Case Study: Hydaburg City School District

Hydaburg City School District was struggling to hire new teachers to fill several positions. As a result, student learning opportunities and performance were disadvantaged. After tireless searches, Hydaburg Superintendent Bart Mwarey contacted John Monahan, T3 Alliance Principal Investigator, and Roxy Mourant, Educating for Leadership CEO, to propose a unique solution to alleviate their staffing crisis and raise student achievement through hands-on learning environment.

T3 Alliance, a subsidiary of Educating for Leadership, is a support program that trains educators to implement a proven, adaptable CBE framework that empowers students to strengthen their communities. In the 2022-2023 school year, T3 Alliance trainers provided year-round on-site support to the Hydaburg City School District. With rotating teams of 2-4 trainers present throughout the entire school year, T3 Alliance provided hands-on learning that integrates math, science, language arts, culture and technology (Makerspace). Every ten days, the students demonstrated their learning achievements to the invited public.

The attempt to integrate the content areas with hands-on STEM was mostly successful for the students and staff. The students were able to have high-quality national teachers and unique learning experiences around their community. The students created wood and plastic models from the CNC machines located in the Makerspace. They flew drones, a growing in-demand workforce skill. The students created multimedia to visually and orally communicate their ideas. In culmination, the students used science, math and communication to solve real-world problems.

Two reports, the MAPS standardized test score and the School Climate Survey report, show statistically the remarkable progress made this year. While Hydaburg still has work to do to reach national averages, the benchmark indicators growth rate during this experimental year has been an impressive average of 81% in both the middle and high school levels.

Hydaburg City School District (HCSD) was a gracious host and provided living accommodations, along with teams of teachers to work collaboratively with the T3 Trainers. One T3 Trainer, Domenic Guinta, provided a year long stability. He taught full-time most of the year and coordinated the other trainers on-site.  The T3 Trainers who participated are a team of dedicated and motivated instructors intent on changing the student learning trajectory and strongly support competency-based education in their classrooms. Educating for Leadership board is grateful to those T3 Trainers: Zachary Cureton, Christ Hattan, Brett Dillingham, Domenic Giunta, Clay Good, Lindy Guernsey, Roxy Mourant, Jerome Petty, Dodi Pritchett, Al Smith, and Charletta Wiggins for embracing this opportunity to work with the Hydaburg City School District to help change student outcomes.