Doddridge County Schools’ development of localized curriculum kicked into high gear when Superintendent Adam Cheeseman got his students involved in bringing broadband to his rural part of West Virginia. Cheeseman’s work with the telecommunications company to teach students the skills needed to participate in the installation has only grown since then. The initiative now encompasses gas production, engineering and other industries that anchor the regional economy.
“People are leaving our state,” says Cheeseman, West Virginia’s 2023 superintendent of the year. “We’re not connecting with industry. There are very good jobs right here in our backyard, but we’re not putting the pieces together.”
The goal of Doddridge County Schools’ localized curriculum is to expose students to the careers that abound in their communities, which in turn helps them connect what they’re learning in school with the world around them. It also vastly improves their chances of getting a well-paying job right out of high school and allows local industry to tailor instruction to workforce demands.
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Concerning the broadband installation, Doddridge County Schools created a curriculum called “Internet for All” that is taught in a high school entrepreneurship class. Along with building their job skills, students also get a chance to perform public service by working at a community help desk that will help residents with computer and internet troubleshooting.
Students following the localized curriculum are taught, in part, by industry experts and leave high school ready to enter the workforce or continue their studies in higher education. Classes now cover engineering, HVAC maintenance and natural gas processing. “You identify the different private industries that are in your region, you reach out and say, ‘Come help us jointly develop this curriculum. We’ll teach kids what they need to know and on the backend, you’ll offer them a position,'” he explains. “And we ensure our kids get good jobs and stay right here in West Virginia.”
Doddridge County Schools focuses on flexibility
The localized curriculum is making instruction in Doddridge County Schools ever more flexible, resulting in an environment that—at the high school—resembles a college campus more than a K12 system. Students have access to a college-and-career readiness coordinator, a new CTE facility, a range of job-shadowing and internship opportunities, and about 300 dual-credit courses offered in partnership with the state’s colleges. A student’s daily schedule can comprise online learning with college professors, in-person instruction at the high school and on-the-job work experiences.
“I would put our high school and the flexibility and the opportunities that we have been able to create for kids up against just about anywhere,” he says. “We’ve stripped away all of the hoops that oftentimes as educators we for some reason create or have been pushed upon us.”
And the evidence that students are benefitting is clear. About 10 years ago, Doddridge County Schools ranked 53rd for academic achievement among the state’s 55 districts. Last year, it completed a jump of 50 places, reaching third on the scale that measures ELA, math and science proficiency. “I fully understand that in West Virginia, our performance as a state isn’t great,” he adds. “What we’re doing in Doddridge Co, we’re looking how we can compete on a national level, how we can take these numbers and raise the bar even higher.”
Cheeseman, 38, is the youngest superintendent in West Virginia but also in the top 10 of its longest-tenured. He makes a point of serving as a source of support for his colleagues in K12 leadership. “If they’re going through a difficult time I reach out and try to say, ‘Hey, are you OK, and I’d like to talk with you,’ and if they want me to pray with them, I pray with them.
“It can be lonely at the top sometimes in districts,” he continues. “I’m in a blessed place with a good board, a good community, and a good system that is very supportive. Not all of my colleagues have that same setup.”
Creating positive change for years to come
There are about 8,000 residents in Doddridge County and the district serves about 1,180 students at four school buildings, including a brand new early learning academy that emphasizes experiential learning and intentional play for pre-K and kindergarten students. Cheeseman says he and his team have been strategic about placing behavioral interventionists and EL specialists in the classrooms where kids most need assistance.
“We believe firmly that if a child’s social-emotional, physical, and I would even argue on a personal level, spiritual needs are met then the intellectual will come, the student achievement will come,” Cheeseman concludes. “So our holistic child department spends a lot of time feeding kids, giving kids clothing—a lot of social-emotional time is spent with them.”
His biggest fear as a leader—who considers himself a change agent—is becoming stagnant. “I don’t want to regress; I don’t want to go back,” he concludes. “I want to make sure that I continue to challenge myself to create positive change in this district for years to come … because kids’ needs are only getting more and more, and some of the things they’re going through are only getting worse and worse.”
