By Jeremy T. Martin
Introduction
This report highlights the results of a case study review into the Berea Community Elementary School (BCES). Selected because of its unique geographical location in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, the BCES case study site offers unique insight into how family engagement efforts are pursued in rural school communities. I build on year one findings that showed a commitment to student-centered approaches to learning and family engagement the presence of multiple family engagement and leadership opportunities, and the origins of an equity agenda catalyzed by advocacy from parents and community members.
In year two of the Kentucky Collaborative research study, BCES continues to make progress toward strengthening its family engagement practices. Findings in this case study show a school community advancing its equity agenda, adjusting its family engagement offerings, and making plans to sustain the valuable programs it provides for families.
As the BCES moves into year three of the project, findings from this year two review of family engagement can serve as a foundation for enhancing communication about key features of the family engagement framework; reconsidering the value of families participating in professional development settings; ensuring the sustainability of program offerings along with prioritizing family engagement in its hiring processes of two key positions; and promoting equity at every level of decision-making.
Mission and Values
The mission of the Berea Community Elementary School continues to be “...to create a safe, positive learning environment where all can be leaders, achieve success, and contribute to their world.” Evidence from year two reveals a consistent adherence to this mission although there are opportunities to strengthen how this mission is actualized in practice. Of particular emphasis is the school (and district’s) relationship to family engagement partners and its striving toward implementing key equity provisions.
School Context
Berea Community Elementary School (BCES) is located in Madison County, Kentucky, in the Appalachian region of the state. The National Center for Education Statistics1 (2022) reports that the school serves a total student body of 490 students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade; this figure represents a reduction of about 53 students since the year one report was published in 2021. The school’s 37 classroom teachers serve a student demographic that is 85 percent white, 6 percent Latinx, 5 percent two or more races, and 4 percent Black; more than half (55%) of all students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. According to U.S. Census data (2022), the median household income in Madison County rose to $51,649 (up from $50,060 in 2021) with 15.5 percent of residents living in poverty.2
In the 2021-2022 school year, the principal served in their second full year and oversaw the return to starting the year fully in-person. Due to the ongoing health and safety challenge associated with the pandemic, the school did see schedule fluctuations caused by school cancellations. While the family engagement site coordinator, who was pivotal to many of the family engagement successes highlighted in the Year 1 case study, moved to a new position in the town, this role was replaced by a new coordinator who began in November of 2021.Additionally, the newly appointed Equity Director and Curriculum Specialist began their first full term in this role starting July 1, 2021.
BCES is the recipient of a number of grants that help the school provide programming for children and families. Throughout this report, I refer to these grants by name. The most commonly cited grant is the Full-Service Community Grant provided by Partners for Rural Impact, formally known as Partners for Education, at Berea College. This grant was awarded in 2019 and is expected to end in 2024. The coordinator operating under the grant spends approximately one-third of their time on family engagement activities and two-thirds of their time supporting other functions within the school.
Jeremy T. Martin is a Eugene Cota Robles Doctoral Fellow at the University of California,
Berkeley and Research Consultant at the NYU Metro Center.