• Category 2

    Selected in 2025

  • Grades: pre k - 12
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 444
    Student Enrollment: 276
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 3%
    White/Caucasian: 92%
    Hispanic: 3%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 38%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1907
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kevin Hedrick
  • CONTACT:
    209 Parkway Street
    Norwich, KS 67118
    620-478-2235
    khedrick@knusd331.com
Norwich Elementary School
Norwich, KS
1. What key actions or strategies have been most instrumental to your school’s success?
Regular professional learning community (PLC) meetings with literacy specialists that drive 20-day reading goals for small student groups have been very instrumental. Students receive two 30-minute WIN (“what I need”) sessions daily, where teachers deliver targeted instruction based on district priority standards.
2. What significant challenges did your school face during your improvement efforts, and how did you address them?
In order to help all students, it takes teachers, paras, and administration to work with students in order to keep the students numbers in each group manageable. Students in need of intensive support have the smallest group numbers, and they are with the most qualified teacher. Feeling encouraged that our efforts to best serve students is making an impact takes a lot of patience, which is one of the consistent challenges we face.
3. How did professional development contribute to your school’s improvement efforts?
The Kingman/Norwich schools throughout the district work very well together. It took an entire district initiative to identify priority standards and establish a consistent schedule of collaboration between our two communities. Professional development is planned together with administration, literacy specialists/instructional coaches.
4. In what ways did family and/or community partnerships support your school’s success?
The community of Norwich and the parents are very supportive of the school. The school means everything to the community, and the support seems endless. Volunteers are willing to come to the school to help teachers prepare materials for WIN groups, which is a valuable teacher timesaver.
5. How has ESEA funding (e.g., Title I, II, III) been strategically used to support student achievement?
Norwich just slightly falls short of the numbers needed to qualify as a building wide Title school. Our elementary literacy specialist also serves as our Title I teacher. Title funds have helped provide professional development opportunities for her, which most recently included structured literacy interventionist/alphabetic phonics courses.
6. What advice would you give to a school just beginning its improvement journey?
Empower teachers and give them the tools and resources to organize intervention groups with trained literacy specialists in your buildings. Get all hands on deck. Provide training to paras so they can assist with small groups, because they want to help and know, too, that they are making a difference. Collaborate regularly, listen to each other's challenges, problem solve, and celebrate as much as you can.
Stats
  • Category 2

    Selected in 2025

  • Grades: pre k - 12
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 444
    Student Enrollment: 276
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 3%
    White/Caucasian: 92%
    Hispanic: 3%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 2%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:16
    % Reduced Lunch: 38%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1907
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Kevin Hedrick
  • CONTACT:
    209 Parkway Street
    Norwich, KS 67118
    620-478-2235
    khedrick@knusd331.com