Challenge
The Facilities Committee of the Board and the School Board asked Hanover Research to help determine whether Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) should move forward with the development of a third comprehensive high school. They sought data-driven evidence of the pros and cons of large and small high schools, as well as macro-level information on high school distribution across the US.
Superintendent Stephen Murley explained why they requested Hanover to execute this initiative: “We knew we needed a broad base of research in a short period of time and that’s not something we are equipped to do. Sometimes there is also a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to large changes. The value added by having an external source was fairly significant.”