Athens Community Plan for Children: All Solutions for Childhood Success

Early Learning: Solutions 1.0-1.4 Solution Number: 1.0 Early Learning Network: Solution Description: The ACC PN Early Learning Network connects to and is aligned with the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning RT3 Early Childhood Challenge framework; and connects to and is aligned with the Georgia Early Childhood System of Care.

The ACC PN Early Learning Network establishes partnerships with public agencies and private entities in order to identify gaps, develop plans, leverage resources, and integrate services so that expectant families and families of children birth through third grade can directly access parent support /education, high quality early childhood education, social supports, and health services. The Early Learning Network links private child care centers, public school early learning programs, and informal familyfriend-neighbor care providers to professional development and quality improvement support. The ELN builds upon the CCSD early learning programs (Early Head Start and Head Start) and connects the public system to the private child care system. Child and family outcomes include family stability, Kindergarten readiness, and children meeting or exceeding third grade math, reading, and language arts performance standards.

Child care centers and informal child care providers will meet state of Georgia quality rating improvement system goals.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Integrated systems of care promote improved outcomes for children and families. The system of care approach promotes integration of fragmented service systems and merging of categorical funding streams at the state level and building of professional relationships and agency collaboration at the local level. A national evaluation indicated that the system of care approach was associated with increased academic performance and emotional health and decreased delinquency among young adolescents.

Citations: Lowell, D.I., Carter, A.S., Godoy, L., Paulicin, B., & Briggs-Gowan, M.J. (2011). A randomized controlled trial of child FIRST: A comprehensive home-based intervention translating research into early childhood practice. Child Development, 82(1), 193-208.

Perry, D., Kaufmann, R. & Knitzer, J. (Eds.), (2007),Social & Emotional Health in Early Childhood. Baltimore, MD. Solution Number: 1.1 Parent Education and Family Support Solution Description: The Parent Education and Family Support solution includes family engagement, neighborhood parent leadership, family literacy activities, home visitation and parent support, and job readiness and training. Family engagement: A Family Resource Center with a central intake housed within the CCSD Office of Early Learning (OEL) 27 Appendix F

Early Learning Center (ELC) will be expanded. The Family Resource Center and central intake serves as the neighborhood one-stop clearing house that connects parents to a variety of learning opportunities and supports.

Through the OEL ELC Family Resource Center and Central Intake, parents needing support services are connected to early learning, health, and human service providers through resource fairs, counseling, referrals, and assistance with completing applications for Early Learning Network partner programs. A Family Support Worker will be housed between the two local hospitals (Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital) to identify families needing services. Family support workers and intake workers assess families and link families to early childhood education programs, health, nutrition and wellness services, and parent education training programs. Family support and intake workers will track the families’ uptake of services and provide families with assistance to remove barriers to participation.

Placement of the Early Learning Network, Family Resource Center and Central Intake personnel at the OEL ELC is highly strategic because the H.T. Edwards campus in the center of the Promise Neighborhood geographic area. The campus serves as a hub for other ACC PN solutions (Athens Technical College Early Childhood Education Department, Athens Technical College Adult Education Program (GED), PLC, FC-CIS, DFCS TANF job readiness / career advancement provider).

Neighborhood Parent Leadership: The Neighborhood Leaders (NL) will train, support and mentor parents as part of the School Readiness Academy. The Academy, designed by the ELN, will provide on-going training and support to help parents be the best and first teacher of their children. Family Literacy: A variety of adult education and family literacy programs will be available at the OEL and in neighborhood settings.

GED, ESOL, and parent and child activities will be offered to help parents improve their own educational achievement while reinforcing their children’s literacy skills.

Home Visitation: Prevent Child Abuse Athens will provide evidenced-based home visitation to families in the Promise Neighborhood. Job Readiness and Training: Goodwill of Athens and Athens Technical College will provide employment services, job readiness, and job search assistance to families.

Brief Summary of Evidence: In 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services launched a rigorous review of studies of home visiting programs that found that Healthy Families America (HFA) had favorable impacts in seven domains (child development and school readiness; child health; family economic self-sufficiency; linkages and referrals; positive parenting practices; reductions in child maltreatment; and reductions in juvenile delinquency, family violence, and crime). The findings in child development and school readiness, child health, positive parenting practices, and reductions in child maltreatment were replicated in at least one other study sample.

Citations:

28 Appendix F

Administration for Children and Families (2010). Home visiting evidence of effectiveness review: Executive summary.

Hsin, A., Parent’s time with children: Does time matter for children’s cognitive achievement? Social Indicators Research, Vol. 93(1), Aug, 2009. pp. 123-126.

Reid, M. J., Webster-Stratton, C., & Baydar, N. (2004). Halting the development of conduct problems in Head Start children: The effects of parent training. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33(2), 279-291.

Reid, M. J., Webster-Stratton, C., & Hammond, M. (2007). Enhancing a classroom social competence and problem-solving curriculum by offering parent training to families of moderate- to high-risk elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36(4), 605-620.

Solution Number: 1.2 Early Care and Education Solution Description: The Early Care and Education solution is a continuum of programs designed to ensure that every child and family from birth to third-grade has access to quality, affordable, accessible early learning opportunities. The ELN will work with public and private providers to increase access and improve quality, building upon the CCSD early learning programs (Early Head Start and Head Start) and connecting the public system to the private child care system. Informal providers will be encouraged to become registered providers. Quality incentives and technical assistance will be provided to child care centers to help them achieve national accreditation. Curricula across all centers (public and private) will be aligned to improve reading and math outcomes. The interventions will require changes in how all providers (public school, formal, informal care providers and home visitation programs) ensure that daily instruction, adult-child interactions, parent education programs, and professional learning are high quality, driven by formative and summative student data, directly aligned with the state of Georgia Early Learning Standards and Georgia Performance Standards and are rich with educational, cultural, and civic experiences. Arts and humanities (Competitive Priority) will be infused throughout activities for children and parents; private centers and family child care providers will be provided resources to increase arts and humanities activities.

The CCSD Pre-K program currently provides children with 160 days of instruction for 6.5 hours per day. In order to provide Pre-K children in the ACC PN access to a full academic year of instruction, 20 additional days will be added to the academic calendar for Pre-K classrooms serving children in the ACC PN at the Early Learning Center and Alps Road Elementary School. Summer bridge programs and early intervention programs will target PN children who have not attended pre-school. For children who have been identified as needing a center based environment in order to meet specifications of early intervention and Response to Intervention plans, up to 10 children

29 Appendix F

can access scholarships to attend a center based program for 21-48 weeks based on day care center fees and need for intervention.

Academic Coaches will provide side-by-side coaching to public and private preschool teachers and home visitors to assist them in delivering high impact teaching and learning strategies, as well as train and assist them to implement a screening and assessment plan for measuring child outcomes and ultimately Kindergarten readiness.

In order to embed research based high impact science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) teaching and learning practices and enrichment activities (field trips, classroom / school wide events) into the implementation of the Georgia Early Learning Standards, the Early Care and Education solution proposes to adopt a level four Professional Development School (PDS) model within the OEL. A level four PDS model provides a 50% time professor in residence with expertise in research to practice methodologies to improve student achievement across all domains through STEM. Brief Summary of Evidence: Research shows that investment in high quality Pre-K programs produce a 17:1 investment return compared to their peers who did not participate, because children exhibit higher early reading and mathematical skills and exhibit significantly higher gains in social emotional skills, are less likely to be retained, less likely to need remedial educational services, have a lower referral rate to special education, are more likely to graduate high school, are more likely to be attending school at age 21, have an increased likelihood of attending a four year post-secondary university, are more likely to hold a job with prestige, and have a higher socio-economic status. Access to high quality Pre-K programs has a profound effect on cognitive, social and emotional development.

In a study of 1,364 children, 15-year-olds who had received higher quality child care during their preschool years demonstrated higher cognitive-academic achievement and less externalizing behavior (e.g., aggression, disobedience) than those who had received lower quality child care. The results maintained regardless of familial risk level.

The magnitude of the quality effects was larger at higher levels of quality of care.

Furthermore, the age 15 cognitive-academic achievement results were mediated by the association between child-care quality and academic skills at entry to school.

Local evidence: Since the implementation of CCSD’s first Early Reading First grant in 2007, the percentage of CCSD students finishing Pre-K with age-appropriate language skills has increased from 54% to 78%, and the percentage of students meeting federal benchmarks in Pre-K for alphabet knowledge has increased from 59% to 75%. The project included extended day and summer programs for the most at-risk students.

Even though the program has demonstrated strong gains in student achievement, room for growth remains. Pre-K research studies illustrate the need for extended learning opportunities for at-risk children that are focused on specific areas for improvement.

Citations:

30 Appendix F

Brenneman, K., Stevenson-Boyd, J.S., & Frede, E. (2009). Math and science in preschool: Policies and practice. Preschool Policy Matters, Issue 19. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.

Marcon, Rebecca A. (2002). Moving up the grades: Relationship between preschool model and later school success. Early Childhood Research & Practice, 4(1).

Maxwell, K. L., Early, D. M., Bryant, D., Kraus, S., Hume, K., & Crawford, G. (2009).

Georgia study of early care and education: Findings from Georgia’s Pre-K Program— Executive summary. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FPG Child Development Institute.

National Center for Family Literacy (2008). Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. A Scientific Synthesis of Early Literacy Development and Implications for Intervention. National Institute for Literacy, Washington, D.C. National Research Council. (2009). Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths Toward Excellence and Equity. Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics, Christopher T. Cross, Taniesha A. Woods, and Heidi Schweingruber, Editors. Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2004). Early learning and school readiness: Can early intervention make a difference? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50(4), 471-491.

Raver, C. C., & Knitzer, J. (2002). Ready to enter: What research tells policymakers about strategies to promote social and emotional school readiness among three- and four-year-old children. National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.

Vandell, D.L., Belsky, J., Burchinal, M., Steinberg, L., Vandergrift, N. & NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2010). Do effects of early child care extend to age 15 years? Results from the NICHD study of early child care and youth development. Child Development, 81(3), 737-756.

Solution Number: 1.3 Health, Nutrition and Wellness Solution Description: 1.3.a Universal Screening and Assessment.

Training and assistance in using ASQ in private centers and family childcare homes.

Provide training and on-site consultation in conducting Ages and Stages screenings to identify children in need of referrals and to develop appropriate activities and adjust classroom environments. Training and assistance in using ASQ for parents participating in School Readiness Academy. Parents will have the opportunity to learn how to monitor the development of their children through periodic developmental 31 Appendix F

screening. The parents will complete the brief Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ and ASQ-SE) which will be interpreted by trained advisors. Expand use of ASQ to all children ages 3 to 60 months. Currently developmental screening of preschool children using the ASQ is done by Children 1st, Babies Can’t Wait, and Healthy Families. Results of these screenings are used to promote the child’s development and for early detection of developmental problems through referrals for further evaluation. The ASQ also is currently being completed by teachers in some of the child care centers enrolled in the Quality Care for Children’s quality improvement program to help teachers individualize their developmental and learning activities. All children ages 3 to 60 months in the ACC PN will, with parental permission, receive periodic developmental screening with the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) and Ages and Stages Questionnaires-Social Emotional (ASQ:SE). Central intake system for all children with contact at birth and contact at the OEL. Prevent Child Abuse Athens will develop a central intake function to support prenatal families and families with children 0-5. Plus central intake at OEL who will receive requests from families and referrals from multiple agencies. We currently offer this service for a portion of the new families at ARMC; this will be expanded to WIC and SMHS, if funded. It will also be available for referrals from all partner agencies that serve this population. All prenatal families and families with children 0-5 in Clarke County. Focus can be given to ARES families, if funding is available.

1.3.b Medical Home and Access to Health Insurance. Healthcare system navigators and Lay Health Educators (see Solution 4.6) will help connect families to a medical home and assist with health insurance. A WIC clinic will be opened at the OEL Family Resource Center (see Solution 4.5).

1.3.c Nutrition Education. The School Readiness Academy will provide information for promoting healthy development through proper nutrition, exercise, and other health and safety procedures will be provided. Families will also be served through Nutrition Education Solution 4.3. and a new WIC Satellite clinic at OEL (see Solution 4.5).

1.3.d Health Services for High Risk Mothers and Children. The School Readiness Academy will collaborate with Babies Can’t Wait, the county’s early intervention agency, to include children with disabilities and developmental delays in the Academy’s activities. Behavioral Specialists will be available when desired to counsel parents regarding behavioral issues. Accommodations will be made for parents with disabilities (e.g., an interpreter for hearing-impaired parents) to allow full participation in all SRA activities.

1.3.e Social Emotional Behavioral Support. CCSD Behavior Specialists for OEL and for private centers will work with teachers, parents, and children to improve social/emotional outcomes. The Behavior Specialists will provide positive behavior interventions and supports in the classroom and daycare centers. Mindful awareness training and support will be provided to parents, caregivers and educators of children ages birth through 3rd grade.

Brief Summary of Evidence: 32 Appendix F

The ASQ and ASQ-SE are reliable and valid screening instruments for detecting developmental problems early in the child’s life when intervention can be most effective.

A number of studies support the importance of early detection and treatment of developmental disabilities and delays and of socio-emotional development issues.

Between 70 and 80 percent of children with developmental disabilities were detected with screening tools while only 20 percent were detected without screening tools. The difference in detecting mental health problems was even more dramatic: 80 to 90 percent with screening tools and only 20 percent without the use of screening tools.

Data on the reported incidence of children with disabilities indicate the importance of early detection. These data show that at birth, 2.53 % of children are identified, by preschool 5.9% are identified, but by school age 11.36% are identified with some degree of disability. The importance of early detection and treatment of socio-emotional issues is supported by the links that exist between early emotional development and later social behavior, and by findings that by third grade, programs for children with antisocial behavior are often ineffective.

Programs using mindful awareness practices are conducted throughout the world, in medical, clinical, and educational settings. There are currently over 142 clinical trials on mindfulness registered with the National Institute of Health. Of particular interest is a $1.2 million grant awarded to Pennsylvania State University and the Garrison Institute by the United States Department of Education’s Institute for Educational Sciences to study a program using mindful awareness practices to reduce teacher burnout and improve resilience. Recently, the United States Military has put in place a program for pre-deployment training based on mindful awareness practices.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) is an empirically validated, function-based approach to decrease inappropriate behaviors and increase prosocial skills. Use of PBIS decreases the need for more invasive or aversive interventions (i.e., punishment or suspension) and can lead to both systemic as well as individualized change, according the research over the past fifteen years. Furthermore, schools that implement system-wide interventions have reported improved academic performance and high levels of engagement. These schools also indicate a reduction in office discipline referral of 20-60%. These effects have led to long-term changes in behavior.

A review of the research on the effectiveness of PBIS revealed that there was over a 90% reduction in challenging behavior in over half of the studies and the problematic behavior stopped completely in over 26% of the studies. Research has also demonstrated that classrooms with high emotional support resulted in an increase in appropriate social skills and decreased the number of behavior problems even when the child was exposed to adverse environmental factors.

Citations: Campbell, O. (2009). The role of parental involvement in preparing children ages 4-6 to enter school, leaving no child behind. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol 70(5-A), 1548.

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Greenberg, M.T; Weissberg, R.P; O'Brien, M.U.; Zins, J.E.; Fredericks, L.; Resnik, H.; Elias, M.J. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58(6-7), 466-474.

Napoli, M., Krech, P. & Holley, L. (2005). Mindfulness Training for Elementary School Students: The Attention Academy. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 21 (1): 99 – 117.

National Association of School Psychologists (2009). Fair and Effective Discipline for all Students: Best Strategies for Educators.

Squires, J., Bricker, D., & Potter, L. (1997). Revision of a parent-completed developmental screening tool: Ages and Stages Questionnaires. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22 (3), 313-328.

Solution Number: 1.4 Workforce Development Solution Description: The ELN will coordinate training, professional learning, mentoring, and coaching to create a comprehensive workforce development system. The coordinated system will enable early childhood professionals to have the knowledge, skills, and supports to effectively work with children and families Daycare centers, schools, and programs in ACC PN geographic area and with centers serving children who live in the ACC PN geographic area will implement the elements and standards of care within the Georgia Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) currently being developed by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

Quality incentives and technical assistance will be provided to private centers to help them achieve national accreditation.

1.4.a Professional development including training, coaching, and support for all EL providers. A Professional Development School model (see Solution 2.1) will be implemented at OEL to improve teacher effectiveness. The UGA COE professor inresidence will conduct seminars in the integration of STEM for all teaching staff in the Alps school zone with substitutes provided for daycare providers. A particular focus will be place on professional learning for teachers in STEM; STEM training will help align pre-school curriculum and standards with K-3 curriculum and standards.

Coaching and professional development on standards-based instruction will be provided to private centers and family child care providers to align instruction to GELS and Pre-k standards. Professional learning will be increased beyond the normal state required hours. Professional learning will be provided to agencies providing summer camp programs to support oral development through adult/child interactions.

34 Appendix F

Quality Care for Children (QCC) CDA scholarships will be provided to private centers and family child care providers to improve their educational achievement and increase the professional capacity of the workforce.

Private programs will be linked to the GA Alliance for Quality Child Care for administrative support where they can receive support for administrative functions (time savings to allow them to devote more time to the classroom) and costs savings (to allow them to spend less on food, supplies and other expenses and more on activities and items that support early learning).

Brief Summary of Evidence: In a study examining the impact of professional development on teacher knowledge and quality early language and literacy practices in center and home-based care setting, there were statistically significant improvements in language and literacy for teachers who received coursework plus coaching with substantial effect sizes for both center and home-based providers. Coursework and coaching represents a promising quality investment in early childhood.

There is strong evidence to support the importance of quality early care and learning programs such as quality-rated child care centers, family child care homes, Early Head Start, Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs.

In a study of 1,364 children, 15-year-olds who had received higher quality child care during their preschool years demonstrated higher cognitive-academic achievement and less externalizing behavior (e.g., aggression, disobedience) than those who had received lower quality child care. The results maintained regardless of familial risk level.

The magnitude of the quality effects was larger at higher levels of quality of care.

Furthermore, the age 15 cognitive-academic achievement results were mediated by the association between child-care quality and academic skills at entry to school.

The Carolina Abecedarian Project, a high quality child care center that served lowincome children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, found significant IQ differences between the children in its program and children in community programs at age 3 years. These differences were still present through age 21 years. Significant differences were also seen for reading and math test scores, and a greater percentage of Abecedarian students had entered a 4-year college by age 21.

Ramey and Ramey (2004) reviewed evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were designed to test the hypothesis that preschool education, with an emphasis on seven particular classes of experiences, could be efficacious in improving readiness for school and subsequent academic achievement in reading and mathematics. Results indicate that the cumulative developmental toll that is measured reliably in high-risk samples of children beginning in the second year of life can be substantially reduced through a high-quality preschool program. This positive effect has been replicated in nine additional trials using RCT methodology. Additionally, long-term follow-up of the original study participants indicates not only improved performance in reading and 35 Appendix F

mathematics in elementary and secondary school but also a reduction in special education placement and grade retention, among other practical benefits.

