Identifying ‘Superstars’ in Rural Settings

We asked leaders in 30 districts why they thought they received their productivity results

To determine whether school systems performed better than predicted, we used the Center for American Progress’s Production ROI index. This index predicts the level of achievement a school district should have relative to other districts in the state, accounting for its mix of student needs and spending level.

The model adjusts for spending level and the percentage of students who are English language learners, students who are identified as needing special education and students who qualify for free lunch.

We contacted all 107 outlier districts identified from the data in 23 states. Thirty districts, representing 18 states, responded to our request for a phone interview. We asked leaders in those 30 districts why they thought they received their productivity results.

To be clear, not all 107 districts identified for their excellent return on investment have produced student scores in the top tier overall for their state. The ranking on CAP’s productivity measure compares students’ actual performance with the district’s predicted performance relative to peers.

For example, a school district with high concentrations of poor students or students with limited English proficiency may have higher achievement than is the norm for that mix of students and higher than the norm at a particular spending level, but have overall performance that doesn’t reach the highest level. Only districts where students’ actual performance surpasses predicted performance were considered ROI superstars.

While spending varied somewhat across these districts, on average they spent about 5 percent less than the norm for districts in their state. But all these outlier rural systems performed better than predicted by the mix of students they serve and the funds they have.

The outlier productivity districts we identified are all categorized by the National Center for Education Statistics as “rural remote,” which means the district is in a “census-defined rural territory that is more than 25 miles from an urbanized area and is also more than 10 miles from an urban cluster.” Some of the districts we talked with are primarily farming communities. Others center on a main employer, such as a hospital or small factory. Still others draw on retirees or tourism.