In March 2012, AFT helped lead a public-private partnership to help struggling McDowell County, W.Va., and the participants were hopeful that things could be turned around economically and educationally. A year later, the Reconnecting McDowell project has begun to show that investment in communities can change people's lives.

Several of AFT's partners have recently expanded their offerings in the county as part of the program's overall goal of revitalizing the struggling locale.

West Virginia Network set up high-speed Internet access to all county schools, and Shentel is providing the same to nearly all of the 10,000 households in the county.

McDowell County schools have since expanded their virtual classes and started video conferencing for homebound students. The new technology also has opened up digital libraries to students. Carolyn Falin, McDowell County Schools assistant superintendent, explained:

“The digital libraries will greatly increase students’ access to books and other digital materials to deepen and broaden their understanding of the content,” Falin says. “For example, a student reading a book about Rosa Parks can click on a video on the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott.”

Other partners, including First Book, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, McDowell County Public Schools and Verizon, have set up 10 family literacy centers that are about to open. Every time parents take their children to one of the centers, they will receive a free book they can take home.

“The family literacy center will provide a resource within the school community to help promote literacy, increase parent involvement and instill a love of reading in children,” says Melanee Harman, a family literacy assistant from Fall River Elementary School who will be helping parents use the school-based center. “This center will provide families with keeper books to help build their own family libraries that parents can continue to share with their children.”

Another new initiative is the creation of the Mountain Dawn Dance Program, run by professional choreographer Lisa Ann Colombo. The program serves more than 160 students from third grade through eighth.

“The importance of this program is not only about learning to dance and the mathematic connections involved, but the self-confidence and feeling of accomplishment that comes along with learning to perform,” Colombo says.