Citations: Campell, F.A., Pungello, E.P., Miller-Johnson, S. Burchinal M., & Ramey, C.T. (2001).

The development of cognitive and academic abilities: Growth curves from early childhood educational experiment. Developmental Psychology, 37(2), 231-242.

Cunningham, L. and Neuman, Susan, The Impact of Professional Development and Coaching on Early Language and Literacy instructional Practices. (June 2009), American Educational Research Journal; 46: 532-566.

Loucks-Horsley, Susan; Hewson, Peter W.; Love, Nancy; & Stiles, Katherine E. (1998).

Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2004). Early learning and school readiness: Can early intervention make a difference? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50(4), 471-491.

Vandell, D.L., Belsky, J., Burchinal, M., Steinberg, L., Vandergrift, N. & NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2010). Do effects of early child care extend to age 15 years? Results from the NICHD study of early child care and youth development. Child Development, 81(3), 737-756.

K-12: Solutions 2.1-2.18 Solution Number: 2.1 Professional Development Schools Solution Description: A key strategy for improving classroom instruction, teacher retention, and student academic performance is the Professional Development School (PDS) model.

Collaboration between key personnel from the CCSD and the UGA College of Education (UGA COE) began in the fall of 2007 and in spring of 2008, stakeholders from these two institutions, along with other community members, decided to pursue the PDS model as a structure for their partnership. In August of 2009 a new CCSD elementary school opened as a PDS. The goals of PDSs are to improve student learning through: improved programs of teacher preparation, improved programs of professional learning for practicing teachers, and collaborative programs of inquiry centered on problems of practice and the improvement of learning. In the fall of 2010 leadership from CCSD and UGA expanded their partnership to create four additional PDSs, for a total of five, and to include all CCSD schools in a PDS District.

In the fall of 2011, Clarke Middle School and the Athens Community Career Academy, two schools in the ACC PN, began to function as PDSs, which includes a UGA Professor-in-Residence (PIR) who spends 2-3 days a week at the school. Half of this time is devoted to UGA COE instruction (supervising student interns or teaching a class on-site) and the other half is devoted to service to the school. Other components include a school-based steering committee where conversations focus on how student 36 Appendix F

learning can be supported by the collaborative efforts of the partner institutions, full year UGA COE student interns (working part time for one semester and full time for a second semester),at least one pre-service education course taught on-site, bringing additional UGA COE students to the school on a regular basis, programs of professional learning for teachers, coordinated or conducted by the PIR, and innovative teaching practices. At Clarke Middle School the PDS model is supporting the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Program (see Solution 2.2) and at the Athens Community Career Academy (Solution 3.1) the PDS model is specifically supporting an emphasis on workplace ethics.

Brief Summary of Evidence: From an extensive review of the literature on the impact of PDSs on K-12 students, evidence was found to suggest that students in PDS schools show more on-task behaviors. In addition, three studies conducted between 2000 and 2003 found that students in PDSs had better test scores than students in non-PDSs with similar demographic characteristics. Perhaps most significantly, seven studies conducted between 1999 and 2003 found that test scores improved when schools implemented PDS programs. A more recent study of schools in a Professional Development School network found that all 21 schools reported significant gains in math and reading and that 13 of the 21 had gains larger than the state average. More importantly, the schools with the greatest growth were the schools with the largest proportion of economically disadvantaged students, indicating that the PDSs were helping to reduce the achievement gap. PDSs have also been shown to have an impact on the practices of experienced teachers. This is critical if the goal is to improve education because there is an emerging consensus that teacher quality is one of the most critical factors impacting the success of today’s schools. In a review of more than 10 studies conducted between 2000 and 2004 participation in a PDS had an impact on teacher beliefs, professional practices and classroom practices. Some examples are teachers who had participated in a PDS showed greater commitment to teaching and greater multi-cultural sensitivity, were more involved in study groups and action research, and were more likely to try new teaching practices such as hands-on inquiry-based science activities Citations: Ball, D. L., & Forzani, F. M. (2009). The work of teaching and the challenge for teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 60(5), 497-511.

Bransford, J., Darling-Hammond, L., & LePage, P. (2005). Introduction. In L. DarlingHammond and J. Bransford (Eds.), Preparing teachers for a changing world. (pp. 1-39).

San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Cochran-Smith, M. (2006). Policy, practice and politics in teacher education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103 (6), 1013-1055.

37 Appendix F

Teitel, L. (2004).How professional development schools make a difference: A review of research, 2nd edition. Washington, D.C.: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Solution Number: 2.2 International Baccalaureate Program Solution Description: With a focus on intercultural learning, the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is a key strategy for increasing academic rigor needed for college and career preparation and developing critical thinking and inter-personal skills. During 2011-12, CCSD is implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) at Clarke Middle School in the ACC PN. The IB program reaches all students through inter-disciplinary units across the curriculum and includes a special emphasis on arts and humanities. Because of this solution, students will be better prepared for the transition to high school and high school academic coursework. The IB implementation at CMS is further supported by the PDS model (see Solution 2.1) with a UGA COE Professor-in-Residence supporting teachers and staff through the transition to the new curriculum. During summer 2011, CCSD provided professional development opportunities for principals, program coordinators, and teaching staff, including IB conferences, meetings and workshops as well as access to resources such as the IB online curriculum center. Increasing professional development opportunities in 2012-13 will assist teachers in implementing with fidelity the IB MYP and will increase the effectiveness of the program with all subgroups. Beginning in 2012, the IB program will also be expanded into the 9th and 10th grade at Clarke Central High School.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) supports schools in providing students with challenging academic programs that encourage critical thinking from an intercultural perspective at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. For high school students, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program offers a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum that rivals, and in some instances, exceeds Advanced Placement (AP) offerings. Early preparation through the Middle Years Programme has proven to provide students with crucial personal, social, and intellectual skills while ensuring they are equipped to enter the academically rigorous environment of the IB Middle Years and Diploma Programs. School coordinators have noted positive differences in their students graduating from the IB program. The students go to college with confidence in their ability to succeed in an academically challenging environment.

Furthermore, the IB curriculum is accessible to all students. The professional learning offered through required focuses on standards, pedagogical practices, and assessments in line with those of other IB teachers around the globe. While working with local or international staff, teachers develop course outlines and assessment strategies built on greater international awareness, including curriculum connections to IB learner profiles and areas of interaction. These trainings provided consistency across the district and across IB Middle Years and Diploma Programme schools.

Citations: 38 Appendix F

Gazda-Grace, Patricia. (2002). Psst…Have You Heard About the International Baccalaureate Program?, The Clearing House, vol76,No.2, Nov/Dec, 84-87.

Mayer, Anysia P. (2008) Expanding Opportunities for High Academic Achievement: An International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in an Urban High School, Journal of Advanced Academics, vol19, No.2, Winter, 202 – 235.

Research Summary: Evaluation of International Baccalaureate Programmes in Texas Schools. (Jan. 2010). State of Texas Education Research Center at Texas A&M University.

Schachter, Ron. 2008. The “Other” Advanced Program, District Administration, Feb. 2730.

Solution Number: 2.3 UGA Elementary Strings Project Solution Description: CCSD values the role the musical arts play in motivating students and in improving academic performance. Beginning in 2011-12, in partnership with the UGA Hodgson School of Music’s Strings Department, 40 students in grades 2-5 receive afterschool stringed instrument group instruction from UGA instructors two days a week at Alps Road Elementary School each semester (likely serving 50 students over the course of year). In 2012, FC-CIS is proposing to help defer the costs of the group lessons and assist with purchasing instruments to support the long-term stability of the program.

Brief Summary of Evidence: There are numerous studies that support the impact of music participation on students’ academic performance as well as on motivation, behavior, and communication skills.

Many studies have been performed that examined the impact of music instruction on academic achievement. For example, one study found that music instruction enhances a student’s ability to perform the skills necessary for reading including listening, anticipating, forecasting, memory training, recall skills, and concentration techniques.

Several studies of the achievement in reading or math of elementary schools students revealed higher achievement of instrumental music students than their non-music peers. Another study found that music instruction enhances the brain’s ability for spatial-temporal reasoning (the ability to visualize and transform objects in space and time). With regard to social skills, longitudinal studies have found that there are personal, social, and motivational effects of involvement in music. Involvement in musical activities has been found to increase students’ self-esteem, including the reduction in aggressive and anti-social behavior as well as the increase in pro-social behavior. These studies used a multi-year longitudinal design and both found that these effects steadily increased and persisted over time. The scientific evidence in support of music instruction is abundant, and compelling; there are strong connections between music instruction and greater student achievement. Regardless of age, exposure to music helps to develop and fine-tune the workings of the brain. Music training helps develop a child’s cognitive skills and can be linked to higher test scores, grade point averages, and success in college.

39 Appendix F

Citations: Bastian, H.G. (2000). The Impact of Music on Behavior. Mainz: Schott Music International.

Costa-Giomi, E. (2004). Effects of music instruction on children’s academic achievement, school performance, and self-esteem. Psychology of Music, 32(2), 139 – 52.

Milley, J. (1983). The Arts: An essential ingredient in education. Position paper of the California Council of Fine Arts Deans (Available from the School of Fine Arts, California State University, Long Beach).

Solution Number: 2.4 Project FOCUS Solution Description: The value of hands-on science learning in elementary schools is well documented and is supported in CCSD through a unique partnership with the UGA Horticulture Department and the UGA College of Agriculture called Project FOCUS (Fostering Our Community’s Understanding of Science). In order to prepare children in the areas of science and critical thinking, Project FOCUS is a solution that partners university undergraduate and graduate students in science-related disciplines with school teachers to assist in teaching science to children in grades K-5 in Alps Road Elementary School. In collaboration with the teachers, the UGA students plan and teach hands-on science lessons in compliance with Georgia Performance Standards two times each week during the fall and spring semesters. In addition, the college students serve as role model for the students by telling them about how they got to college and their career aspirations. In 2011-12 the program serves all classrooms at Alps Road Elementary, greatly expanding from only two classrooms in 2010-11.

Brief Summary of Evidence: There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the value of hands-on science experience for elementary school students. The National Science Teachers Association has a position statement on teaching science in elementary school that put hands-on science experience at the top of the list for how elementary school students learn science best. In various small-scale studies it has been found that there is a significant increase in science scores; in addition, some studies have seen significant increases in reading comprehension and math scores. Even in the studies where the science scores were not significantly improved, there was a more positive perception of science by the students who did hands-on science as compared to those who were taught with textbooks.

Citations: Foley, B. J. & McPhee, C. (2008) Students’ attitudes towards science in classes using hands-on or textbook based curriculum. American Education Research Association.

40 Appendix F

Dade County, Florida (1996). Report on Achievement: Effects of Hands-on Science (FOSS). Dade County, Florida.

Pine, J.P., Aschbacher, P.A., Roth, E., Jones, M., McPhee, C., Martin, C., Phelps, S., Kyle, T. & Foley, B. (2006). Fifth graders’ science inquiry abilities: A comparative study of students in textbook and inquiry curricula. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 45(5), pp.467-484.

Stohr, P. M. (1996). An Analysis of Hands-On Experience and Science Achievement.

Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33 (1), pp. 101-109.

Solution Number: 2.5 Field Trips Solution Description: Field trips not only expand students’ learning through hands-on experiences, but they also increase the students’ knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. To increase college awareness, as well as exposure to arts and humanities, FCCIS proposes to create a systematic year-by-year sequence of field trips to the UGA campus in grades K-12 so that all students in CCSD have abundant exposure to vast local resources. Just as currently all 5th graders in CCSD take a field trip to the UGA Georgia Museum of Art, all students of a given grade level will participate in the same specified field trip experience (spread over weeks or months, depending on the destination and the size of groups that can be accommodated). When fully implemented, all students who graduate from CCSD will have had 13 visits to the UGA campus during their school years. This plan expands the number of field trip experiences for each child (currently most students have only one field trip per year) and makes these opportunities equally available to all children in the district, thus having a systemic impact on the educational experiences of CCSD students. The curricular content of these visits will vary, but all of the visits will encourage CCSD students to see the UGA as a place full of resources, both interesting and accessible, and will have pre and post activities that deepen the learning experience. Multiple opportunities to spend time on the UGA campus will help students see a college education as something that is within their reach and will support a “college-bound” culture. In 2012, FC-CIS is proposing to phase in this solution through a pilot project at Alps Road Elementary School with primarily art-focused field trips (one per grade) to UGA for all students at the school, coordinated by a funded UGA graduate student.

Brief Summary of Evidence: There is strong evidence to support the importance of experiential learning such as field trips for students in grades K-12. Current research on field trips has shown that they are essential for many reasons. Some examples being: they provide real experiences related to all content areas and they extend learning by expanding a child's world and provide a framework for learning. Field trips enrich and expand the curriculum by pushing children to think outside the box and the classroom. They strengthen observation skills by immersing children into sensory activities and increase children's knowledge in a particular subject area. Finally, field trips help to expand students' 41 Appendix F

knowledge about their own community. A study of individuals asked to recall details of field trips they took in their youth indicates that field trips have a lasting impact on their participants. The early-elementary school field trip recollections of 9, 13, and 20+ year old individuals were virtually identical in the categories of items and/or experiences recalled. The findings strongly suggest that field trips (museum field trips in particular), regardless of type, subject matter, or nature of the lessons presented, result in highly salient and indelible memories. These memories represent evidence of learning across a wide array of diverse topics and long-term recollection of cognitive information, available for application to future problem-solving tasks. Even after years had elapsed, nearly 100% of the individuals interviewed could relate at least one thing they learned during an early-elementary-school field trip and most could relate three or more things.

Citations: Falk, J.H., Dierking, L.D. (1997). School field trips: Assessing their long-term impact.

Curator 40(3), 211-218.

Nabors, M.L., Edwards, L.C., Murray R.K. (2009). Making the case for field trips: What research tells us and what site coordinators have to say. Education 129(4), 661-667.

Solution Number: 2.6 School Social Workers Solution Description: The School Social Worker (SSW) is a valuable student services link between the home, the school, and the community, having a positive impact on students’ academic performance, attendance, and school persistence. The SSW routinely makes home visits to assist with communication between the home and the school and encourages families to assume an active role in their child’s education. The SSW team supports students, families, teachers and the community by providing direct and indirect services around referral problems such as academic problems; school discipline, attendance; child abuse and neglect; health and economic needs; domestic violence; alcohol and other drug issues; teen pregnancy; mental health issues; and homelessness. SSWs also serve to support school transitions from 5th to 6th grade and from 8th to 9th grade.

The current state funding formula for the allocation of school social workers is 1: 2,475 students. Given the socio-economic, emotional, and behavioral health needs of CCSD students, it is recommended that this ratio be reduced to 1: under 1,500. FC-CIS proposes that two additional social workers are needed for the ACC PN: one full-time SSW to serve Clarke Central High School, Performance Learning Center, and the Ombudsman Baxter and West sites; and one full-time SSW to serve both Clarke Middle School and Alps Road Elementary School.

Brief Summary of Evidence: A study specific to the impact of school social work interventions on school truancy from a risk factor perspective found that school social work services had a statistically significant impact on reducing various risk factors related to truant behaviors. When school social workers put interventions in place, students displayed increases in selfesteem and satisfaction with school. In addition, there was a clear increase in the 42 Appendix F

support for school from the home. Furthermore, increasing protective factors predicts reduced truancy and increased school success.

Local data from the CCSD School Social Work Department (2010-2011) also supports the effectiveness of school social work services. When referrals were received regarding attendance difficulties and a school social worker intervened, students showed a 22% rate of improvement in their attendance. In addition, when referrals were received for academic concerns, 94% of those referred improved following school social work support; and for referrals regarding discipline, 88% of students improved post-intervention.

Citations: Chavkin, N.F. (1993). Families and Schools in a Pluralistic Society. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Early, T.J., Vonk, E.M. (2001). Effectiveness of School Social Work from a Risk and Resilience Perspective. Children and Schools, 23 (1), 9.

Newsome, W.S. Anderson-Butcher, D., Fink, J., Hall, L., & Huffer, J. (2008). School of Social Work Journal, 32 (2), 21-38.

Solution Number: 2.7 School Behavior Specialists Solution Description: Teachers and students both benefit from student behavioral support, including positive discipline strategies that assist students with social development and equip teachers with classroom tools that limit classroom disruptions. CCSD School Behavioral Specialists currently work to increase behavioral support through student groups and staff trainings; and build connected relationships between students, staff, parents and community agencies. Unfortunately, they are spread thin serving multiple schools, so FC-CIS proposes two additional Behavioral Specialists to support Alps Road Elementary School, Clarke Middle School, and Clarke Central High School. Behavioral specialists provide professional development to student groups and staff in the following areas: basic classroom management techniques, strategies and interventions; Perceptual Control Theory and connected school activities; multicultural awareness; social skills and social emotional learning. Behavioral Specialists participate in Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) development/implementation; provide therapeutic support and skill-building groups to students; coordinate behavior Response To Intervention (RTI) for students; implement return-from-suspension meetings; provide Mindset verbal and physical de-escalation training and certification to identified staff; and conduct classroom and school-wide climate observations as well as provide recommendations to administration.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Positive discipline strategies are research-based procedures that focus on increasing desirable behaviors instead of simply decreasing undesirable behaviors through punishment. They emphasize the importance of making positive changes in the child’s 43 Appendix F

environment in order to improve the child’s behavior. Such changes may entail the use of positive reinforcement, modeling, supportive teacher-student relations, family support and assistance from a variety of educational and mental health specialists. Schools implementing effective strategies have reported reductions in office discipline referrals by 20-60%; this results in improved academic engaged time and improved academic performance for all students. All students, both with disabilities and without, can benefit from proactive behavioral support systems. There are a number of research-based approaches to providing proactive systems of behavioral support in schools, including Positive Behavior Interventions Support (PBIS), violence prevention programs, social skills instruction and school-based mental health services. Examples of evidence-based therapeutic modalities include Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Perceptual Control Theory.

Citations: National Association of School Psychologists (2009). Fair and Effective Discipline for all Students: Best Strategies for Educators.

Skiba R. J., Peterson, R. L. & Williams, T. (August, 1997). Office referrals and suspension: Disciplinary intervention in middle schools. Education and Treatment of Children, 20(3), 1-21.

Walker, James, Shea Thomas (1986). Behavior Management: A Practical Approach for Educators.

Merrill Publishing Company.

Solution Number: 2.8 Communities in Schools (CIS) Site Coordinators Solution Description: One of the key strategies for reducing the CCSD high school dropout rate is Communities In Schools (CIS) Site Coordinators who work in schools identify students who are at risk of dropping out, evaluate school and student needs, and gather resources to address those needs. These needs can range from academic assistance, to health care, counseling, transportation, mentoring and much more. Collaborating with principals, teachers, graduation coaches and other school support staff, CIS Site Coordinators forge community partnerships that bring resources into schools to help remove barriers to learning. In January 2011 CIS Site Coordinators employed by Family Connection-Communities in Schools, began working in Clarke Middle School and Clarke Central High School. At Alps Road Elementary School, an Americorps VISTA volunteer became a CIS Site Coordinator in August 2011. FC-CIS proposes partial funding to support the CIS Site Coordinator positions in addition to AT&T and CIS of Georgia funding.

