Spotlight on an Odds-Beater: Sherburne-Earlville Building a Workforce for and with the Community

By Catherine Kramer, Research Assistant for NYKids (Edited by Kristen C. Wilcox, Director NYKids)

Educators at Sherburne-Earlville Senior High describe the school district as the center of the community. They expressed a deep and sincere commitment not only to students and their families, but also to the broader community.

Sherburne-Earlville School District, located in New York State’s Southern Tier, is the sixth most sprawling rural district in the state. Serving a rural community facing its share of poverty, educators work to provide a school-based response to meet local economic needs and contribute to the preparation of the future local workforce while matching what they do with community values.

A teacher, who is also a parent of a Sherburne-Earlville student, explained the importance of community: “There are going to be issues because of the economic depression, but I think what we’re seeing is that there are people trying to fight that as well in different ways. I think what gives us an advantage in a rural area is the community sense of looking out for each other.”

This community sensibility is in part evidenced in how leaders and teachers have aligned their course offerings and instructional practices to be engaging and practical.

The centerpiece of this work has been the rebuilding of the Agricultural Science program, which was eliminated in the 1990s. Reinstating this program had long been a priority for many parents, students, and teachers. The superintendent said, “We have [community] members saying, ‘Here we are, an Ag-related school. Where’s the Ag?’”

These agricultural courses are complemented by resources such as a greenhouse on school grounds (in part funded by a local business), and augmented with hands-on experiences like maple syrup farming.

The hope being these opportunities may enable youth in the community to economically prosper in the community after graduation.

Read more about Sherburne-Earlville in the Sherburne-Earlville High School case study. Subscribe to our newsletter.