WEBVTT

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My name is Danielle Butler. I'm a transformation
specialist with the Ohio Department of Education.

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I'm Dallas Saunders, associate principal
of Southern Local Jr./Sr. High School.

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Butler: In my role as a transformation specialist
working with a rural school, some of the things

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that I've seen put in place here are large
components of the School Improvement Grant.

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One of the components is parent and community
involvement. And working with the principals

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of schools that are in school improvement,
it's very important that we build a trustful

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relationship, because they have to trust the
things that we're telling them to do will

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improve schools. Another component of the
grant would be extended learning time. So

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in that extended learning time, they at Southern
Local were able to create a digital period.

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That period created the opportunity for them
to have enrichment courses that they wouldn't

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otherwise have. It also created the opportunity
for them to have credit recovery for those

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students who may need that extra push in order
to graduate. So a lot of the components of

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the grant are assisting with building that
community and that community piece here at

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Southern Local.

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Saunders: The challenges that we face because
of the cultural and financial issues we have

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in our region and with our students, the biggest
piece that we have is the expectations of

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students in relationship to education. I have
found that a lot of our students do not see

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themselves, envision themselves, or believe
that they can go on to a higher education

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after high school. The culture is one in which
some parents have graduated high school, some

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of their parents have graduated high school,
some have not, and that is kind of the road

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that they are going to take. I think that
our largest challenge as a staff in this school

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district is that whatever career path our
students choose, it is our job to let them

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know that there are options and there are
opportunities if they so choose to take those.

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There is a rural piece where we have a large
number of students who are involved in agriculture

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through family, and that is their livelihood
and it is a strong and tremendous livelihood

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to be part of. But they need to know that
they have opportunities to participate in

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other things; there are other opportunities
within life.

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The biggest challenge is creating that culture
within the community—that we can have a

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different future than what it has been. The
industrial jobs are no longer what they were

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in our area. A lot of them have left and the
opportunities are not there, so we need to

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offer our students other chances to create
a life that is fulfilling and full of opportunity.

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And one way that we have done that is, we
have tried to make—and I think successfully

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made—our school somewhat of the hub of this community. Students, parents will come to

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us for many different reasons of difficulties,
challenges, as a resource—whether it be

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financial issues as far as not having clothing,
getting involved with their lives on a personal

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level through helping families at Christmas
time with food drives, with different opportunities

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for health care, for counseling services.
And I think that that, with us being able

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to make that home to school connection, you
create the legitimacy and trust and an opportunity

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to have a genuine learning experience and
offer all the programs that we try to offer—whether

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it be college- and career-ready curriculum,
opportunities to take classes, our Seniors

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to Sophomores program where our seniors take classes at our local college—creates those

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opportunities because of the home-school connection.
We have the trust with the teaching staff,

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the administration, and the home; and I think
that is the largest challenge we face, is

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just the perception of what education is in
this area.