The main components and processes of the CIS model include: an annual needs assessment done for the school site, planning with school leadership, delivery of wholeschool (level one) and targeted, case-managed (level two) services, evidence-based service use, regular monitoring and adjusting of services and plans, evaluation of effectiveness in achieving school and student goals and reporting. At Clarke Central High School, targeted intervention is provided for 5% of the population and at Clarke 44 Appendix F

Middle School and Alps Road Elementary School, 10% of the student population is targeted for specific intervention.

Brief Summary of Evidence: ICF International recently completed a five year evaluation of CIS at both the organizational and school level to determine its effectiveness. The national evaluation of CIS looked at both the organization and the work that CIS does on the affiliate, state and school levels. The design was a multi-level and multi-method approach that examined the impact of CIS at three levels: the organizational level, the school level and the student level. CIS schools demonstrated positive effects on both dropout and graduation relative to non-CIS comparison schools. Those CIS schools implementing the model with high-fidelity had considerably greater effects on reducing dropout rates than other CIS schools and their non-CIS comparison schools. This suggests that the CIS model is working as it was meant to work. The effect sizes for dropout and graduation were higher than the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse threshold for “substantively important effect.” Fewer CIS case-managed students drop out of school during their 9th grade year than students who were in the control group. CIS case-managed students also completed more credits during the 9th grade than control students. Fewer CIS case-managed 6th grade students were retained than the comparison group. These findings suggest that case-management of high-risk students is not only contributing to keeping kids in school but also helping them progress in school. In addition, CIS schools experienced small but steady improvements in performance on state-mandated assessments for math compared to non-CIS schools. Results for Reading/English Language Arts performance were mixed.

Those that implemented the CIS model with fidelity had greater effects on both reading and math. For 6th graders, CIS case management had a statistically significant impact on students’ performance in reading. For 9th graders, the greatest impact was found on overall grade point average.

Citations: ICF International. (October 2010). Communities In Schools National Evaluation: Five Year Executive Summary (pp. 2-8). Fairfax, VA. Solution Number: 2.9 Clarke County Mentor Program Recruitment and Evaluation Project Solution Description: Mentoring can have a positive impact on many facets of a student’s life. The Clarke County Mentor Program (CCMP) is the largest mentoring program in ACC, serving 500 students in CCSD, 60 of whom live in the ACC PN. FC-CIS proposes to increase support for the Clarke County Mentor Program to: (1) enable additional recruitment of mentors to meet the needs of CCSD students; and (2) to construct a more comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of the mentor program, which could be adapted and implemented by smaller grassroots mentoring programs serving students in the county. The FC-CIS K-12 Strategic Action Team and school contacts already serving as CCMP liaisons at each school will assist by providing data on the academic

45 Appendix F

performance of mentored students, and by continuing to facilitate mentor-mentee matching and mentor support.

Recruitment and evaluation for CCMP will also strengthen the Athens Community Mentor Collaborative (ACMC), a gathering of various mentoring and tutoring agencies in Athens that meet each month to collaborate and discuss best practices. The collaborative holds quarterly training sessions for community volunteers interested in mentoring and tutoring. Increased support for the ACMC will include expanding recruitment of mentors and increasing public awareness about the importance of mentoring through outreach to community businesses and organizations. In addition, growing the collaborative’s coordination of volunteer training and assistance will be necessary to support volunteer mentors.

Brief Summary of Evidence: A review of program evaluations shows that mentoring programs have several positive outcomes on youth development. Youths participating in mentoring programs typically have better school attendance, less behavioral problems, reduced participation in risk behaviors, and an increased likelihood of attending colleges. Mentoring programs positively impact youths’ relationships with their parents, peers, and elders. Mentees are also more likely than their peers to have a positive attitude toward helping others. There is limited research of school-based mentoring programs in comparison to the research of community-based programs. However, utilizing school-based mentoring allows agencies to overcome barriers often faced in community-based mentoring, such as challenges to parent participation and a limited volunteer base. The school-based model allows for teacher referrals and often recruits volunteers unlikely to participate in community-based mentoring. Several research-based best practices should be followed to increase the benefits of mentoring. These practices include transparent mentor recruitment, thorough mentor and mentee screenings, appropriate mentoring matches, adequate mentor training, consistent monitoring and support, and procedures for match closure.

Citations: Barley, Z., Lauer, P. A., Arens, S. A., Apthorp, H. A., Englert, K. S., Snow, D., Akiba, M., & Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, A. O. (2002). Helping At-Risk Students Meet Standards: A Synthesis of Evidence-Based Classroom Practices.

Herrera, C., Grossman, J., Kauh, T. J., & McMaken, J. (2011). Mentoring in Schools: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring. Child Development, 82(1), 346-361.

Jekielek, S., Moore, K. A., Hair, E. C., & Child Trends, I. C. (2002). Mentoring Programs and Youth Development: A Synthesis.

Solution Number: 2.10 K-12 Mindful Awareness Practices Solution Description: Mindfulness has global effects on the brain and behavior and participants with larger deficits generally reap the most benefit. The Mindfulness Awareness solution aimed at 46 Appendix F

K-12 educators and students is designed to enhance stress resilience and improve social-emotional learning for children, adolescents, and educators. CCSD students, educators and support staff from K-12 in the ACC PN will be supported with the Mind Body Institute program that offers practical tools to improve attention, social-emotional learning in the classroom, and to create school culture that promotes academic, social, emotional, and relational development and growth of all learners, as outlined in the Georgia Department of Education School Keys. This program also supports the Georgia Performance Standards relating to responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others. The focus of this solution is to educate teachers at Alps Road Elementary School, Clarke Middle School, Clarke Central High School, the Performance Learning Center, and the Athens Area Career Academy in mindfulness through two steps that will prepare them to present or integrate a mindfulness curriculum into school life. Part I, Finding a Place to Rest for Educators/CCSD staff, is an introductory course, focused on the fundamentals of mindfulness for adults. Part II, Mindfulness Curriculum Training, trains educators/staff to use a mindfulness curriculum for children and adolescents. For best results, Part I and Part II are offered in the same school year. The ultimate goal of the solution is to create a mindful culture within CCSD so that peaceful classrooms, attentive students and calm, resourceful parents and neighbors can work together for the success of all students.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Programs using mindful awareness practices are conducted throughout the world, in medical, clinical, and educational settings. There are currently over 142 clinical trials on mindfulness registered with the National Institute of Health. Of particular interest is a $1.2 million grant awarded to Pennsylvania State University and the Garrison Institute by the United States Department of Education’s Institute for Educational Sciences to study a program using mindful awareness practices to reduce teacher burnout and improve resilience. A randomized control study with 64 second and third grade children found those who participated in an eight week Mindful Awareness Practice schoolbased program showed improvement in executive function, as assessed by survey of teachers and parents. Children with less regulation pre-test showed gains in behavioral regulation, metacognition, and overall executive control. This research is important, because of its implications for children who have lower executive function, such as those in special education.

Citations: Beauchemin, Hutchins, and Patterson (2008). Mindfulness Meditation May Lessen Anxiety, Promote Social Skills, and Improve Academic Performance Among Adolescents With Learning Disabilities. Complementary Health Practice Review, 12: 34.

Black, David S.; Milam, Joel; & Sussman, Steve. (2009) Sitting-Meditation Interventions Among Youth: A Review of Treatment Efficacy. Pediatrics 2009 124: e532-e541.

Coatsworth, J.D., Duncan, L., Greenberg, M., Nix, R. (2010) “Changing Parent’s Mindfulness, Child Management Skills and Relationship Quality With Their Youth: 47 Appendix F

Results From a Randomized Pilot Intervention Trial.” Journal of Child and Family Studies 19:203-217.

Flook, L., Smalley, S.L., Kitil, M. Jennifer, Galla, B. M., Kaiser-Greenland, Susan, Locke, Jull, Ishimima, Eric and Kasari, Connie (2010) ‘Effects of Mindful Awareness Practices on Executive Functions in Elementary School Children,’ Journal of Applied School Psychology, 26:1, 70-95.

Napoli, M., Krech, P. & Holley, L. (2005). Mindfulness Training for Elementary School Students: The Attention Academy. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 21 (1): 99 – 117.

Solution Number: 2.11 Performance Learning Center (PLC) Solution Description: Offering students multiple pathways to graduation, is one of the strategies for increasing high school graduation rates in CCSD. One of the schools serving students for whom the traditional high school model might not be effective is the Performance Learning Center (PLC), also known as Classic City High School, a nontraditional high school operated by the CCSD in partnership with Communities In Schools of Georgia (CISGA) and Family Connection-Communities In Schools of Athens. The PLC model was created during a three-year process funded by the Whitehead Foundation to design a new model high school based on a spectrum of best practices that research demonstrated improve outcomes specifically for students who were less successful in a traditional model. Utilizing this research-based model, the PLC opened in August, 2003 with significant start-up funding obtained by CISGA from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Performance Learning Centers are based on a framework of six central pillars: professional training environment, self-managed performance track, positive school climate, high-tech/hands-on curriculum, post-graduation preparation, and community engagement. Based on these six pillars, the PLC utilizes a variety of approaches and practices to support its students. These include: individual learning plans; small student/teacher ratios; community partnership; individually-paced learning instead of “one size fits all” classes; community service in general and service learning in particular; connection to community support; mentoring; tutoring; respect; flexible scheduling and shorter weeks (flexible scheduling and the three-day weekend allow students who must support their families to work); small school size; collaborative team approach; guest speakers; weekly motivational assemblies; helping students keep their ‘eyes on the prize;’ and facilities that are more like a professional setting than a traditional school building. The model has been shown to be effective in Athens and in other locations where it has been implemented. The positive impact on graduation rates (see evidence below) was so strong that the State of Georgia began funding new PLCs and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded a multi-million dollar replication initiative that now has PLCs operating in six other states with plans to open additional ones.

48 Appendix F

Brief Summary of Evidence: In 2009, ICF International completed a study on the Georgia Performance Learning Centers. The study found that PLC’s have a significant impact on the districts in which they are located. For districts that have PLCs the graduation rates after two years of PLC implementation improved by 6 percentage points more than comparison districts without PLCs. PLC districts also had a net reduction in dropout rates of 1.5 percentage points after two years of PLC model implementation. The ICF study stated that the services coordinator, the academic and life skills coaching, individualized attention, and student connections to the community were the key factors in the success of the model.

The evaluation of CCSD’s PLC has also shown dramatic results. In 2009, students’ self-esteem, behavior, attendance, and expectations all improved markedly. Fifty-eight students graduated from the PLC in 2009, with 77.3% of seniors earning their diplomas.

PLC seniors comprised 9.2% of the class of 2009 for ACC, but accounted for 11.5% of graduates in the system during 2009. As 60% of students had dropped out prior to coming to the PLC, and all the rest were identified by their former schools as on track to drop out, it is clear that few of them would have graduated if not for the PLC. In 2009, CISGA did an analysis of CCSD’s graduation rates and concluded that the PLC had a significant impact on improving the graduation rate.

Citations: Alliance For Excellent Education (2009). Communities in Schools’ Performance Learning Centers: Utilizing Student Supports and Alternative Settings for Dropout Prevention.

Family Connection-Communities In Schools of Athens (2009). Classic City Performance Learning Center, An Evaluation, School Year 2008-2009.

ICF International (2009). An Independent Evaluation of Georgia’s Performance Learning Centers.

Solution Number: 2.12 CCSD Summer Program Solution Description: Targeted at students who need academic remediation and credit recovery, as well as special needs students, CCSD currently provides summer programming in the ACC PN at Alps Road Elementary School, Clarke Middle School, and Clarke Central High School. Academic remediation is provided for students needing to re-take the math and/or reading portion of the CRCT in grades 3, 5, and 8 and for students who failed two or more academic classes in grades 6 and 7. Academic Credit Recovery is provided for students in grades 9-12 using Education 2020 Software. One gap identified in the FC-CIS Community Assessment was a lack of targeted summer programming for students in grades K-2 at risk for regressing over the summer break. In 2012 FC-CIS and CCSD propose to create a 4 week program called the “Alps Road Diving Deeper K2 Summer Acceleration Program” at Alps Road Elementary School. The purpose of the program will be to provide accelerated instruction for K-2 students identified as lacking proficiency in reading and math standards for a strong start in the next grade level. The program will provide a research-based curriculum in reading and math, technology 49 Appendix F

integration, co-teaching, and low student-teacher ratios (15:1). Participants will be chosen based on end-of-year benchmark assessments, standardized test scores, and classroom performance. The Voyager Reading and Math Summer curriculum will be implemented, incorporating a variety of instructional resources and daily technology integrated lessons. The Summer Acceleration Program will provide instruction to students with specific academic needs for 20 days (4 weeks). Students who have demonstrated limited proficiency in grade level performance standards will be exposed to the next grade level’s curriculum, ensuring a strong start for these students in the next grade level.

CCSD will also continue specialized summer programming, including the Extended School Year (ESY) for Special Education Students and students with Autism. The Summer Program for English Language Learners (SPELL) is offered to students in grades 2 and 4 to English Language Learners (ELL) and the Migrant Summer Program is offered to Migrant Program students. Students of Promise (SOP) is a fine arts summer school enrichment program: Art From Around the Globe is offered for CCSD students in grades K-2 who demonstrate potential for high achievement and are highly motivated.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Three decades of educational research provide evidence of the negative effects of summer vacations on the academic progress of students, low-income students in particular. An article examining 39 studies on the "summer slide" concluded that achievement test scores decline over summer vacation. The meta-analysis indicated that the summer loss equaled about one month on a grade-level equivalent scale.

Another study, conducted by the RAND corporation, focused on the need for summer learning programs and the existing evidence on effective, viable, and sustainable summer learning programs in urban districts. Through a mixture of literature reviews, interviews, and site visits, the study found results similar to those conducted previously ; generally students experience a summer learning loss, particularly in mathematics (also in reading), that disproportionally impacts low-income students and is cumulative over time. Vigorous studies of summer programs indicate that they have a positive effect on student achievement. Evidence suggests that high-quality voluntary summer programs, mandatory summer programs, and programs that encourage students to read at home during the summer can all mitigate summer learning losses and even lead to achievement gains if the students attend regularly.

Citations: Borman, G.D., Goetz, M.E., and Dowling, N.M. (2009). Halting the summer achievement slide: A randomized field trial of the KindergARTen summer camp.

Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 14(2), 133-147.

Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review.

Review of Educational Research, 66, 227–268.

50 Appendix F

McCombs, J.S., Augustine, C.H., Schwartz, H.L., Bodilly, S.J., McInnis, B., Lichter, D.S., & Cross, A.B. (2011). Making summer count: How summer programs can boost children's learning [Monograph]. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

Solution Number: 2.13 Books for Keeps Solution Description: Books for Keeps works to prevent summer reading setback, or “summer slide�, a reading achievement loss that contributes significantly to the achievement gap between children from low-income families and their fellow students. Books for Keeps gives donated books for recreational reading directly to students at in-school events at the end of each school year, in sufficient quantity to keep most students reading all summer. This simple act side-steps issues such as parental involvement and library access, empowering all students to read during summer. Books for Keeps will provide students attending ACC PN schools with summer reading material in 2012. Alps Road Elementary School students will receive 12 books each; Clarke Middle School students will receive 5 books each; Clarke Central High School 9th and 10th graders will receive 3 books each. As a support, WIT will provide a part-time staff resource to serve as an assistant to help with the procurement and distribution of books.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Summer slide has been documented for nearly a century and studied in-depth for decades. It consistently affects children from low-income families at a significantly disproportionate rate. Children who do not read during the summer months can return to school in the fall having lost skills they previously developed, and lagging up to three months behind their classmates in terms of reading achievement. This achievement loss compounds yearly and results in an achievement gap of two years by the 6th grade. Summer slide is believed by researchers and educators to be a primary cause of this achievement gap. A three-year study by reading researcher Dr. Richard Allington found that giving elementary school students 12 books each for summer, three years in a row, had an impact on reading achievement statistically similar to attending summer school. Numerous other studies in the past two decades also found positive reading achievement results by giving varying numbers of books to students of all ages for summer reading. Books for Keeps used these studies to create an intelligent program with a high probability for success in reducing or eliminating the achievement gap in the ACC PN. Citations: Allington, R.L, et al. (2007). Ameliorating Summer Reading Setback Among Economically Disadvantaged Elementary Students. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago.

Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review.

Review of Educational Research, 66(2), 26.

51 Appendix F

Solution Number: 2.14 YWCO Girls Club Summer Program Expansion Solution Description: Summer programs that are both high quality and affordable for low income families are lacking in most communities. In Athens, the YWCO Girls Club began in 1976 from a community needs assessment that showed a need for a structured, recreational and educational program for young girls from low income families. Since then, the YWCO has provided this program to the community each summer, with approximately 235-300 girls, ages 5-14, participating. The purpose of the YWCO Girls Club is to provide recreational and educational activities for young girls that build self-esteem, teach good decision making, encourage education attainment and promote healthy lifestyles. The program accomplishes this goal by including reading enrichment, career discovery, math and science days, swimming, water safety, dance, nutrition education, sports and games, substance abuse prevention, and financial literacy in the program’s curriculum.

Arts programs are a special emphasis, including theater, arts and crafts, field trip to the Georgia Museum of Art, etc. The program runs for six weeks during the summer break and provides transportation to and from the program site at Alps Road Elementary School each day. FC-CIS proposes to add an additional week of camp, giving opportunities for additional reading enrichment and academic preparation to prevent the summer slide. At only $25 per week, the cost to the families is less than a third of the cost to provide the program. It is one of the very few affordable summer day camps available to low income families, and the only one of its kind just for girls.

Brief Summary of Evidence: High-tech jobs will be among the fastest growing occupations in the 21st century.

Programmers, designers, and systems managers will be in high demand, and those working in these fields will command high salaries. Girls are an untapped source of talent to contribute to the high-tech economy and culture, but girls must be encouraged to learn about these fields early. Girls need special support because there is a welldocumented decline in self-esteem during their adolescent years. Low self-esteem can lead to poor academic performance and many other blocks in their educational attainment. Schools find it difficult to address certain blocks to learning that girls face such as sexual harassment, substance abuse, pregnancy, violence, and eating disorders; that girls-only programs have more success addressing. YWCO Girls Club helps campers learn to deal with such issues while excelling academically.

Local evaluation in 2010 shows positive results of the YWCO program, including: Objective: To see at least 100 girls receive at least 20 structured reading lessons from a certified teacher over the course of the program.

Accomplishment: 148 campers received at least 20 reading lessons during the program.

Objective: To see at least 85% of the 14-year-old enrolled and in good standing in school the following year.

Accomplishment: Of the 2010 13/14 year old participants, 94% were still enrolled in school.

52 Appendix F

Objective: To see an increase in the financial literacy of at least 75% of the 12-14 year olds.

Accomplishment: 100% of the 12-14 year old girls showed an increase in financial literacy. As a group, the girls improved their knowledge of financial literacy by 24%.

Citations: Jobe, D. A. (2002). Helping Girls Succeed. Educational Leadership, 60(4), 64.

Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., & Greathouse, S. (1996). The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores: A narrative and meta-analytic review.

Review ofEducational Research, 66, 227–268.

McCombs, J.S., Augustine, C.H., Schwartz, H.L., Bodilly, S.J., McInnis, B., Lichter, D.S., & Cross, A.B. (2011). Making summer count: How summer programs can boost children's learning [Monograph]. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

Schulte, B. (2009). Putting the brakes on "summer slide". Harvard Education Letter, 25(4), 1-6.

Solution Number: 2.15 K-12 Liaison Advocate Solution Description: As identified in the FC-CIS Community Assessment, parents and families in the ACC PN often need assistance with navigating the complex systems within the public school district and connecting to the many resources that are available. FC-CIS proposes developing a comprehensive “K-12 Liaison Advocate” solution that will give selected FC-CIS Neighborhood Leaders the opportunity to receive training, resources, and skills needed to advocate for families/parents with students in the CCSD K-12 system and to build capacity within the neighborhood for families/parents to advocate for themselves.

Increased student achievement and success is the end goal. In September 2011, Family Connection-Communities and Schools and HandsOn Northeast Georgia’s application for an Americorps VISTA position was approved. In November, a VISTA volunteer will become the FC-CIS K-12 Liaison Advocate to begin developing a program. The VISTA volunteer will work closely with CCSD school site Family Engagement Specialists, Communities in School (CIS) Site Coordinators, and FC-CIS K-12 Neighborhood Leader Specialists to identify what information and resources are available to parents and would support Georgia Family Engagement Standards. They will focus efforts on the CCSD schools in the ACC PN, including Alps Road Elementary School, Clarke Middle School, Clarke Central High School, Classic City High School, and Ombudsman School, as well as the CCSD Central Office. He or she will provide advocacy and assistance to parents and school personnel in meeting the educational needs of K-12 students, working to eliminate barriers and build bridges for the academic success of children and youth in the ACC PN through networks and partnerships within the local community.

Brief Summary of Evidence: 53 Appendix F

There is a strong positive relationship between a family’s involvement at their child’s school and the benefits for their children. Parental commitment to and advocacy of the educational success of their child has been well documented to improve learning.

When a parent can navigate the educational system to seek the best outcomes for their child, improved academic achievement is just one of the improvements that children see. This holds true for all families regardless of their economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Research indicates that when families are engaged in their child’s learning, children are more apt to: earn higher grade point averages and scores on standardized tests and rating scales; improve performance dramatically in the case of failing student; enroll in more challenging academic programs; pass more classes and earn credits; attend school regularly; display more positive attitudes about school; graduate from high school and enroll in post-secondary programs; and refrain from destructive activities such as alcohol use and violence. In addition, schools that work well with families generally outperform identical programs without parent and family involvement and have higher teacher morale and higher ratings of teachers by parents.

Citations: Communities In Schools (2007). Critical Elements of Family Engagement Strategies.

Alexandria, VA: Author.

University Outreach & Engagement (June 2004). Best Practice Briefs: Parent Involvement in Schools. Michigan State University, Lansing Michigan.

Solution Number: 2.16 CCSD Afterschool Program Solution Description: The CCSD operates afterschool programs (ASPs) for all schools and grade levels within the district. These programs are designed to provide a safe, relaxed and enjoyable environment for all school aged children. ASPs may include activities such as homework time, free play, organized games, foreign language, robotics, and recreational sports. Arts activities include drama, chorus, band, orchestra, dance, pottery, foreign language classes, robotics and recreational sports. ACC PN schools also offer the Pathways to Success Programs (PSP) afterschool program. Funded by 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants, PSPs are free, after-hour programs designed to offer additional instruction for students that may struggle with mathematics and reading. Students must meet certain criteria in order to be selected to participate in this program. Transportation and a snack are provided by CCSD at no cost.

In 2011, a new afterschool solution became available to elementary school students at the new Boys and Girls Club, located in the heart of the ACC PN on the H.T. Edwards campus near the PLC, ACCA, Center for Early Learning, and the FC-CIS office. The brand new facility provides K-5 students with many enriching afterschool of activities in a number of areas including a library, game room, computer labs, arts & crafts room, music studio and gym. In partnership with CCSD, the Boys and Girls Club received funding for the program from 21st Century Community Learning Center grant.

Brief Summary of Evidence: 54 Appendix F

There has been increasing interest in after-school programs (ASPs) that can provide youth with a safe and supportive adult-supervised environment and offer them various growth-enhancing opportunities, including activities and experiences that promote academic, personal, social, and recreational development. More specifically, ASPs have been successful in helping youths feel more self-confident, have positive social behaviors, and reduce problem behaviors.

Citations: Boys and Girls Club. (2010). The Boys and Girls Clubs within Los Angeles County: Helping Young People and the Economy to “Be Great” Los Angeles, CA. Deschenes, S., Malone, H.J. (2011). Year Round Learning, Linking School, Afterschool, and Summer Learning to Support Student Success. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project.

Durlak, J.A. & Weissberg, R.P. (2007). The impact of after-school programs that promote personal and social skills.

Solution Number: 2.17 Expand Service-Learning Opportunities Solution Description: Service-learning provides students with hands-on opportunities to apply academic knowledge to “real world” situations and become engaged with their community. If teachers demonstrate the value of service learning, students are more likely to also appreciate the role it can play in deepening their learning and connecting them to their broader community. Educators can benefit from additional professional development workshops and resources that assist them in implementing service-learning methodologies in the classroom and during summer and afterschool programs. WIT proposes to expand opportunities for Clarke Middle School and Clarke Central High School teachers to take advantage of UGA’s Office of Service-Learning workshops that provide teachers with training and assistance to utilize service-learning as a teaching methodology in their classes and during summer and afterschool programs. HandsOn Northeast Georgia also assists teachers by connecting them to community partner organizations and providing methods to track student service hours.

Brief Summary of Evidence: There is significant evidence to support the importance of service-learning opportunities for K-12 students. Research findings demonstrate that service-learning can increase student academic achievement, social development, and civic engagement, as well as decrease involvement in risky behaviors and likelihood of school dropout. By providing hands-on application of academic lessons, service-learning provides students with experiences to make school relevant to their lives. Students participating in servicelearning have higher attendance rates and are more engaged in their school work.

Research also shows that participation in service-learning increases student selfconfidence and deduces disruptive behavior. Another study has demonstrated the potential of service-learning to reduce the achievement gap. The results show that 55 Appendix F

principals of urban, high-poverty, or majority nonwhite schools are significantly more likely than other principals to judge the impact of service-learning to be very positive.

Citations: Bridgeland, J.M., DiIulio, J., Wulsin, S.C. (2008). Engaged for Success. Civic Enterprises & Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Natiional Conference on Citizenship.

Furco, Andrew. (2007). Advancing Youth Academic Success, School Engagement, and International Leadership through Service-Learning. Growing to Greatness, National Youth Leadership Council, 12-21.

Solution Number: 2.18 Elementary Art Mentoring Solution Description: One strategy to increase student interest and exposure to the arts is to provide specific mentoring to 30 students at Alps Road Elementary School in grades K-5. Currently all students attend an art class for 50 minutes per week, and FC-CIS proposes to enhance that by connecting students who are identified by their art teacher and other teachers as having demonstrated an interest in art with art mentors. UGA School of Art undergraduate and graduate volunteers will mentor students for two hours each week and will earn service learning credit hours for their participation. Mentors will provide encouragement and additional art experiences based on the individual interests and needs of the students and offer extracurricular opportunities such as visiting the School of Art and seeing artists at work. FC-CIS proposes to fund a graduate student from the School of Art to direct the program and ensure that volunteer mentors are prepared to serve in a mentoring capacity. The graduate student serving in the director capacity will coordinate efforts and organize a culminating exhibition at the end of the school year.

This program is loosely patterned on the ArtBridge America program that utilizes university art students in service-learning opportunities to provide art instruction in the schools.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Research demonstrates that the arts have the power to engage students both cognitively and emotionally. The Champions of Change report states that the arts change the learning experience for children and reach children who are not being reached, connect children to themselves and each other, transform learning and provide opportunities for developing a learning community between adults and children. Fiske concludes that the arts programs researched in the report: “provide powerful evidence that on the highest levels of literacy, in the realms of social and personal growth and development, and in the development of high- order thinking skills, the arts provide an ideal setting for multi-faceted and profound learning experiences.�

Citations: Fiske, E. B. (Ed.). (1999). Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning.

President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; Arts Education Partnership, Washington, DC. 56 Appendix F

Post-Secondary: Solutions 3.1-3.10 Solution Number: 3.1 Athens Community Career Academy Solution Description: A key strategy for preparing students for post-secondary and career success includes a new high school, the Athens Community Career Academy (ACCA), which opened in fall 2011 in the H.T. Edwards Complex in the ACC PN. The ACCA is a collaborative venture among the CCSD,UGA College of Education, Athens Technical College, and OneAthens. It currently enrolls 281 10th-12th graders (with a goal of 430 students by 2012-13) and combines a high school academic curriculum with a career/occupational theme of coursework. Courses are specifically designed to meet the needs of local business, industry and workforce; to change with labor market and local economic needs; and to provide opportunities for students to participate in pre-college and dual/joint enrollment. Any 10th-12th grade high school student in CCSD is eligible. Once students complete their course sequence in their pathway of choice, they have an opportunity to take relevant college courses for credit on-site through Athens Technical College. Students are engaged in a 100-hour applied work or research experience, followed by a project to demonstrate their learning. Students also take the WorkKeys assessment to demonstrate they have mastered the program and are required to have an internship. The school is one of the Professional Development Schools in partnership with the UGA College of Education, which includes a Professor-inResidence who is a workplace ethics expert. Career pathways offered include Health Occupations, Law & Justice, Broadcast/Music Video Production, Business Information Technology, Marketing, and Engineering/Drafting/Design.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Career Academies provide successful school-to-work transitions without compromising academic goals and preparation for college. Evidence also suggests that investments in career-related experiences during high school can produce substantial and sustained improvements in the employment prospects of students during their post-secondary years. A long-term study of career academies conducted by MDRC demonstrates the feasibility of improving labor market preparation and successful school-to-work transitions without compromising academic goals and preparation for college.

Investments in career-related experiences during high school can produce substantial and sustained improvements in the labor market prospects and transitions to adulthood of youth. In fact, Career Academies are one of the few youth-focused interventions that have been found to improve the labor market prospects of young men. At the same time, Career Academies have proven to be challenging to implement on a large scale with high levels of fidelity.

Citations: Kemple, J. & Poglinco, S. (1999). Career academies: building career awareness and work-based learning activities through employer partnerships . New York: MDRC.

57 Appendix F

Kemple, J. & Rock, J. (1996). Career academies: early implementation lessons from a 10-site evaluation. New York: MDRC. Kemple, J. & Snipes, J. (2000). Career academies: impacts on students' engagement and performance in high school. New York: MDRC. Solution Number: 3.2 Increase Dual Enrollment Solution Description: One strategy for increasing high school graduation rates and transition into postsecondary is dual enrollment programs that provide high school students the opportunity to enroll in college courses while still in high school. While dual enrollment programs have existed at Clarke Central High School, the goal of this solution is to increase from 20 students to 100 students in years 2012 and 2013 and 10-15% each year thereafter. The Athens Community Career Academy (ACCA), described in Solution 3.1, will support dual enrollment expansion with on-site college courses provided by Athens Technical College (ATC). In addition, the UGA, ATC, and Gainesville CollegeOconee campus will partner to enhance recruitment efforts and the costs of fees and textbooks, which are normally a barrier, will be reduced by 50 percent for students in the ACC PN. Previous research shows that lack of parental/guardian knowledge about dual enrollment opportunities is cited as a major reason for low participation among students who would benefit from these programs. FC-CIS will provide an organizational structure to share information with parents/guardians of students who reside within the ACC PN. Staff at area colleges will develop information packets on the dual enrollment opportunities available at their institutions. These packets will be given to the Neighborhood Leaders “College 101” Specialists to share with residents throughout the community. Staff from the area colleges will also hold dual enrollment information sessions at appropriate times throughout the academic year.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Participation in dual enrollment has been shown to increase a students’ likelihood of earning a high school diploma; as well as enrolling, staying, and performing better in a post-secondary institution. A recent study prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation found that in their Early College High School Initiative (ECHS) most schools have successfully created a college-going culture, as nearly every student interviewed reported plans to attend college after finishing at the ECHS. Individuals from various partner groups across the initiative cited examples of students meeting and even exceeding expectations in college classes. Students attending college classes were proud of their accomplishments, citing their successes on challenging exams and assignments and their progress in accumulating credits.

Citations: Lynch, R. & Hill, F. (2008, October). Dual enrollment in Georgia’s high schools and technical colleges. Techniques, 28-31.

58 Appendix F

Mechur Karp, M., Calcagno, J. C., Hughes, K. L., Jeong, D. W. & Bailey, T. (2008, February). Dual enrollment students in Florida and New York City: Postsecondary Outcomes. CCRC Brief, 37, 1-6.

Mechur Karp, M. & Hughes, K. L. (2008, October). Study: Dual enrollment can benefit a broad range of students. Techniques, 14-17.

Solution Number: 3.3 College and Career Going Culture: Adopt-A-Class Solution Description: One of the strategies to promote a college and career going culture in Clarke Middle School (CMS) is the Adopt-A-Class is program developed by the CCSD and the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce to connect the Athens area business community to the school classrooms. The goals of the program are to 1) help students recognize that a high school diploma and a plan for beyond high school is vital to their success, 2) help students see the connections between their classwork and the work place and what skills are used in real-world settings, and 3) provide students with a broad knowledge base of employment opportunities in the local area to help them make informed choices for their career paths. The current Adopt-A-Class program reaches all students in 6th-8th grade at CMS through monthly sessions in each classroom and will be strengthened and expanded through the FC-CIS initiative.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Research shows with increased career awareness and vocational knowledge at the elementary and middle school levels, at-risk middle school students will be prepared to make more informed decisions when selecting the high school program most likely to help meet their career goals. School and workplaces should be linked to build partnerships with employers for mentoring programs, job shadowing, and possible internships. This will permit at-risk middle school students the opportunity of comprehending how courses are integrated with potential work experiences.

Citations: Arrington, K. (2000). Middle Grades Career Planning Programs. Journal of Career Development, 27, 103-109.

Legum, H.L. & Hoare, C.H. (Dec. 2004). Impact of a Career Intervention on At-Risk Middle School Students’ Career Maturity Levels, Academic Achievement, and SelfEsteem. Professional School Counseling, 8 (2), 148-155.

Solution Number: 3.4 College and Career Going Culture: Teachers as Advisors Solution Description: One of the key strategies to promote a college and career going culture at Clarke Middle School, Clarke Central High School, and Performance Learning Center is the Teachers-As-Advisors Framework. This new program represents a series of collaborative efforts between the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia educators, 59 Appendix F

Georgia teachers and parents, Georgia post-secondary education system, and representatives from Georgia business and industry. The overarching emphasis is the acquisition and development of 21st Century Skills that will lead students to high-skill, high-demand, and high-wage jobs. All students in grades 9-12 have a 32 minute “advisory period� each day (6th-8th grade is 50 minutes) where teachers guide them in developing individual career and college portfolios with realistic plans for college and career readiness; their plans follow with them from grade to grade and are especially helpful for making the transition from 8th to 9th grade. Teachers support the activities of the Teachers-As-Advisors program by providing classroom speakers, classroom aids, off-campus computer labs, field trips to business, industry, and post-secondary institutions to increase college and career awareness.

Brief Summary of Evidence: According to an ACT Policy Report entitled, College Readiness begins in Middle School, there are four potential policy recommendations that can help facilitate effective early educational and postsecondary planning. First, college readiness should begin in middle school. Second, schools should explain to students and their parents the effects of taking a challenging curriculum on their future educational, career, and income options. Third, schools should use multiple sources of information, including standardized assessments, to help inform students and their parents of the students’ progress toward college readiness. Fourth, schools should work with families to calculate college costs and develop a plan to meet these costs.

Citations: Wimberly, G.L. & Noeth, R.J.;(2005). College Readiness begins in Middle School, an ACT Policy Report. 1-33.

Solution Number: 3.5 College and Career Going Culture: Internships Solution Description: Another key strategy to promote a college and career going culture includes providing academic and work-based internship opportunities for 55 11th and 12th grade students at Clarke Central High School, Athens Community Career Academy, and the Performance Learning Center. The goal of the internship program is to provide students the opportunity to receive both academic and occupational experiences in the world of work that will increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for employment and further education. UGA provides afterschool and summer internships for Clarke Central High School and Performance Learning Center students through the Young Dawgs program where students work on the UGA campus. Internship opportunities for ACC PN students are increasing due to the internship requirement at the new Athens Community Career Academy High School.

Brief Statement of Evidence: The Truman Presidential Library lists four general benefits of high school internships: experiences working in a professional environment, skill enhancement, resume building, community service opportunities, and references for future school plans or employment.

60 Appendix F

Results of studies on the effects of internships are encouraging; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is pushing for internships to be incorporated into high school curriculums. Research shows that creating multiple pathways to graduation, through a variety of learning opportunities, provides students with a meaningful high school structure that links subject areas and encompasses both personal experiences and connections to the world of adult work. High schools should provide relevant learning opportunities and a rigorous college- and work-ready curriculum. Relevant learning opportunities may include in-depth projects that take place both in the classroom and the work place and internships or community partnerships that provide students with a vision of their future and an understanding of how their school work is linked to what they will do after graduation.

Citations: Cullen, Lisa Takeuchi (2006), The New World of Internships, Time, September 26, 2006.

Kristin, Sunny (2005). Effective High School Reform: Research and Policy That Works, National Conference of State Legislators, Washington, D.C., 12 pp.

Solution Number: 3.6 Career Based Learning Opportunities Solution Description: One strategy for increasing the high school graduation rate is providing relevant applied learning opportunities for students within the structure of the school day. The School-toCareer Program activities for Clarke Central High School, Athens Community Career Academy, and the Performance Learning Center for 10th-12th graders includes providing off-campus learning opportunities for students, classroom speakers, job-shadowing, offcampus computer labs, and field trips to business, industry, and post-secondary institutions. The existing Work-Based Learning (WBL) program allows students to attend regular classes in the morning hours, including one related instruction period of WBL, followed by community-based on the job training in the afternoon. Students work an average of 7 hours per week for 15 weeks and receive hourly pay commensurate with other employees of similar experience. The existing Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) is a structured partnership of school-based learning in combination with one-on-one training with a skilled mentor, serving 25 11th and 12th graders. The Junior Youth Apprenticeship serves 50 8th-10th graders during spring break. CCSD and Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services operate the program, which trains students on the 7-Habits of Highly Effective Teens and helps them prepare resumes and job applications. In addition to supporting the programs described above, FC-CIS proposes to expand School-to-Career opportunities by adding Job Shadowing experiences for 8th graders at Clarke Middle School. Managed by the Communities in Schools (CIS) Site Coordinator, the pilot project for 25 students includes short day off-campus visits to shadow individuals in career fields they are interested in. The group of students involved in this program will be involved in other career exploration activities in order to bolster what they learn during their job shadowing experiences. Activities will include a

61 Appendix F

CIS “Teen Maze” where students will learn about career and educational choices, as well as group sessions to discuss career plans.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Many middle school students may have some ideas of potential career choices but most do not know what it takes to succeed in particular careers. For 8th grade students, it is increasingly more important that they have a wider knowledge of a range of career opportunities. According to one study, implementation of a six-year student plan, curriculum infusion, and job shadowing are just a few of the critical elements that need to take place in the career exploration phase. These elements, along with others found in a comprehensive career guidance program, can help assure students are cognizant of the many educational and career opportunities available to them and how to capitalize on these opportunities. Another study recommends job shadowing opportunities should be provided to permit at-risk students workplace exposure, along with career fairs and opportunities to participate in group counseling sessions to assist them in developing their career exploration skills.

