyville had a graduation rate of 96.5 percent, more than seven points above the state average and nearly 11 points higher than predicted based on its size and percentage of high-needs students. In the five years from 2017 to 2022, Coffeyville’s graduation rate increased by 17 points, compared to a predicted increase of just 0.3 percent. Coffeyville exceeded its predicted results on 2022 state assessments by about 2 percent and its 2015-2020 postsecondary success rate by 2.6 percent.
I met with district and school leaders to find out how they achieved results that are far higher than predicted. They shared several steps that the district has taken but it really came down to one thing, hard work.
It starts with the difficult task of making sure the data is accurate. They say that is particularly true with an immigrant population of students who frequently move among other districts, states, or countries as parents are drawn to work and family connections. It’s critical to make sure district and state records accurately reflect the student’s experience.
The district has experimented with different options for the high school to accommodate different student needs. These range from project-based learning to an alternative high school to virtual learning and blended instruction. “We’ve found that not every model works equally well for every student," said Stalford.
But the biggest difference, Stalford says, comes down to consistent, direct contact with all students and their parents throughout their high school career. “It’s really me just calling them and hounding them” he said. “It matters when it is the principal calling.” Stalford maintains a color-coded spreadsheet highlighting the status of every student.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Correll stressed that part of the district’s success comes from longevity in administrators like Stalford, who has been in the district since 1998 and is in his ninth year as principal.
But the principal isn’t the only one responsible for improving graduation rates. The high school provides what it calls “Scope” class, where the teacher acts as an advisor and mentor to make sure students are progressing on their plan of study. Each teacher has about 15 students with the same cohort for three years.
Correll notes a deliberate approach to improving graduation rates. “Part of this is that saying, what gets monitored gets done. We made graduation a strategic plan goal, and so we focus on it more, especially Travis and his staff.”
Stalford and Correll talked about ways Coffeyville has evolved its educational program to meet community needs. The district made a major commitment to early childhood education. It has a strong tradition of career and technical education programs and requires all students take two CTE or related courses to graduate, as well as a community service requirement. Through partnerships with local colleges, about 70 percent of students now participate in some type of postsecondary education while still in high school, many earning at least six hours of college credit. Also required is a senior project, which allows students to demonstrate their readiness for college and career through a project that showcases their skills and abilities. The project includes a day where students dress up and interview with community members.
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