Cedar Rapids district reports drops in behavior referrals, early gains after rollout of instructional model

At the Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Education meeting on Sept. 22, Dr. Morrow Hobson updated the board on the district's Instructional Empowerment model of instruction, reporting reductions in major behavior referrals across several schools and early academic gains at Cleveland Elementary.

Hobson described the model as built around three elements: teaming classrooms (students working in structured teams with clear roles), lessons aligned to state standards, and interdependent tasks in which students contribute distinct pieces to a shared outcome. He told the board district leaders had visited classrooms as part of implementation, reporting 249 classroom visits earlier in the rollout and 410 visits as of the morning of the Sept. 22 meeting.

District-provided data Hobson highlighted showed decreases in major behavior referrals from the 2023-24 school year to 2024-25 at five schools cited by district staff: Cleveland (27% overall decrease; 50% decrease in third grade), Franklin (24% overall; 30% decrease in sixth grade), Harding (37% overall; 38% decrease in sixth grade), Van Buren (29% overall; 72% decrease in second grade) and McKinley (6% overall; 29% decrease in sixth grade). Hobson also said Cleveland reported a 14.36% increase in literacy scores and an 11.49% increase in math, and that Cleveland's current fourth-grade cohort began the year at 67.5% literacy proficiency.

Teachers and building leaders who spoke in the presentation described classroom changes tied to the model. A teacher cited increased student accountability within teams, with students asking and challenging one another and "holding each other accountable by asking questions, encouraging each other to contribute equally, and supporting peers to stay on task." The Cleveland presenter described a local practice summarized as "restore first, punish second," and reported district training earlier that day on restorative practices and de-escalation techniques.

Board members asked about data comparability and implementation. Director Borcherting asked whether referral criteria were identical across the two years compared; district staff said the majority of schools use similar criteria but acknowledged it was not uniform 100% across every building and that the district has been tightening the referral matrix. Hobson and other staff described a process for identifying outlier classrooms and sending the district's social-emotional/behavioral health (SEBH) team to observe and advise.

Hobson described the district's multi-tiered rollout and coaching model: schools are categorized as foundational, guided or focused; focused and guided schools receive more coaching supports initially, with the plan to reduce district coaching over time as schools build capacity. Several board members suggested the district highlight successes to families and the community beyond building-level social media posts; staff said communications have been done at the school level and that a broader strategic communications effort was a reasonable next step.

Hobson framed the early results as promising but cautioned that schools and teachers are at different stages of implementation. He emphasized continued classroom visits, monthly principal feedback, and targeted supports for classrooms or grade levels that do not show expected decreases in referrals.

The presentation included examples of classroom artifacts (role cards, slides with learning targets) and cited teacher and student comments collected during observations and trainings. No district policy changes or formal board actions were proposed during the presentation; the item was provided as an informational update and generated several board questions that district staff answered.