Citations: Arrington, K. (2000). Middle Grades Career Planning Programs. Journal of Career Development, 27, 103-109.

Hammond, C., Linton, D., Smink, J. & Drew, S. (2007). Dropout Risk Factors and Exemplary Programs: A Technical Report.

Legum, H.L., Hoare, C.H. (2004). Impact of a Career Intervention on At-Risk Middle School Students’ Career Maturity Levels, Academic Achievement, and Self-Esteem.

Professional School Counseling, 8 (2), 148-155.

Solution Number: 3.7 College & Career Success Office Solution Description: The most promising of the “new” post-secondary solutions is the College and Career Success Office (modelled largely on Harlem Children Zone’s College Success Office). It will consist of a College Success Unit, focused on helping more students enter and successfully complete college and transition to successful careers, as well as a Career Education Unit to help students enter and complete training programs that result in successful jobs and careers. Beginning at elementary school level, the College Success Unit would “talk up” and raise public awareness activities to promote going-tocollege, particularly among under-represented groups. Staff and volunteers will encourage more students to pursue college and assist them along the way, with a wide range of challenges they might face – from the financial aid and admission processes to time management and navigating the social and cultural environment. Key components will include: outreach, academic support, admissions and financial aid, workshops and training, scholarships information, internships/jobs, and data collection and tracking.

While the College Success Unit cannot implement policy changes for higher education institutions, it will develop services and programs to fill the gaps identified in the FC-CIS 62 Appendix F

Community Assessment. Guidance counselors and Family Engagement Specialists in the CCSD are simply stretched too thin and cannot give each child the one-on-one attention he or she needs in the college-going process. The College Success Unit will be a hub of such information and support. The FC-CIS Post-Secondary and Career Director will oversee the program and the College and Career Success Office Coordinator will be a CCSD employee who will report to both the FC-CIS PostSecondary Director and the CEO of the Athens Community Career Academy, where the program will be housed. The UGA Office of Service Learning will contribute 2,250 student volunteer hours to support the College and Career Success Office. The Georgia Department of Labor will support the Career Success Unit.

Students and families in the ACC PN will also receive targeted support through “College 101” workshops. Admissions and financial aid professionals from higher education institutions, including UGA, Athens Technical College, and Gainesville College-Oconee campus, have committed to preparing and delivering workshops to neighborhood families, middle and high school counselors, and student support staff on topics including post-secondary programs in the area, admissions processes, financial aid, scholarship opportunities, etc. These workshops will also provide neighborhood residents the opportunity to develop a resource network with the staff of the area colleges. This network will be their point of contacts when they need additional information to answer questions posed to them. Subsequent workshops will focus on any changes that are taking place at area colleges. Follow-up from the workshops will take place through FC-CIS Neighborhood Leader “College 101” Specialists who will be dedicated to working with individual students and families to assist them with various aspects of post-secondary entrance.

Brief Summary of Evidence: College Success Unit: The Harlem Children Zone’s CSO has about 600 students in college and the 2009-10 freshman class received more than $6.3 million in scholarships. While academic preparation has been identified as a predictor of academic success in college, it is of little use to a student who does not have the appropriate information about how to get to college. In a study involving first-generation college students, knowledge of the college system was identified as an important factor for success in college. Participants felt particularly unaware of financial aid information.

The study also supports the notion that “good advising may be the most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience” and it may be even more so for firstgeneration students. Another study acknowledges that the information needed to first apply for college and appropriate funding and then to secondly succeed once on campus is privileged information that is distributed inequitably in our society. Research on effectiveness of interventions for at-risk students recommends the following to systems of higher education: rethink remedial education, enhance student support services, and make financial aid more effective. Unfortunately, a mere 56% of youths who enroll in college complete their four-year degree within six years. This number falls to 42% for African Americans. More generally, randomized controlled trials have shown that non-traditional college students that have regularly contact with college “coach” are more likely to stay in college and still be enrolled one year after the coaching had 63 Appendix F

ended. Coaching also has been shown to be more cost effective on retention and completion than other interventions such as financial aid.

Career Education Unit: Of the 47 million American jobs expected to be created between now and 2018, according to a Harvard Graduate School of Education report, about 14 million (such as dental hygienist and electrician jobs) will require only a post-secondary certificate or associate’s degree.

Citations: Amundson, N.E., Harris-Bowlsbe, J. & Niles, S.G. (2005). Essential elements of career counseling: Processes and techniques. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Bettinger, E., & Baker, R. (2011). The effects of student coaching in college: an evaluation of a randomized experiment in student mentoring. National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, 34 pp.

Brock, T. (2010). Young adults and higher education: Barriers and breakthroughs to success. The Future of Children, 20(1), pp. 109-132.

Byrd, K. L. & MacDonald, G. (2005). Defining college readiness from the inside out: First-generation college student perspectives. Community College Review, 33(1), 22– 37.

College Success Office, Harlem Children's Zone: A Look Inside, Spring 2008, 8 pp.

Conley, D. T. (2008). Rethinking college readiness. The New England Journal of Higher Education, 22(5), 24–26.

Goldrick-Rab, S. (2010). Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Community College Student Success. Review of Educational Research, 80(3), 437.

Solution Number: 3.8 Achieving the Dream Network Solution Description: A strategy to improve post-secondary completion rates is to reduce the number of students taking remedial courses and implement institutional changes to address diverse student populations. Athens Technical College (ATC), the post-secondary institution that currently serves 98 students from the ACC PN, is one of just 30 colleges nationwide to receive an invitation to join the 2011 cohort of Achieving the Dream.

Benefits of participation in the Network include reducing achievement gaps, improving persistence rates, enhancing a culture of evidence in which data is used to identify and overcome barriers to student success, and adapting proven strategies to enhance student outcomes. Launched in 2004 by the Lumina Foundation for Education, Achieving the Dream is built on the belief that broad institutional change, informed by student achievement data, is critical to significantly improving student success rates.

64 Appendix F

The goal of the national initiative is to create more community college graduates who earn higher wages as part of a highly skilled national and state workforce. Prior to March 1, Achieving the Dream’s network consisted of 130 institutions—10.8 percent of the nation’s two-year colleges—in 24 states and the District of Columbia. ATC is the first institution in Georgia to participate in this initiative.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The Community College Survey of Student Engagement notes that the number of students who are academically unprepared for college-level work and have to take at least one developmental course serves as one predictor of student attrition. Information submitted by the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia to Complete College America underscores the fact that students who must complete remedial coursework are not achieving success in the traditional lock-step course sequence current in place at these institutions. State data show that 23,987 students entered the public two-year institutions in Georgia during fall 2006 as first-time entry students. Furthermore, 46.2% or 11,080 of these students placed into at least one developmental studies course.

Citations: Bailey, T. (2009). Rethinking developmental education in community college. CCRC Brief, 40, 1-4.

Bailey, T., Jeong, D. W. & Cho, S.-W. (2010). Student progression through development sequences in community colleges. New York: Community College Research Center.

Bettinger, E. & Long, B.T. (2005). Help or hender? Adjunct professors and student outcomes.

Collins, M. L. (2009). Setting up success in developmental education: How state policy can help community colleges improve student outcomes. Raleigh, NC: Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count.

Solution Number: 3.9 Expand Scholarship Opportunities Solution Description: To address financial barriers to post-secondary access, FC-CIS proposes to expand scholarship opportunities through two strategies: 1) strengthening collaboration among existing local scholarship programs and 2) increasing opportunities for donors to fund local youth scholarships. The Athens Area Community Foundation (AACF), in partnership with FC-CIS, area partners, and foundations, will coordinate a Local Scholarship Programs Roundtable to bring local scholarship providers together to identify areas for collaboration, gaps in services, and best practices. Local scholarship providers include organizations providing funds or offering reduced fees to help ACC youth attend enrichment activities or post-secondary training. The Roundtable will also conduct an inventory of local scholarships to assess resources and needs, market local 65 Appendix F

scholarship opportunities, and explore value-added programs that support students through financial literacy, leadership, and community building training as well as educational savings programs (examples include The Posse Foundation, Jump Start, AFI IDA programs, etc.). AACF will also develop a scholarship program to increase opportunities for donors to establish local scholarships for youth.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Scholarships are needed for college as well as for the enrichment opportunities (camps, conferences, tutoring, etc.) that prepare students for post-secondary success. With college costs continuing to increase faster than family incomes, it is increasingly important that individuals and organizations establish new scholarships, and that existing scholarship sponsors increase the number and amount of their awards. Only 6.9% of undergraduate students receive private sector scholarships, and the average amount of such awards is about $2,000. Georgia ranks 41 in the nation for four-year degree holders by income. Even with HOPE scholarships, the average college graduate’s debt is $16,628 and 49.2% of college graduates have debt. A model national scholarship program is the Bill & Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program which provides students with “last-dollar” funding to cover tuition, fees, books, and living expenses not covered by other grants or scholarships awardees might receive. This program targets students of color with a 3.3 GPA, demonstrated leadership and Service, and eligibility for a federal Pell Grant. The scholarships are available for up to 5 years of full-time undergraduate study with an average annual award of $10,000. The effects of these scholarships have been that awardees have been able to defer taking on student loans or working; they have enrolled in highly selective colleges; they exhibit engagement and leadership in college; they persist in and complete college; and enroll in graduate school.

Citations: CFED, 2009-2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard – State Profile: Georgia.

Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2006, Expanding Access and Opportunity- The Impact of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program.

Solution Number: 3.10 Junior Achievement Solution Description: The Junior Achievement (JA) curriculum is designed to develop financial competencies in students at all grade levels. Through private support from AT&T and Junior Achievement of Georgia, Inc., in 2012 the program will be implemented at each grade level in Alps Road Elementary School, Clarke Middle School, Clarke Central High School, and the Athens Area Career Academy in 2012. Elementary programs focus on introducing the roles of individuals and families in the local economy. In the middle grades students begin to think critically about entrepreneurship and their career aspirations while studying how business and entrepreneurship altered the economic development of the U.S. during the 19th century. In high school students learn the concepts of budgeting, investing, credit, identity theft, and insurance.

66 Appendix F

Brief Summary of Evidence: Internal subjective evaluations have shown that former Junior Achievement (JA) students feel very strongly about the positive effect JA has had in their life. They believe that JA strengthened their teamwork skills, problem-solving skills and decision-making skills (90%); that JA strengthened their interpersonal and critical thinking skills (80%), that JA prepared them for the world of work (80%); and that JA connected what they learned in the classroom with real life(80%). Assessments of financial literacy showed that teachers and volunteers agreed that students who participated in JA’s elementary programs were more likely than their peers to have confidence in managing their money (80%), and that middle school students who participated in the JA Finance Park curriculum reported more confidence in managing their personal finances (90%). In a 2009 survey of Georgia teachers who participated in JA again showed the dedication to the program with 91 percent rating Junior Achievement as “good” or “excellent” in its relevant to school curriculum; 95 percent rating their students’ experience with Junior Achievement as “good” or “excellent;” and 96 percent agreeing or strongly agreeing that Junior Achievement helps prepare students for the real world.

Citations: Executive Summary, Work-readiness Impact of JA Program Participation, Junior Achievement Worldwide, 2009.

Executive Summary, Financial Literacy Impact of JA Program Participation, Junior Achievement Worldwide, 2009.

Junior Achievement Evaluation Key Findings, Junior Achievement of Georgia, 2009.

Junior Achievement USA: A Solution to Increasing Graduation Rates, Junior Achievement Worldwide, April 2011.

Health and Wellness: Solutions 4.1-4.14 Solution Number: 4.1 Incorporate Physically Active Lessons in Elementary Classrooms Solution Description: As part of the FC-CIS obesity reduction strategy, faculty at the UGA Department of Kinesiology propose to assist Alps Road Elementary School with implementing daily classroom based, teacher-led, 10-minute movement activities that are linked to gradespecific academic learning objectives in math, reading, language arts, science, social studies, and general health. The TAKE 10!® solution is a research-based program developed to incorporate physical activity into the curriculum that has been disseminated to more than 40,000 U.S. elementary school classes from 1999-2010.

Each TAKE 10!® kit contains 35 activity cards with clearly defined physical activities and learning objectives, 50 worksheets to reinforce learning objectives, three tracking posters, stickers to track activities and rewards, teacher resources to enhance

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implementation, student health knowledge assessments, and a teacher implementation questionnaire.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The cumulative evidence to date indicates that children participating in the TAKE 10!ÂŽ program experience higher physical activity levels (13% greater), reduced time off-task (20.5%), and improved reading, math, spelling, and composite scores. Risk of obesity may also be reduced by increasing daily energy expenditure (~25-43 kcal per session).

Body mass index values were positively impacted over three-years in a longer term trial although the benefits were significantly greater among intervention schools with 75 minutes or more of physical activity per week.

Citations: Bartholomew, J.B. & Jowers, E.M. (2011). Physically active academic lessons in elementary children. Prev Med., 52 Suppl 1:S51-4. PMCID: 3116963.

Donnelly, J.E., Greene, J.L., Gibson, C.A., Smith, B.K., Washburn, R.A., Sullivan, D.K., DuBose, K., Mayo, M.S., Schmelzle, K.H., Ryan, J.J., Jacobsen, D.J. & Williams, S.L. (2009). Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC): a randomized controlled trial to promote physical activity and diminish overweight and obesity in elementary school children. Prev Med., 49(4):336-41. PMCID: 2766439.

Kibbe, D.L., Hackett, J., Hurley, M., McFarland A., Schubert K.G., Schultz A. & Harris S. (2011). Ten Years of Takes 10! (R): Integrating physical activity with academic concepts in elementary school classroom. Prev Med., 52 Suppl 1: S43-50.

Luepker, R.V., Perry, C.L., McKinlay, S.M., Nader, P.R., Parcel, G.S., Stone, E.J., Webber, L.S., Elder, J.P., Feldman, H.A. & Johnson, C.C. (1996). Outcomes of a field trial to improve children's dietary patterns and physical activity. The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health. CATCH collaborative group. JAMA, 275(10):768-76.

Solution Number: 4.2 Active After-School Programs Solution Description: As part of the FC-CIS obesity reduction strategy, the UGA Department of Kinesiology and the St. Mary’s Hospital Wellness Clinic will partner to assist Alps Road Elementary School with increasing physical activity participation among students attending the Afterschool Program (ASP). Cognitively challenging game-based exercise activities will be incorporated into the ASP as part of a comprehensive curriculum to promote health, wellness, and academic achievement. The recommended physical activity program would be similar to the one currently being implemented at another CCSD elementary school. Activities included in the program would meet four criteria: they a) are intrinsically enjoyable and developmentally appropriate; b) focus on mastery and enhanced skill learning; c) are designed for successful experiences and are followed by positive reinforcement; and d) elicit intermittent vigorous physical activity. To maximize 68 Appendix F

effectiveness, the program will be conducted by properly trained instructors who apply principles of pediatric exercise training and who follow theory-based methods of teaching to create environments that promote children’s physical activity.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Given the large numbers of children who attend structured after school programs, providing opportunities for moderate and vigorous physical activity during these programs is an attractive and cost-effective public health strategy. The available evidence indicates that after school physical activity programs are effective in increasing children’s activity levels, are well-received by children and parents, and have high attendance rates. The particular program recommended for adoption (described above) is the product of decade-long field testing and evaluation at the Georgia Prevention Institute at the Georgia Health Sciences University which supports the efficacy of the program to favorably alter children’s body fat percentage, metabolic health, and aerobic fitness. Importantly, this program has also been demonstrated to promote children’s mental development, cognitive function, and academic achievement.

Citations: Davis, C.L., Tomporowski, P.D., McDowell, J.E., Austin, B.P., Miller, P.H., Yanasak, N.E., Allison, J.D. & Naglieri, J.A. (2011). Exercise improves executive function and achievement and alters brain activation in overweight children: a randomized, controlled trial. Health Psychol., 30(1):91-8. PMCID: 3057917.

Gutin, B., Yin, Z., Johnson, M. & Barbeau, P. (2008). Preliminary findings of the effect of a 3-year after-school physical activity intervention on fitness and body fat: the Medical College of Georgia Fitkid Project. Int J Pediatr Obes., 3 Suppl 1:3-9.

Pate, R.R. & O'Neill, J.R. (2009). After-school interventions to increase physical activity among youth. Br J Sports Med., 43(1):14-8.

Tomporowski, P.D., Davis, C.L., Miller, P.H. & Naglieri, J.A. (2008). Exercise and Children's Intelligence, Cognition, and Academic Achievement. Educ Psychol Rev., 20(2):111-31. PMCID: 2748863.

Tomporowski, P.D., Lambourne, K. & Okumura, M.S. (2011). Physical activity interventions and children's mental function: an introduction and overview. Prev Med., 52 Suppl 1:S3-9.

Yin, Z., Gutin, B., Johnson, M.H., Hanes, J., Jr., Moore, J.B., Cavnar, M., Thornburg, J., Moore, D. & Barbeau, P. (2005). An environmental approach to obesity prevention in children: Medical College of Georgia FitKid Project year 1 results. Obes Res., 13(12):2153-61.

Solution Number: 4.3 Nutrition Education Solution Description: 69 Appendix F

As part of the FC-CIS obesity reduction strategy, the UGA Cooperative Extension will offer six Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) educational sessions for low-income parents in the ACC PN with topics including: Your Food, Your Choice; Stress-Free Mealtimes; Color Me Healthy; Winning Ways with Fast Foods; Keep Yourself Well; and Keep Your Health Out of Jeopardy (eat a variety of foods; decrease risk of chronic disease). These sessions will include: pre and post 24-hour diet recall assessment with computerized analysis report given to participants; pre and post food behavior survey/analysis; quick, easy, and healthy cooking demonstrations at each session; educational incentives given at each session; “graduation� certificate of completion given at end of sessions; recipe book with quick, easy and healthy recipes given at end of session. There will also be six educational sessions for children in the ACC PN including focusing on diet and health, cooking activities, practicing of skills which compliment school objectives including reading recipes (reading), measuring ingredients (math), and recognizing the importance of certain nutrients for the human body (science). Walk-A- Weigh sessions that focus on reducing the risk of overweight, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic diseases to lose weight and become more physically fit will also be included. The FC-CIS Nutrition and Exercise Neighborhood Specialist will be responsible for assisting parents and children with implementing their learning in their homes.

