Context

Crawford County is home to 12,000 citizens. It was once considered to be a booming tourism area due to the rail station; however, when the passenger rail service ceased, tourism ended, and Roberta became a "bedroom community" for the larger cities surrounding it. The Crawford County School District is the largest employer in the community and serves 2,000 students enrolled within the district.

Although the schools are located in the center of Roberta, most students reside in the rural parts of the county. All schools are Title | Schools and receive additional funding to ensure that every student has access to a high-quality education. Points of pride include having an academic coach in each school that helps ensure that all students receive a quality education, as well as being able to provide competitive course offerings, such as advanced content and enrichment tailored to meet each student's needs.

In addition, our district's family engagement coordinator greatly assists the schools in maintaining communication and collaborating with community and family members.

Why/purpose

CCSD prides itself in putting students first and making student learning our core business! Our mission is to help all students achieve their maximum potential academically, emotionally, and socially by providing them with a high quality, well-rounded education. We believe that by engaging our students in rigorous, authentic tasks, they will be able to apply their acquired knowledge and skills in real world scenarios.

Additionally, we believe that it is important to form relationships with students to nurture the development of the whole child. We value the input and support of our community stakeholders. This collaboration with our stakeholders helps our students demonstrate mastery of the Georgia Standards of Excellence and become successful citizens of our community.

Critical Issues

Part of a close-knit community, CCSD believes in uniting with the community to support our students. Although the county's industry and tax-base are limited, community and faith-based organizations partner with us to provide resources, such as after-school programs, weekend-feeding assistance, and summer feeding programs, as well as instructional resources for both students and teachers.

An opportunity for success that schools are working toward is being able to match each student with an advocate/adviser who will provide academic support and serve as a liaison between the school and the student's family. Technology accessibility has dramatically increased over the last few years, and the district is working toward improvements in infrastructure and hardware, as well as the construction of a new, combined middle and high school.

Sense Of Urgency/ Commitment To Act

It is our goal for all students to be able to read proficiently and meet their Lexile level targets by receiving academic support. This is a sense of urgency for us to act because there are currently less than 50% of all students reading at or above grade-level. Therefore, all stakeholders, including teachers, parents, community members, and students, must be committed to the district's vision to unite to become a system of excellence.