CLEVELAND — East Technical High School is changing the way it has been viewed. Principal Temujin Taylor has pushed the transformation forward.
“Coming from this community, I know what it takes to make that transition,” said Taylor. “What we have done is provided support for the students. We provide medical services on-site. We’ve developed a partnership for dentistry.”
Taylor said some students face personal obstacles long before reaching school, so he and his staff have attempted to minimize their stress.
“We look past what the obstacle is,” said Taylor. “We’ve improved the graduation rate from 52% to 72%. Hopefully with the data that’s coming out next year, we may eclipse 80 percent graduation rate.”
After three absences, Taylor sends his teaching staff to a student’s home. He believes added concern is an important part of student’s curriculum. Recently, Taylor has implemented a mentor program that pairs previous east tech grads with current students. He encourages monthly conversations among participants.
“I wanted to take on that challenge of turning things around at east tech,” said Taylor. “My goal is to bring east tech back to the prominence that it was years ago. It’s a team of us doing the work. The scholars have to have it within themselves to want to be successful, to want to graduate.”