Brief Summary of Evidence: In 2010 there were 369 low-income participants who enrolled and graduated from the Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Athens-Clarke County, completing 4,221 hours of training. These parents learned how to plan, shop for and prepare quick and healthy meals for their families on a budget. Pre and post diet assessment showed that 99.4% of the graduates made positive dietary changes. Also, the participants decreased their monthly grocery bill by $24.30 while the nutritional value of their meals increased. Additionally, 901 at-risk youth participated in AthensClarke County EFNEP nutrition sessions through after-school or summer programs in 2010. These children learned how to improve their diet and how to prepare quick and healthy meals and snacks. They also learned skills that complement school objectives such as reading recipes, measuring ingredients, and recognizing the importance of nutrients found in food.

Citations: Burney, J. (1998). A cost-benefit analysis of the Tennessee expanded food and nutrition education program.

Hibbs, J. (2010). Athens-Clarke county cooperative extension 2010 annual report.

Lambur, M., Rajgopal, R., Lewis, E., Cox, R. & Ellerbrock, M. (1996). In Serrano, E. (2009). Applying cost benefit analysis to nutrition education programs: Focus on the Virginia expanded food and nutrition education program.

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Solution Number: 4.4 Increase Access, Availability, and Awareness of Fresh, Local Produce (School/Community Gardens) Solution Description: As part of the FC-CIS obesity reduction strategy, the Athens Land Trust Community Garden Network (supported by a grant from the USDA National Institute for food and Agriculture) will increase access to and awareness of fresh, local, nutritious food in the ACC PN through: establishment of new community gardens and expansion of existing gardens; expansion of existing school gardens and greenhouse programs at Alps Road Elementary School, Clarke Middle School, PLC, and Clarke Central High School; increased awareness through community outreach of the Athens Farmers Market EBT dollar doubling program; educational opportunities, including gardening workshops, nutrition classes, cooking demonstrations and classes, canning and preservation classes, and food tastings in conjunction with community and school gardens and the Athens Farmers Market.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Community gardens have proven significant benefits to the communities they serve.

They improve the diets of community gardeners and their children by improving access to healthier, more nutrient rich food, while minimizing exposure to chemical fertilizers.

This improved access is particularly significant for low-income families and individuals that may otherwise lack the ability to purchase fresh, healthy produce. Gardens can reduce family food budgets and create income opportunities and economic development. Community gardens provide a space for individuals that do not own land the opportunity to grow food and become more self-reliant. Additionally, gardens can provide a space for exercise and encourage an active lifestyle.

Citations: Bremer A., Jenkins, K. & Kanter, D. (2003). Community Gardens in Milwaukee: Procedures for their long-term stability and their importance to the city. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin, Department of Urban Planning.

Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin, Madison. “Community Kitchens: key elements of success.� Research brief #54, January 2001.

Sherer, P.M. (2006). The benefits of parks: Why American needs more city parks and open space.

Solution Number: 4.5 Women, Infant and Children (WIC) satellite office Solution Description: As part of the FC-CIS obesity reduction strategy, the Clarke County Health Department will operate a part-time Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) satellite clinic to provide on-site services to financially eligible children, ages 0-5 in the ACC PN. There is currently only one WIC clinic in Athens, located on the opposite side of the city from the target neighborhood. Neighborhood focus groups identified this as a barrier to service 71 Appendix F

due to lack of transportation and accessibility. WIC provides nutritional support to pregnant women, peer mentoring for breastfeeding women, and education to families on proper nutrition for children ages 0-5. WIC has widespread access to low-income families whose children are among those at greatest risk of being overweight. Reaching parents and children when they are developing eating patterns and relationships can help prevent being overweight and ensure the development of healthy habits.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Nutritional support during pregnancy from the WIC program prevents unhealthy births.

Research has demonstrated that by improving infants’ health at birth, WIC can generate Medicaid savings within the first few months of a child’s life of more than $3 per dollar invested. WIC decreases the risk of costly health problems and developmental delays for young children. By reducing the risk of developmental delay, WIIC helps children to be ready to learn when they enter school. Children who are eligible for but not receiving WIC are more likely to be underweight, in poor health, and at risk for developmental delays. WIC is especially effective at protecting the health of children younger than 12 months. It is during this period that young children’s brains more than double in size if the nutritional building blocks are provided. Poor nutrition affects children’s physical and intellectual development and may therefore hinder early school success.

Citations: Child Nutrition Fact Sheet: WIC (Food Research & Action Center).

“Fit WIC: Programs to Prevent Childhood Overweight in Your Community,” Special Nutrition Program Report Series, No. WIC-05-FW, Project Officer: Ed Herzog. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, Alexandria, VA: 2005.

Gayman, A., Ettinger de Cuba, S., Cook, J.T., March, E.L. & Coleman, S. (Jan. 2010).

WIC Improves Child Health and School Readiness: Children’s HealthWatch Policy Action Brief.

Solution Number: 4.6 Healthcare System Navigation/Train Lay Health Educators Solution Description: The Healthcare System Navigation solution is a core component of FC-CIS’s strategy to address family access to medical care. The FC-CIS Health and Wellness Director will manage the Navigation System, which includes a Health Educator (contracted position) who will train and manage 30 Lay Health Educators. These community members (targeted in ACC PN) will help guide families into the healthcare system by assisting with issues related to medical literacy and compliance with healthcare provider instructions, as well as offering medical assistance related to pre-natal care, safety in the home, blood pressure, fever management, etc. (a proposed initial curriculum has been developed) . Two Neighborhood Leader Specialists will serve as half-time Lay Health Educators for the ACC PN. Nurses and other health educators who are involved will assist with enrollment in health insurance programs such as CHIP and Medicaid, 72 Appendix F

help families access other health and social service resources (including medications and equipment), and offer community-based health education.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Community Health Workers, also known as Lay Health Educators, are volunteer community members who are paid public health workers and are trusted members of the communities that they serve. They generally share the same ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and life experiences of the community they serve. These trusting relationships enable the workers to facilitate access to and enrollment in services and help improve the quality and cultural competence of service. The Community Health Workers can enhance the provider-patient communication, preventive care, adherence to treatment, follow-up, and referral, disease self-management, and navigation of the healthcare system. The Health Workers also promote and build individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy among communities such as the Hispanic/Latino community. The Dalton, Georgia Community Health Worker program prevented $2,379,061 worth of medical costs and had a 16:1 return on investment. Community Health Workers can help address insurance, financial and logistical issues (transportation, scheduling, child or elder care) that many minorities or individuals in poverty often deal with.

Citations: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). (2007). Community health worker national workforce study.

Ferrante, J. M., Cohen, D. J. & Crosson, J. C. (2010). Translating the patient navigator approach to meet the needs of primary care. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 23(6), 736-744.

McCooey, R. (2011). Thesis Proposal for AHN for Developing a Lay Health Education Program. UGA College of Public Health.

Schwaderer, K. & Itano, J. (2007). Bridging the Healthcare Divide With Patient Navigation: Development of a Research Program to Address Disparities. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 11(5), 633-639.

Weinrich, S.P., Boyd M.D., Greene, F., Reynolds,W.A. & Metlin, C. (1998). Increasing prostate cancer screening in African American men with peer-educator and clientnavigator interventions. Journal of Cancer Education, 13(4), 213-219.

Solution Number: 4.7 Provide School-Based Nurses Solution Description: Since many families in the ACC PN lack access to medical care, school-based nurses serve an important role in children’s health care. The CCSD school-based nurses are currently stretched thin with each nurse having a student to nurse ratio of 1080:1.

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Located in the heart of the ACC PN, the CCSD H.T. Edwards Complex, which includes the Office of Early Learning (serves birth to five years old as well as pregnant and single mothers), Athens Community Career Academy (grades 10-12), and the Performance Learning Center (grades 9-12), is in great need of a dedicated nurse to serve the population of 605 students. FC-CIS proposes this additional nurse be added in 2012; this nurse would also serve pre-K at other school sites as needed (total CCSD pre-K population 679). CCSD currently employs two school-based nurses in the ACC PN and these positions will continue.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The most vital and critical period for early intervention is in the first three years of life. A case analysis of one school district that experienced a significant improvement in nurse/student ratio over the study period provides evidence that school nurses make a difference in families accessing services for chronic health problems and in receiving follow-up care for vision problems and injuries. The recommended proportion of registered school nurse-to-student ratio is 1:750.

Citations: Gutu, M., Engelke, M. & Swanson, M. (2004). Does the school nurse-to-student ratio make a difference? Journal of School Health, 74(1):6-9.

Lewis, K. & Bear, B. (2000). Early intervention and school nursing practice. The Journal of School Nursing, 16(5): 16-24.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (June 30, 2011). Healthy People 2020.

Solution Number: 4.8 Dental Services Solution Description: To address the impact of dental health on educational performance, increasing access to preventative services for children in elementary school is necessary. Athens Technical College Dental Clinic offers reduced rates for preventative dental services.

FC-CIS proposes the provision of preventive dental care to 50 children in the ACC PN, which would include an exam, panoramic x-ray, fluoride treatment, and sealants. FCCIS would provide transportation to the clinic with the WIT vans.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Oral health affects children both physically and psychologically. Dental health influences how they grow, enjoy life, look, speak, chew, taste food, and socialize, as well as their feelings of social well-being. Severe tooth decay detracts from a children’s quality of life; they experience pain, discomfort, disfigurement, acute and chronic infections, and eating and sleeping disruption as well as higher risk of hospitalization, high treatment costs, and loss of school days with the diminished inability to learn.

Tooth decay also affects nutrition, growth, and weight gain. Greater use of sealants for students can reduce the need for subsequent treatment and prolong the time until treatment may be necessary for permanent first molars. If comprehensive tooth decay 74 Appendix F

prevention programs are implemented widely, prevention programs could accomplish national health goals and reduce the need for new care providers and clinics.

Citations: Bhuride, J. P., Damiano, P. C., Kuthy, R. A., Flach, S. D., Kanellis, M. J., Heller, K. E., et al. (2005). Natural history of treatment outcomes of permanent first molars: A study of sealant effectiveness.The Journal of the American Dental Association, 136(9), 12651272.

Gherunpong, S., Tsakos, G. & Sheiham, A. (2004). The prevalence and severity of oral impacts on daily performances in Thai primary school children. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2004, 57 (2).

Locker, D. (1997). Concepts of oral health, disease and the quality of life. Measuring oral health and quality of life. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, Dental Ecology, 11-23.

Niederman, R., Gould, E., Soncini, J., Tavares, M., Osborn, V. & Goodson, J. M. (2008).

A model for extending the reach of the traditional dental practice: The ForsythKids program. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 139(8), 1040-1050.

Sheiham, A. (2005). Oral health, general health and quality of life. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 83(9), 644-644.

Weintraub, J. A., Stearns, S. C., Rozier, R. G. & Huang, C. (2001). Treatment outcomes and costs of dental sealants among children enrolled in medicaid. American Journal of Public Health, 91(11), 1877-1881.

Solution Number: 4.9 Family Counseling Services in Early Learning, Elementary and Middle Schools Solution Description: To increase universal access to psychological services for children with mental health disorders and their parents, including children in daycare centers, preschool (including those with disabilities), Alps Road Elementary School students, and Clarke Middle School students, Family Counseling Service will provide mental health services at a discounted rate at the schools, daycare centers, homes, etc. For the past 45 years, the mission of Family Counseling Service (FCS), a non-profit private mental health services provider, has been to offer professional and affordable counseling services to meet individual, family, and community needs of Athens-Clarke County and surrounding areas. In addition to its core services, FCS operates a number of special programs addressing such community concerns as youth alcohol and drug abuse, family violence, child abuse, adjustment of children to divorce. Agency staff includes social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and certified addiction counselors. FCS practitioners often work with the entire family, viewing the family as a unit or system. Goals include: to communicate more effectively and meaningfully with 75 Appendix F

each other, to guide the family through traumatic experiences, to resolve intra-family conflicts, and to create a more positive family environment.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Studies support the critical importance of increasing access to mental health services in schools for children with psychological disorders and their parents. Much of the evidence is drawn from comprehensive research reviews that used computerized searches to identify studies of school-based mental health services for children and then narrowed the inquiry to papers that included a control group, standardized outcome measures, and assessed outcomes at baseline and post-intervention. Rones and Hoagwood’s research review of school-based mental health services notes that 20% of children in the United States have a diagnosable mental illness while only a small percentage ever receive intervention or treatment. Atkins, et al., report that a recent analysis of three national surveys showed that nearly 80% of children (age 6-17) who were in need of mental health services did not receive services within the preceding 12 months, and that for uninsured families, the rate approached 90%. In addition, between 5% and 9% of children can be classified as seriously emotionally disturbed and are served in multiple, separate systems that often provide uncoordinated and redundant services.

Citations: Adelman, H. & Taylor, L. (1999). Mental health in schools and system restructuring.

Clinical Psychology Review, 19[2], 137-163.

Atkins, M., Gracyzk, P., Frazier, S. & Abdul-Adil, J. (2003). Toward a new model for promoting urban children’s mental health: accessible, effective, and sustainable schoolbased mental health services. School Psychology Review, 12[4], 503-514.

Armbruster, P., Gerstein. & S., Fallon, T. (1997). Bridging the gap between service need and service utilization: a school-based mental health program. Community Mental Health Journal, 33[3], 199-211.

Berliner, David C. (2009). Poverty and potential: Out-of-school factors and school success. Boulder and Tempe: Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit.

Burns, B. J., Costello, E. J., Angold, A., Tweed, D., Stangl, D., Farmer, E. & Erkanli, A. (1995). Children’s mental health service use across service sectors. Health Affairs, 14, 147-159.

4.10 Expand Mental Health Services in High Schools To increase universal access to psychological services for CCSD Clarke Central High School students, Advantage Behavioral Health Services (ABHS) will provide in-school or neutral site counseling sessions, modeled on its program with Oglethorpe County School District in-school counseling program. Mental health counseling services are currently limited during the school day and these services would be available from 2:3076 Appendix F

7pm for both individual and family counseling. ABHS will also provide age-appropriate scheduled group sessions for students. High school students would have the opportunity to participate in a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group (see evidence below). With prior planning, ABHS staff could also be available for substance abuse prevention services. Students who are at-risk of substance abuse or are currently engaging in these behaviors would have a streamlined process for receiving appropriate follow-up services.

Brief Summary of Evidence: All methods used by Advantage Behavioral Health Services (ABHS) in its counseling sessions with children, adolescents, and families are based in appropriate evidencebased practices. ABHS uses only properly licensed and certified personnel and is CARF certified, ensuring that its clinical and administrative practices conform to industry standards. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) combines cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness with an emphasis on skills training. DBT was designed to decrease emotional dysregulation and entails one year of weekly individual and group skillstraining sessions, 24/7 skills coaching, and weekly treatment team meetings. DBT has consistently demonstrated decreases in suicidal and self-harm behavior and emotional dysregulation. A number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this method for individuals of all ages.

Citations: Bohus, M., Haaf, B., Simms, T., Limberger, M., Schmahl, C., Unckel, C., et al. (2004).

Effectiveness of inpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy for borderline personality disorder: A controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 487-499.

Linehan, M. & Dimeff, L. (2001). Dialectical Behavior Therapy in a nutshell. The California Psychologist, 34, 10-13.

Holmes, P., Georgescu, S. & Liles, W. (2005). Further delineating the applicability of acceptance and change to private responses: The example of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. The Behavior Analyst Today, 7[3], 301-311.

Solution Number: 4.11 Health and Wellness Mindful Awareness Practices Solution Description Mindfulness is one of the tools used to prevent adverse childhood events in parenting and childcare facilities (both formal and informal), and buffers the effects of such events in children and adolescents who have experienced them. There is ample evidence that poor brain development in traumatized children not only has an impact on their education and future success, but also that childhood adverse events are also a strong predictor of future health problems, some beginning early in life. Beginning in 2013, FCCIS proposes that the Mind Body Institute (MBI) will offer the Finding a Place to Rest course to caregivers and health providers to improve stress resilience, social-emotional competence, sense of well-being and to decrease medical symptoms, including anxiety and depression.

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Brief Summary of Evidence: Programs using mindful awareness practices are conducted throughout the world in medical, clinical, and educational settings. There are currently over 142 clinical trials on mindfulness registered with the National Institute of Health. Of particular interest is a $1.2 million grant awarded to Pennsylvania State University and the Garrison Institute by the United States Department of Education’s Institute for Educational Sciences to study a program using mindful awareness practices to reduce teacher burnout and improve resilience. Recently, the United States Military has put in place a program for pre-deployment training based on mindful awareness practices.

Citations: Beauchemin, Hutchins & Patterson (2008). Mindfulness Meditation May Lessen Anxiety, Promote Social Skills, and Improve Academic Performance Among Adolescents With Learning Disabilities. Complementary Health Practice Review, 12[34].

Biegel, G., Brown, K., Shapiro, S. & Schubert, C. (2009). “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for the Treatment of Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77[5], 855–866.

Black, D. S., Milam, J. & Sussman, S. (2009). Sitting-Meditation Interventions Among Youth: A Review of Treatment Efficacy. Pediatrics 2009 124: e532-e541.

Coatsworth, J.D., Duncan, L., Greenberg, M. & Nix, R. (2010). “Changing Parent’s Mindfulness, Child Management Skills and Relationship Quality With Their Youth: Results From a Randomized Pilot Intervention Trial.” Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 203-217.

Solution Number: 4.12 Teen Pregnancy Prevention/Health Educator Solution Description: To address teen pregnancy prevention needs, an additional school-based health educator is needed in the ACC PN. The Clarke County Health Department currently serves Clarke Middle School and Clarke Central High School with one health educator from the Teen Matters health clinic they operate across the street from the high school; it is necessary to have a dedicated teen pregnancy/sexual education professional for each school. Dedicated health educators within the schools allow for the interventions relating to preventing risky sexual behaviors to be easily disseminated as well as provide an on-site resource for additional questions and counseling that may be required. Interventions developed to reduce risky sexual behaviors among adolescents have been shown to have maximum effectiveness if implemented by trained health educators. An additional health educator will also deliver the Birds and the Bees Sexual Education curriculum to parents and teens in the ACC PN. The program is designed to provide parents with the skills and knowledge to effectively communicate with their children about sex. Open and effective parent-child communication is an important 78 Appendix F

aspect of reducing risky sexual behaviors amongst adolescents. By improving communication between adolescents and parents, adolescents will be more likely to engage in less risky sexual behaviors. Two Teen Pregnancy Prevention Neighborhood Leader Specialists will assist with follow-up from Birds and Bees sessions in the neighborhoods, including working with the health educators on other teen pregnancy prevention activities.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Teen childbearing costs the US about $9 billion annually. Forty six percent of high school students have had sexual intercourse and of those 12% did not use any method of contraception during last intercourse. Prevention of teen pregnancy requires evidenced-based sex education, support for parents in talking with their children about pregnancy prevention and other aspects of sexual and reproductive health, and ready access to effective and affordable contraception for teens who are sexually active.

