Faculty at Dothan High School invited all parents to an Education Summit Wednesday night at Greater Beulah Baptist Church.

It was a chance to go into the community to connect with parents like Nicole Spivey. Spivey has a freshman at Dothan High, who is adjusting to the changing education environment.

"It's very important to transition from 8th grade to 9th grade," Spivey says. "It's very important because they are coming into a whole new world with more responsibility, and more coursework."

Community meetings have come from the influence of "Yes We Can, Dothan"- a group trying to improve the city by improving its schools.

Parents were brought up to speed on graduation exams that start March 6th.

Teachers like Danielle Snell also spread the word about programs they are involved in to improve student performance. Snell says programs like tutorial and credit recovery provide extras help outside the classroom setting. Many parents aren't even aware of these programs.

Snell says being truthful with parents is an important first step.

"I do let them know exactly what's going on," says Snell, a 10th grade Language Arts teacher at DHS. "It's very important that they know what is expected of their child and of them initially. By knowing those things it helps them progress throughout the year with more ease."

Improved performance is especially important this year because Dothan and Northview cannot fall under No Child Left Behind goals of adequate yearly progress without the possibly of a State Dept. of Education takeover. Teachers and administrators could be in danger of losing their jobs if that happens.

"It's important that we communicate with parents and sometimes I think we need to meet them where they are," says Snell. "Sometimes that building (school building) can be very intimidating."

School staff hope the new communication techniques lead to improvement on graduation exams and in the classroom. Parents seems ready to do their part.

"They just can't do everything by themselves, so this gives me an opportunity to stay involved with what my daughter is doing," says Spivey. "We are here to build a better community. I think it starts with a great education."

For more information on the graduation exam, including a sample of questions you can visit the Dothan City Schools website at www.dothan.k12.al.us.

DCS Instruction Specialist Julie Turner says more community meetings are being planned for future dates. The next one could be hosted by Northview High.