Success Stories – Eastern Middle School - DEMO

A Turnaround at Thomasboro

Great parents! Great students! Great community! Great staff! Great school!

That's the message you hear from just about everyone involved at Thomasboro Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. In just two years, the school has moved from a state designation of low-performing to exemplary.

Thomasboro is well-known. The media and others had a field day reporting on what was wrong with the school. For many years, Thomasboro was one of few neighborhood schools in the city. The student body was, and remains, 89 percent African-American. Many of the students are from low-income families with approximately 85 percent on free or reduced price lunch. The school district at one time seriously considered closing Thomasboro.

Thomasboro needed improvements in just about all of the indicators of school quality, but two stood out ñ the lack of parent and community involvement and low expectations for students. The school had one of the highest turnover rates among teachers in the city.

In the 1999-2000 school year, Thomasboro instituted a school improvement team, then developed a mission, goals, and a five-year action plan.

The team began by creating a parent resource center. Parents responded enthusiastically. They also began to participate in activities planned just for them — such things as "Doughnuts for Dads Day,""Muffins for Moms," and "Parent Academies." Parent workshops address such issues as how to help children succeed in school, empowerment, job skills, effective advocacy, becoming a productive volunteer, and parenting. It's not unusual on any day to see many parents moving around the school. And they come in large numbers to parent-teacher meetings.

With help from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators, the team reached out to the community for support. Now the number of volunteers — both individuals and representatives of organizations — at the school is staggering. Each Wednesday, volunteers eat with their "lunch buddies," students they mentor. Professors from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University conduct professional development workshops on a regular basis and also volunteer in the school. An organization called "100 Black Men" sends volunteers to read with children.

Retired educators work with classroom teachers and tutor students who need help. Numerous civic groups offer support. The Shalom Group, a national organization that works in communities, recently hosted a petting zoo on a Saturday at Thomasboro. This event became an outing not just for students and their parents but for a large segment of the community. Most planned activities, in fact, attract community members. Even candidates for political office come out not only to show support but to solicit votes.

At the same time, the team has addressed reading and math problems. After reviewing several programs, the staff selected programs they felt would work best for students.

Most important, the team addressed attitudes of many staff members. With the help of various workshops, staff meetings, and day-to-day interactions, attitudes began to change. One member of the staff noted that there is a spirit of excitement among the staff that even students sense.

The school district also played a critical role, providing much needed resources — such things as state-of-the-art technology and resources to enhance the curriculum.

In April 2001, a news conference at Thomasboro brought together the school superintendent, members of the school board, school administrators and staff, students, city government leaders, CMAE leaders, and volunteers to celebrate Thomasboro's success. One school board member noted that there were no requests for transfers from the school.

Just recently North Carolina Governor Mike Easley visited Thomasboro to offer his congratulations. Students served as hosts for his visit. Some moved around with tape recorders, conducting interviews with visitors. Others filmed the event.

Today, upon entering Thomasboro, a visitor sees a chart stand that highlights the focus lessons of the week that are the emphasis in every classroom. Visitors also see plans for a new wing with a gymnasium and a renovation of the existing building. Construction is already underway, and the result will be a state-of-the-art facility. Once completed, the building will be in line with the "state-of-the-art" school community.