Interventions implemented within schools have been shown to have some effect on the sexual behaviors of adolescents. Sex education that works starts early, before young people reach puberty and before they have developed established patterns of behavior.

Giving young people basic information from an early age provides the foundation on which more complex knowledge is built up over time.

Citations: Coyle, K.K., Kirby, D.B., Marin, B.V., Gomez, C.A. & Gregorich, S.E. (2004). Draw the line/respect the line: A randomized trial of a middle school intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors. American Journal of Public Health, 94[5], 843-851.

Pazol, K., Warner, L., Gavin, L., Callaghan, W.M., Spitz, A.M., Anderson, J.E., Barfield, W.D. & Kann, L. (2011). Vital signs: Teen pregnancy --- United States, 1991-2009.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 60[13], 414-420.

Mueller, T.E., Gavin, L.E. & Kulkarni, A. (2008). The Association Between Sex Education and Youth’s Engagement in Sexual Intercourse, Age at First Intercourse, and Birth Control Use at First Sex. Kirby, D., Short, L., Collins, J., Rugg, D., Kolbe, L., Howard M et al. (1994). Schoolbased programmes to decrease sexual risk behaviours: a review of effectiveness.

Solution Number: 4.13 Children’s Medical Services Asthma Clinic Solution Description: To address the impact of asthma on children’s health and academic performance, the Northeast Georgia Department of Public Health currently operates a Children’s Medical Services Asthma Clinic that is available to the children in the ACC PN. Patients see a pulmonologist and an assessment is done and prescriptions are written or adjusted.

Education is a key focus so that families learn about the disease, triggers, and environmental issues that can be controlled. Eligibility is based on medical condition, family income, and age (birth – 21). Patients can have Medicaid, Peachcare and/or 79 Appendix F

insurance and still be eligible and Children’s Medical Services assists with co-pays if necessary. In 2012 FC-CIS proposes to increase awareness of the Asthma Clinic and connect the ACC PN to its services through the Healthcare Navigation System solution (see solution 4.6).

Brief Summary of Evidence: Excessive school absence disrupts learning and is a strong predictor of premature school dropout. School-aged children with asthma are absent more often compared to their healthy peers without asthma. School absences due to asthma are usually brief, but this pattern of absence has been shown to be more harmful academically. Asthma is considered the leading cause of school absence among children 7-17. It accounts for an estimated 14 million missed days of school each year.

Citations: Moonie, S. A., Sterling, D. A., Figgs, L., & Castro, M. (2006). Asthma Status and Severity Affects Missed School Days. Journal of School Health, 76[1], 18-24.

Richards, W. (1986). Allergy, asthma and school problems. Journal of School Health, 56[4], 151-152.

Solution 4.14 Substance Abuse Solution Description: Very limited options for adolescent substance abuse treatment exist in ACC. Currently, Advantage Behavioral Health System (ABHS) offers treatment through the Inner Light program, a referral–only model, with all referrals currently made through the Department of Juvenile Justice for probated youth. The cost of the program without insurance is $1200, out of reach of most of those without coverage so the proposed solution will assist with discounted initial screening for youth in the ACC PN, thereby increasing their access to the program; youth in the target area would receive priority for admission to the program. In addition, funding for an additional counselor position for this treatment would increase the availability of the program, which is currently limited to 12 participants for 12 weeks. The program, based on The Seven Challenges Program, consists of 12 weekly group sessions led by one counselor. A long-range solution for possible consideration is the establishment of a Juvenile Drug Treatment Court. Other suggestions include seeking opportunities for more intensive outpatient treatment for youth and a residential treatment component.

Summary of Evidence for Solution: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that rates of smoking, drinking, and other illicit drug use among students had increased in the early 1990s and remained alarmingly high. Half of all students reported alcohol use and nearly one-third were binge drinking. More than one-fourth of high school students were marijuana users; 9.5 percent had used cocaine by the end of high school; and 14.6 percent had used inhalants. Because there is strong evidence of an association between alcohol and/or other drug use and delinquent behavior of juveniles, it is not surprising that the 80 Appendix F

number of juvenile drug offense cases processed during 1995 was 145 percent greater than in 1991. The Centers for Disease Control reports that, while illicit drug use has declined among youth, rates of nonmedical use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medication remain high. Prescription medications most commonly abused by youth include pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and depressants. In 2009, 20% of U.S. high school students had taken a prescription drug, such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax, without a doctor's prescription. Teens also misuse OTC cough and cold medications, containing the cough suppressant dextromethorphan (DXM), to get high. Prescription and OTC medications are widely available, free or inexpensive, and falsely believed to be safer than illicit drugs. Misuse of prescription and OTC medications can cause serious health effects, addiction, and death. Another study reveals that 7 to 10 percent of adolescents are in need of substance abuse treatment, but only a small number—usually those individuals with severe substance use disorders, comorbid psychiatric disorders, or legal problems—receive treatment.

This population is underserved in large part because of limited resources, inadequate age-appropriate programs, and lack of a broad consensus on preferred treatment strategies.

Citations: Center for Disease Control. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2009.

MMWR 2010; 59(SS-5):1–142.

Eaton, D. K., et. al. (2010) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2009.

Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 59, 1–142.

Kaminer, Y. (2001). Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment: Where Do We Go From Here? Psychiatric Services, 52[2], 147-49.

Latimer, W. W.; Newcomb, M., Winters, K. C.; Stinchfield, R. D. (2000). Adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome: The role of substance abuse problem severity, psychosocial, and treatment factors. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68[4], 684-696.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Research Report Series: Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. NIH Publication No. 01-4881, Printed 2001. Revised August 2005.

Safety: Solutions 5.1-5.11 Solution Number: 5.1 ACC Peer Court Solution Description: To improve neighborhood safety and address juvenile justice issues, the ACC Juvenile Court will organize a peer court for teens arrested in non-violent and first time offences.

The goal of FC-CIS and the ACC Juvenile Court is to obtain funding through private sources, such as the Georgia Bar Association, to implement the peer court in 2014. The 81 Appendix F

court will be staffed by youth volunteers who serve in various capacities within the program, trained and acting in the roles of jurors, lawyers, bailiffs, clerks, and judges.

Such courts have been shown to expedite the court process and to facilitate a sense of restorative justice as well as provide significant involvement in the judicial process for the teen volunteers.

Brief Summary of Evidence: According to the National Association of Youth Courts, there are currently over 1,050 peer courts in the United States, and at least two active courts in Georgia (in Fulton and DeKalb counties). Judge Robin Shearer of the Juvenile Court in Athens-Clarke County has articulated a need for a program for the non-violent and first time offenders to be adjudicated in a way that holds teens accountable while providing a sense of justice that may not be achieved when a disposition is assigned by the judge or probation officer.

Peer courts provide a timely sentencing hearing that takes place in the evening. Peer courts also benefit the teen volunteers who participate in them. Teens learn about the law, practice public speaking and advocacy, and accrue many hours of community service.

Citations: Butts, J.A., & Buck, J. (2000). Teen Courts: A Focus on Research. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Butts, J.A., Buck, J. & Coggeshall, M. (2002). The Impact of Teen Court on Young Offenders. Urban Institute Justice Policy Center.

Schneider, J.M. (2007). Youth Courts: An empirical update and analysis of future organizational and research needs. Hamilton Fish Institute Reports and Essays Serial.

Washington, DC: Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence, George Washington University.

Solution Number: 5.2 Citizens Police Academy (CPA) Solution Description: To address and improve neighborhood safety and relationships between the police department and communities, the ACC Police Department offers two Citizens Police Academies (CPA) each year. During the 13 week program, police personnel offer community members a transparent look at police operations, philosophy, procedures, laws, and rules. The CPA curriculum includes topic such as: Criminal Investigations, Patrol, District Attorney/Criminal Investigations, K-9/Traffic, and Drug and Vice.

Graduates of the CPA learn how they can better protect their neighborhoods by working with the police and other local government agencies to solve community problems.

Parents from the ACC PN will learn about policing in ACC, tour police facilities, become familiar with a variety of laws, and directly discuss with police officers ways to solve specific and general crime and disorder problems in their neighborhoods. In 2012, two Neighborhood Leaders will serve as Safety Specialists and use their CPA training to

82 Appendix F

develop Neighborhood Watch groups in their neighborhoods, as well as serve as neighborhood liaisons to the police department on safety issues.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The Athens Clarke County Citizens Police Academy completed its 25th semi-annual session in the spring of 2011. Many CPA graduates continue to be active in the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA) performing volunteer functions at a variety of police facilities and functions. Graduates of the program tend to be supportive of the police department and government and police personnel who work in the program develop improved relationships with the citizens who attend CPA sessions.

Citizens Police Academies have become widespread across the country. A recent study by Becton, et al. assessed the extent to which such programs influence citizens’ beliefs and perceptions of the police. Respondents who had participated in a CPA agreed that the academies help promote good community relations.

Citations: Becton, J., Meadows, L., Tears, R., Charles, M. & Ioimo, R. (2005). Can citizen police academies influence citizens’ beliefs and perceptions? Public Management, 20-23.

Pope, J., Jones, T., Cook, S. & Waltrip, B. (2007). Citizen’s police academies: Beliefs and Perceptions regarding the program. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice, 3(1), 42-53.

Solution Number: 5.3 Family Team Meetings Solution Description: To address children’s safety within their families, FC-CIS proposes that Children’s First, a local non-profit dedicated to promoting safe homes for children in times of family crisis, will facilitate Family Team Meetings (FTM) to engage the family and friends and supports in a strength based problem solving approach that is family centered and focused on practical solutions. Family Team Meetings are used in several areas of child welfare from prevention services to foster care and permanency planning. Children’s First proposes to use this model as a resource to families experiencing crisis, in the midst of a crisis, or in an effort to further stabilize a situation that is now over. The targeted population is families in need of this level of support who are referred by a community resource, self-referred, or court ordered to attend in the ACC PN. The FTMs will use the research-based model of facilitation and support while engaging the participants as experts in the areas of need.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Most Family Team Meetings (FTM) are focused around children that are in the welfare system and therefore most of the evidence is in that arena. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services did research on effective ways to help protect Ohio. From their 2009 study focusing on FTM’s, 11 out of 17 counties that used FTMs felt that they had significant impacts on the families they were working with. The process engaged the biological and extended family more, as well as increase accountability for the family 83 Appendix F

and resulted in a stronger development of the case plan. It was also reported from this study that families had stronger natural supports, family relationships and the family felt more empowered overall. FTMs also linked families to more appropriate and timely services.

Citations: Human Services Research Institute (HRSI) (2010). Comprehensive Final Evaluation Report: Ohio’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project “ProtectOhio” Covering the second waiver period.

Solution Number: 5.4 Safety-related Mindful Awareness Practices Solution Description: Mindfulness enhances community safety because it is designed to enhance stress resilience and attention and improve social-emotional learning. Proposed mindfulness awareness practices/training is appropriate for children, adolescents, safety and juvenile justice-related professional, Rites of Passage providers and participants (see Solution Number 5.6), and parents. As detailed below, mindfulness has global effects on the brain and behavior and participants with larger deficits generally reap the most benefit.

The above audiences in the ACC PN will be supported through the Mind Body Institute program, which offers practical tools to improve attention, social-emotional learning and to create school and neighborhood culture that promotes academic, social, emotional, and relational development and growth of all learners.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Programs using mindful awareness practices are conducted throughout the world, in medical, clinical, and educational settings. There are currently over 142 clinical trials on mindfulness registered with the National Institute of Health. Of particular interest is a $1.2 million grant awarded to Pennsylvania State University and the Garrison Institute by the United States Department of Education’s Institute for Educational Sciences to study a program using mindful awareness practices to reduce teacher burnout and improve resilience. Recently, the United States Military has put in place a program for pre-deployment training based on mindful awareness practices.

Citations: Beauchemin, Hutchins & Patterson (2008). Mindfulness Meditation May Lessen Anxiety, Promote Social Skills, and Improve Academic Performance Among Adolescents With Learning Disabilities. Complementary Health Practice Review, 12[34].

Biegel, G., Brown, K., Shapiro, S. & Schubert, C. (2009) “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for the Treatment of Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77[5], 855–866.

Black, D.S., Milam, J. & Sussman, S. (2009) Sitting-Meditation Interventions Among Youth: A Review of Treatment. Pediatrics, 124, e532-e541.

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Coatsworth, J.D., Duncan, L., Greenberg, M. & Nix, R. (2010). Changing Parent’s Mindfulness, Child Management Skills and Relationship Quality With Their Youth: Results From a Randomized Pilot Intervention Trial. Journal of Child and Family Studies 19, 203-217.

Solution Number: 5.5 Clarke County Juvenile Court Restorative Justice Training Solution Description: To improve neighborhood safety and reduce juvenile recidivism, implementing a restorative justice system in juvenile courts creates a setting in which all parties, including the offender, participate meaningfully in arriving at a collective solution for reparation. FC-CIS proposes to significantly increase the use of restorative justice by collaborating with the Georgia Conflict Center to train Clarke County Juvenile Court (CCJC) staff and advocates in the conflict management skills needed to introduce restorative justice, address barriers, increase victim and offender understanding and acceptance of the program, and facilitate the development of solutions and the building of relationships. The goal is to reduce recidivism of the youth offenders, increase satisfaction with the justice system for the victim, and improve the ability of both to learn, grow and better their perspective from the experience. Students in the ACC PN who attend Clarke Middle School will be a target population. The result is a court able to offer a tool that is more effective, efficient, and inexpensive for all involved.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Victims who experience a restorative justice program express high levels of satisfaction with the process and the outcomes and believe that the process is fair. There are strong indications that victims are much less satisfied within the traditional court system. In addition, victims’ satisfaction levels appear to be related to the fulfillment of restitution agreements. Offenders also express higher levels of satisfaction with restorative justice programming and perceive the process to be fair, as research suggests that offenders processed by the traditional system are less satisfied. Most restorative justice program participants have a high level of success in negotiating restitution agreements. There is also an indication that a high proportion of offenders referred to restorative justice programs follow through on their agreements and are more likely to comply than are offenders with court-ordered restitution. Most important perhaps is that recent studies have shown that restorative justice significantly reduces recidivism.

Citations: Rodriguez, N. (2007). Restorative Justice at Work: Examining the Impact of Restorative Justice Resolutions on Juvenile Recidivism. Crime and Delinquency, 53 [3], 355-379.

Hoplamazian, M. (2009). Restorative Justice in Virginia: Past, Present and Future.

Virginia Community Criminal Justice.

Sherman, L.W. & Strang, H. (2003). Repairing the Harm: Victims and Restorative Justice. Utah Law Review, 15-42.

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Solution Number: 5.6 Rites of Passage Solution Description: To prevent African-American youth ages 10-19 from entering the juvenile justice system by addressing risk factors such as teen pregnancy, youth violence, and school failure, the Rites of Passage afterschool program utilizes an Afro-cultural approach to combat social problems that youth in the ACC PN are facing. The program focuses its work with children who are identified as “at risk� by the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Family and Children Services, the CCSD, or the Athens Housing Authority. All services of Rites of Passage are designed to meet the programmatic goals of the Family Connection Partnership, which are to improve child health, improve child development; improve school performance, improve family functioning, and improve family economic capacity. The program operates on the belief that all youth should know how to plan ahead and make choices and resolve conflict nonviolently, have interpersonal skills, have something to contribute, have a sense of purpose, have integrity, value themselves and others, have family support that include high levels of love and support, be given positive roles in the community and freedom of expression through the arts.

Brief Summary of Evidence: By utilizing this family-centered, Afro-cultural, celebration-of-heritage model, for three years the Rites of Passage in Athens has served as a full-time project and achieved remarkable results working with more than 150 youth annually who, while including a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, have predominately come from troubled backgrounds. The Williams article examines the Connections intervention program, an African-centered rites-of-passage program in Chicago. The rites-of-passage program used transitional initiation rites to instill youth with an African cultural social ethos that promoted a sense of purpose and meaning. The rites-of-passage program reduced violence among young, African American males by enhancing and promoting the following tools: 1. Self-sufficiency, self-empowerment, and ethnic pride; 2. Community building; 3. Economic empowerment; 4. Ritual as tools for preventing and solving interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict; 5. The spirit of communalism; 6.

Empathy/affect; and 7. Spirituality/African centeredness. A report from the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk states that the cognitive performance of African American children from low-income backgrounds can be enhanced by promoting aspects of the Afro-cultural ethos. The results of all of the studies show that African American children's learning and achievement performance in areas such as cognitive processing, comprehension of story and textbook material, creative problem solving and task engagement, academic-related task performance, experimental task performance, and motivation are all improved by Afro-cultural approaches. The Afro-cultural approach to education with central focus on self-esteem, responsibility, and leadership development, has successfully been incorporated into the Benjamin Mays Academy (formerly Institute) of Hartford, CT. Citations: 86 Appendix F

Athens-Clarke County Family Connection Partnership, Report to Athens-Clarke County Department of Human & Economic Development, 2002.

Awad, G.H. (2007). The role of racial identity, academic self-concept, and self-esteem in the prediction of academic outcomes for African American students. Journal of Black Psychology. 33,188–207.

Boykin, A. & Bailey, C. T., Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk, B. D. (2000). The Role of Cultural Factors in School Relevant Cognitive Functioning: Synthesis of Findings on Cultural Contexts, Cultural Orientations, and Individual Differences. Report No. 42.

Gordon, Derrick M., Iwamoto, Derek, Ward, Nadia, Potts, Randolph and Boyd, Elizabeth (2009). Mentoring urban Black Middle-School Male Students: Implications for Academic Achievement, Journal of Negro Education. 2009 July 1; 78(3), 277–289.

Johnson, W.E. (Ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press Williams, L. (2010).

Cultural interventions.for reducing violence among young, African American males from Social work with African American males: Health, mental health, and social policy.

Potts, Randolph G. (2003). Emancipatory Education Versus School-Based Prevention in African American Communities, American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 31, Nos. 1/2, 73 - 83.

Wilcox, W., Lazarre-White, K. & Warwin, J. (2003). Rites of Passage: Preparing Youth for Social Change. Afterschool Matters, 3, 52–60.

Solution Number: 5.7 Clarke County Attendance Panel Solution Description: The Clarke County Attendance Panel process is a school-community early intervention effort to improve students’ school attendance; it was first implemented in the CCSD during the 1989-90 school year and continues to have excellent outcomes. Students served through Attendance Panel are generally elementary and early middle schoolaged, including Alps Road Elementary School and Clarke Middle School, when their attendance can be improved through assisting families with identified needs. Older middle school and high school-aged children experiencing chronic attendance difficulties are referred to Truancy Court through the filing of a Truancy Complaint in Juvenile Court. The Attendance Panel process involves three levels of intervention for students: Level One, the Agenda Setting Meeting; Level Two, a letter from the AthensClarke County Attendance Panel; and Level Three, a referral to an Attendance Panel meeting or calling in a report for educational neglect to the Department of Family and Children Services

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Brief Summary of Evidence Local data: School social workers referred 68 elementary students and 1 middle school student to the Attendance Panel during the 2010-11 school year. Data was available for 65 of the 68 students referred. Twenty-two students and their families were invited to personally attend a meeting of the Attendance Panel at Juvenile Court. Other referred students and families received School Social Worker (SSW) school follow up, a letter from the panel, and/or a report was made to the Department of Family and Children Services for educational neglect. SSWs collected information on attendance for three data points. Data was collected on the number of days attended by each student in the 20 school days prior to the school’s referral to the SSW. Data was collected on the number of days attended by each student in the 20 school days immediately following that individual student’s date of Attendance Panel intervention. Lastly, data was collected on the number of days attended by each student in 21st through 40th school days following the Attendance Panel intervention. The average attendance for all students in the 20 school days prior to the SSW receiving a school referral was 61.92%.

