Southgate's Staff Won't Stop Believing, As Hard Work Begins to Pay Off

To work at Southgate Elementary, you have to believe.

Believe in the staff. Believe in the students. Believe in hard work.

That attitude has paid off as Southgate made Annual Yearly Progress for the 2010-11 school year after several years on the federal School Improvement Plan for failing to make AYP for several years.

“When you work at Southgate, you have to believe that all children are capable of success,” said Charlotte Clouse, who is in her fourth year as principal. “And there are no exceptions.”

Southgate is comprised of 534 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, 230 English Language Learners (ELL) students and 72 ECEAP preschool students.

“We use the strength of the cultures brought to us to help our community grow stronger,” Clouse said of her school, of which 59 percent of the student body is Hispanic and 26 percent is of other races including Asian and Pacific Islander.

With 89 percent of its students on free or reduced-price lunch and a high rate of turnover, Southgate has long been one of the poorest schools in the district. But Clouse said in a presentation to the School Board this week that it does not deter her staff. If anything, it inspires them.

“Our message to children is that you have your dreams and we think that’s great,” she said. “Be persistent and work hard, and we are going to work with you and stand by you, so go for it.”

Instilling such ambition in students has translated to improvement on test scores.

In 2006-07, only 46.7 percent of Southgate’s third-graders passed the state reading exam.  Last year, 75 percent did – which is higher than both the district (69.3 percent) and state (73.1 percent) average. At the fifth-grade math level, just 26.3 percent of students passed the math exam in 2006-07, and 55.1 percent did in 2010-11.

And between 2010 and 2011, on the MSP (Measurements of Student Progress) exams, fourth-graders’ reading scores improved 24 percent and math scores, 38 percent. 

 “We’ve built it to sustain it,” Clouse said, noting that the staff’s motto is that effort equals results.

“When children don’t do well on tests, we don’t look at the children,” she said. “We look at us and what isn’t working.”

Among the school’s keys to success are its turnaround process, a systematic approach to school improvement, replicating effective practices and an intervention program. The latter means that students can get extra help at “boot camps” on half-days.

The school’s ultimate goal is to prepare each of its students for middle school on three levels: academic, emotional and social. To do that, they plan to continue teaching to grade-level standards, collaborate between ELL and general-education teachers and focus on exemplary instructional strategies.

“I really appreciate the reality of your focus,” said board member Marty Schafer. “One eye on the people and one on the results. I’m just very proud of you guys.”

Board vice president Carole Jacobs agreed, calling Clouse “a bumblebee.”

“We all know bumblebees are not supposed to fly – and they do.”

Clouse admitted that it isn’t always easy to change students’ mindsets that they can’t control anything in their lives. Living in poverty has taught many that “whatever is going to happen is going to happen.” That, in turn, has translated to an attitude of “If I didn’t do well on a test, it was hard; if I did well, it was easy.”

“But (the staff) helps kids see that they do control their destiny,” she said.

Clouse said that prior to holding a career day, many students wanted to be ballerinas and football players. Now that their horizons have been broadened, she hears students speak of becoming police officers or florists or opening their own restaurants.

Superintendent Debbie LeBeau, who pointed out that Clouse chose to transfer to the school, lauded her dedication to Southgate.

“In her first year, she began the process of working with the district and teachers’ union to replace many of the staff,” she said. “Once she had a new staff in place, she worked hard with those staff members to build a team and completely rebuild a school.”

And with the task completed, the Southgate community brings a fresh approach to every day. Staff members make a point of welcoming every student as they arrive in the morning – as they get off buses, as they enter the cafeteria for breakfast, as they head to class.

“That’s kind of who we are,” Clouse said. “We want the kids to know we care about them.”