The average attendance in the 20 school days following their Attendance Panel intervention was 80.08%. This indicates a rate of improvement of 30.24%. The average attendance for the 45 students with data available for the 21st through 40th days post intervention was 83%. This indicates a rate of improvement of 34.4% for those 45 students.

Research and field studies have suggested that effective attendance programs link partnership activities with important school goals using six types of involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. When schools design and implement activities that focus on attendance using these six types of involvement, parents and others in the community can make a difference. After controlling for prior rates of student attendance and mobility, a study of 39 elementary schools found that the quality of family, school, and community partnership programs was associated with rates of student attendance.

Citations: Epstein, J. L., Clark, L., Salinas, K. C. & Sanders, M. (1997).Scaling up school-familycommunity connections in Baltimore: Effects on student attendance and achievement. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Epstein J. L., & Sheldon, S.B. (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving student attendance through family and community involvement. Journal of Education Research, 95[5], 308-320.

Heilbrunn, J.Z. (2007). Pieces of the Truancy Jigsaw: A Literature Review, National Center for School Engagement, Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, Denver, CO. 27 pp.

MacIver, M.A., et. al. (2009). Advancing the “Colorado Graduates” Agenda: Understanding the Dropout Problem and Mobilizing to Meet the Graduation Challenge, The Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University, 54 pp.

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Solution Number: 5.8 Clarke County Truancy Court Solution Description: The purpose of the Clarke County Truancy Court is to improve students’ school attendance through an accountability court model of rewards and sanctions for students charged with truancy as first time offenders, in order to give ongoing supervision by the Court and more immediate response when appropriate. Truancy Court began in the Clarke County Juvenile Court in January 2009 and is held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Juvenile Court. The student’s first appearance in Truancy Court is for arraignment, unless the student has been ordered to attend after a disposition in another matter. If the student denies the charge of truancy, the case is set for trial in the normal course of business, ensuring that the due process rights are protected. If the student admits the charge, the court immediately holds a disposition hearing and determines if the student is a candidate for participation in Truancy Court.

Initially, the Court reviews the case during each scheduled Truancy Court. If improvement in attendance is noted, the student may be ordered to appear only as necessary to maintain appropriate supervision and contact with the student and parent.

If no improvement in attendance is noted, the parent or legal guardian will be placed on notice that a Protective Order will be entered against the parent if the Court finds that the parent’s or guardian’s behavior contributed to the student’s lack of attendance.

During each Truancy Court session, school social workers and juvenile probation officers provide reports to the court regarding the student’s attendance, academic performance, and behavior at school and in the home and community.

Brief Summary of Evidence: During the 2010-2011 school year, 13 students were ordered to participate in Truancy Court. The School Social Workers collected data on the number of days attended by each student in the 20 school days prior to the school’s referral to the school social worker. Data was then collected on the number of days attended by each student in the 20 school days immediately following that students’ initial date of Truancy Court. The students showed a 54% improvement in their attendance post-Truancy Court appearances and interventions. Research and field studies have suggested that effective programs link partnership activities with important school goals using six types of involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. When schools design and implement activities that focus on attendance using these six types of involvement, parents and others in the community can make a difference. After controlling for prior rates of student attendance and mobility, a study of 39 elementary schools found that the quality of family, school, and community partnership programs was associated with rates of student attendance.

Citations: Baker, M.L., Sigmon, J.N. & Nugent, M. Elaine (2001). Truancy Reduction: Keeping Students in School, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 15 pp.

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Epstein, J. L., Clark, L., Salinas, K. C., & Sanders, M. (1997).Scaling up school-familycommunity connections in Baltimore: Effects on student attendance and achievement.

Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Epstein J. L. & S. B. Sheldon. (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving student attendance through family and community involvement. Journal of Education Research, 95[5], 308-320.

Gandy, C. & Schultz, J.L. (2007). Increasing School Attendance for K-8 Students: A review of research examining the effectiveness of truancy prevention programs, Wilder Research, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 21 pp.

Solution Number: 5.9 Safe Dates Solution Description: To improve adolescent safety related to teenage dating, the Safe Dates curriculum will be offered to middle and high school students in the ACC PN through various community partners beginning in 2013. With assistance from Project Safe and other partners, in 2012 a program structure will be developed to implement Safe Dates either in community settings such as schools or community centers, or through the ACC Juvenile Court or Department of Family and Children Services. The dating abuse prevention curriculum consists of five components: a ten session dating abuse curriculum, a play about dating abuse, poster contest, parental material that includes a letter, newsletter, and the Families for Safe Dates Program. Because dating violence is often tied to the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, FC-CIS will consider using Safe Dates in conjunction with alcohol and other drug prevention programs, as well as any other general violence prevention programs.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Safe Dates was evaluated with a randomized trial, including five follow up assessments, up to four years post intervention. Positive program effects were noted in all four evaluation papers that have been published. In summary, adolescents who were exposed to safe dates in the eighth or ninth grade reported less psychological, moderate physical, and sexual dating violence victimization than those who were not.

Safe Dates had both primary and secondary prevention effects in that the very first initiation of these behaviors were prevented and for those who were already involved in dating abuse, these behaviors were reduced or eliminated. The program was equally effective for boys and girls and for whites and non-whites. Together, these evaluations demonstrate that attitudes and norms relating to dating abuse can be changed through intervention.

Citations: Foshee, B., et al, (2005). Assessing the effects of the dating violence prevention program “Safe Dates� using random coefficient regression modeling. Prevention Science, 6, 245-258.

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Foshee, B., et al., (1998). An evaluation of “Safe Dates, an adolescent violence prevention program, American Journal of Public Health, 94, 619-624.

Whitaker, D.J. & Lutzker, J.R., eds. (2009). Preventing Partner Violence: Research and Evidence Based Intervention Strategies. First ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Solution Number: 5.10 Anti-Bullying Interventions Solution Description: During 2012, FC-CIS will be consulting with UGA College of Education Dean Andy Horne, a national expert on bullying prevention, to determine the best evidence-based anti-bullying interventions for the ACC PN schools and neighborhood. A multilevel approach which includes efforts at universal prevention and targeted prevention will be implemented in 2013. In 2011-12 a student-led initiative at Clarke Central High School entitled Help Us Stop Hating (H.U.S.H.) launched with the goal of decreasing school violence by increasing peace in the school community. H.U.S.H. students will facilitate workshops for incoming freshman and plan events for all students to educate students about respecting diversity, taking responsibility for their school environment, ending hate, and stopping violence. Through this campaign, students hope to create a learning environment that ensures all members of the school community feel safe and welcome.

Brief Summary of Evidence: A common approach to the prevention of bullying and other emotional and behavioral problems is the three-tiered public health model. This model includes a universal system of support or a set of activities that affect all students within a defined community or school setting. Layered onto that first tier of support are selected interventions that target a subgroup of at-risk students. At the second tier, selective interventions may include social skills training for small groups of children at risk for becoming involved in bullying. Finally, an indicated preventive intervention (tier 3) may include more intensive supports and programs tailored to meet the needs of students identified as a bully or victim and the needs of their families.

The Safe School Ambassador (SSA) program is a student bystander education program implemented in 900 elementary, middle, and high schools to reduce bullying and improve overall school climate. The program incorporates youth development and prevention principles to train student leaders to identify, prevent, and respond to bullying and aggression in their schools in order to act as proactive bystanders. In a two-year evaluation study of the SSA program in five middle schools in Texas, researchers found that suspensions and other disciplinary actions at schools implementing the SSA program were reduced by an average of 33 percent and overall school climate improved. This evaluation demonstrates that student-led bullying intervention programs have the potential to reduce bullying and create a positive school environment.

Citations:

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Espelage, D. & Horne, A. (2008). School violence and bullying prevention: From research based explanations to empirically based solutions. In Brown, S. & Lent, R. (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Psychology, 4th edition (pp. 588 –598). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

Newman, D. & Horne, A. (2004). The effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention for classroom teachers aimed at reducing bullying behavior in middle school students.

Journal of Counseling and Development, 82, 259–267.

Orpinas, P., Horne, A., & Multi-site Violence Prevention Project. (2004). A teacherfocused approach to prevent and reduce students' aggressive behavior: The GREAT Teacher Program. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26 (Suppl. 1), 29–38.

Pack, C., White, A., Raczynski, K. & Wang, A. (2011). Evaluation of the Safe School Ambassadors Program: A Student-led Approach to Reducing Mistreatment and Bullying in Schools. Clearing House, 84(4), 127-133.

Solution Number: 5.11 Youth Police Academy Solution Description: To address youth safety in the ACC PN, beginning in 2013, ACC Police Department (ACCPD) will host Youth Police Academy twice a year. Youth Police Academy (YPA) will be offered for 2 ½ hours per day for 10 days afterschool for students ages 10-16.

ACC PN students will be guaranteed 25% of the enrollment. Modeled in the Citizens Police Academy (see Solution 5.2), police personnel will offer participants a transparent look at police operations, philosophy, procedures, laws and rules. Participants will understand the police experience from the officer’s perspective, gain an understanding of the etiquette of interaction with police and courts, and receive training in the skills of conflict resolution and interpersonal communications which can solve problems and build relationships to prevent violence. Graduates of the YPA will learn how to interact with the police and gain a better understanding of their role and responsibility in the community. Graduates will have learned how to better manage conflict and also be able to communicate effectively with police, courts, authority figures and other citizens.

Brief Summary of Evidence: ACC Police Department (ACCPD) has the experience of the Citizens Police Academy to show the positive relationships, supportive involvement and practical knowledge gained through the interaction of police and adults in the educational and training partnership developed. The CPA completed its 25th semi-annual session in the spring of 2011.

Many CPA graduates continue to be active in the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA) performing volunteer functions at a variety of police facilities and functions. Graduates of the program tend to be supportive of the police department and government, and police personnel who work in the program develop improved relationships with the citizens who attend CPA sessions. The graduates of the CPA will be called upon to help with the YPA in order to lead the children into a better future.

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Studies of similar youth police academies show positive conclusions with police and youth interactions. Ninety percent of the participants felt a sense of belonging and being part of the community and boys and girls at the lower end of the personal and social competencies continuum were the ones most likely to benefit from their involvement in the program. Specifically, it was this subgroup of youth who showed significant increases in their self assertive efficacy, self-regulatory efficacy and empathy.

These skills reflect on the abilities of youth to competently manage the demands of social and interpersonal situations. Research has also been conducted to evaluate the police officers’ ability to effectively communicate with youth with positive results.

Citations: Anderson, S.A., Liefeld, J., Sabatelli, R.M. & Trachtenberg, J. (2005) Police Working with Youth in Non-Enforcement Roles Outcome Evaluation 2002-2004.

Anderson, S., Griggs, J., Kosutic, I. & Sanderson, J. (2008). Effective Police Interactions with Youth: Training Evaluation.

Community Stability: Solutions 6.1-6.3 Solution Number: 6.1 Increase Adult Literacy Solution Description: Local studies have shown that increasing numbers of adults living in ACC (including the ACC PN) lack high school degrees. Accessible and affordable GED classes are a necessary component of community stability. Currently, Athens Technical College Adult Education Center in the H.T. Edwards Complex in the ACC PN offers 90 percent of GED classes in the county. Additional physical space is available but FC-CIS proposes that additional funding be provided for two part-time instructors and materials to provide 40 additional seats. An important partner in supporting adult literacy is the Athens Clarke Literacy Council (ACLC), an organization that works to promote and support all facets of adult literacy, including Adult Basic Education, GED preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL). They offer GED scholarships, post-secondary scholarships, volunteer training, provider support (both technical and monetary assistance) and increase community awareness of literacy issues and needs. Through other grant funding and fundraising efforts, ACLC will be offering comprehensive volunteer training in adult literacy and ESL. These workshops will help develop a database of volunteers available to organizations and individuals who are looking for tutors and tutoring opportunities, respectively. ACLC will support this solution by increasing awareness of the Athens Technical College Adult Education GED classes.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The need for adult literacy training is well documented, as are the economic benefits.

Economic benefits associated with completion of the GED accrue to dropouts who leave school with very low skills and they tend to appear over time rather than immediately upon receipt of the credential. The economic returns to postsecondary education and training are as large for GED holders as for regular high school graduates, but the 93 Appendix F

tendency persists for GED holders to obtain less postsecondary education or on-the-job training than those who finished high school in a normal progression. ESL training has also been shown to have significant economic benefits. While the overall fiscal impacts of English language instruction have yet to be determined, substantial evidence shows that holding all else constant, increased English ability brings higher earnings, with the greatest benefits accruing to more highly educated immigrants who can make use of specialized training once they have the English skills needed to do so.

Citations: McHugh, M., Gelatt, J. & Fix, M. (2007). Adult Language Instruction in the United States: Determining Need and Investing Wisely. Migration Policy Institute, Washington, 24 pp.

Mora, M.T. (2003). An Overview of the Economics of Language in the U.S. Labor Market, Presentation Prepared for the American Economic Association Summer Minority Program, University of Colorado at Denver, June 20, 2003.

Tyler, J.H. (2003). Economic Benefits of the GED: Lessons From Recent Research, Review of Educational Research, 73, 369-403.

Solution Number: 6.2 Goodwill Jumpstart Solution Description: Contributing to community stability through job training and microenterprise opportunities, the Goodwill of North Georgia’s 10 hour Jumpstart class provides in-class and out-of-class opportunities to explore and develop new, untested business ideas.

Goodwill’s Athens Career Center Manager will manage the program for 35 adults in the ACC PN. Based on best practices, the Jumpstart class allows the participants to take an introspective look at the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship and their impacts of upon business feasibility. This program creates a training opportunity for those individuals with business ideas who may have difficulty developing their ideas. To date, more than 50% of participants who have gone through Jumpstart have found it necessary to revisit their business idea or have determined that their business may not be feasible at this time. Other outcomes have included enhanced career exploration and job placement.

Brief Summary of Evidence: The first Goodwill Microenterprise Program, BusinessNOW, was organized based on the best practices of similar programs that were designed to serve Women Entrepreneurs who were either on or at risk of entering the TANF rolls. In 2000, BusinessNOW received a grant from the Aspen Institute under the FIELD (Fund for Innovative, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination) Division. FIELD has been instrumental in researching, identifying, developing and disseminating of best practices in the Microenterprise Industry. An extensive study and data compilation from five of the leading, long term Microenterprise Development organizations supports the theory that microenterprise training services are associated with positive business outcomes for 94 Appendix F

those who complete training. The research indicated that a meaningful number of clients started, expanded, and stabilized their businesses in the months and even years immediately following their training completion.

Citations: Edgecomb, E.L. & Klein, J.A. (2005). Opening Opportunities, Building Ownership: Fulfilling the Promise of Microenterprise in the United States. Aspen Institute, Washington, D.C. Schmidt, M.C., Kolodinsky, J.M., Flint, C. & Whitney, B. (2006). The Impact of Microenterprise Development Training on Low-Income Clients, Journal of Extension, 44, 2.

Solution Number: 6.3 Affordable Housing Solution Description: Community stability is enhanced by affordable housing options. Two public housing neighborhoods, Jack R. Wells and Rocksprings, are located in the ACC PN. Through a combination of partners, including the Athens Housing Authority (AHA), OneAthens Housing Team, and Habitat for Humanity, housing-related issues in the ACC PN will be addressed. One of the FC-CIS Neighborhood Leaders will serve as a Housing Advocate Specialist who will advocate for affordable housing, collaborate with AHA to address resident concerns, serve on the AHA Inter-Community Council, serve on OneAthens Housing Team, and address neighborhood housing concerns. AHA will also provide training for Neighborhood Leadership Academy related to housing advocacy. In 2012 Habitat for Humanity of Athens will build, at minimum, two new homes in the ACC PN in addition to a number of beautification projects and structural repairs throughout the neighborhood. Habitat's Executive Director serves on the FC-CIS Planning and Implementation Committee and the OneAthens housing team and will align the two efforts. The OneAthens Housing team continues to address supporting efforts to coordinate and increase financial and housing counseling, encourage reuse of troubled and abandoned properties, work on a comprehensive affordable housing study to assess needs, encourage shared equity models for affordable housing development, and foster local government support for affordable housing.

As part of the long-term housing goal, AHA is engaged in the early stages of a transformational effort for one of the key public housing neighborhoods in the ACC PN. A “HOPE VI like” strategy is currently planned for the Jack R. Wells community. The present 125 public housing dwelling units would be demolished and replaced with a mixed-income, possibly mixed-use complex. The current number of public housing units would be maintained with several hundred additional tax-credit and market-rate units being added to the existing site. The end product would be market-rate quality for all units and include amenities and resident services not currently possible under the low-rent public housing program. The anticipated investment of federal, tax-credit, and local dollars should exceed $35 million. To assist in making these plans a reality, the AHA has retained the services of a nationally known development consultant – a former 95 Appendix F

HUD Assistant Secretary. With his help, the Authority recently completed a procurement process for the real estate development partner necessary to assist with the tax-credit application and the complex nature of these transactions. Columbia Residential has a proven track record of success and excellence. Their Columbia Parc redevelopment of a troubled, post-Katrina public housing neighborhood in New Orleans has just won awards for “Best Family Development” and “Best Overall Development.”

Early resident consultation and design work in Athens is just beginning. Application for tax-credits is planned for the next available cycle in June 2012 with award expected in the fall of 2012. Construction would then begin in the spring of 2013 with occupancy of the first of three planned phases in 2014. The mutually shared goal of both AHA and Columbia Residential is an award winning redevelopment of Jack R. Wells for the benefit of the current public housing residents and the entire Athens-Clarke County community.

Summary of Evidence: Since the groundbreaking studies reported in Jenks and Mayer about the ways in which neighborhoods affect their resident children, several studies have attempted to show the effect of neighborhood influence on child development. Leventhal and Brooks-Gunn utilize the quantitative studies of the previous ten years to show that there are three primary mechanisms of neighborhood influence on children and adolescents: institutional resources, relationships within the neighborhood, and norms/collective efficacy.

Citations: Jenks, C. & Mayer, S (1990). The Social Consequences of Growing Up in a Poor Neighborhood, in Lynn, L. E. and McGeary, M. (eds) Inner-city Poverty in the United States (111- 118), Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Leventhal, T. & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). The Neighborhoods They Live In: Effects of Neighborhood Residence on Child and Adolescent Outcomes, Psychological Bulletin, 126[2], 309 - 337.

Williamson, O. (2004). Successful Homeownership and Renting through Housing Counseling.

Neighborhood Engagement: Solutions 7.1-7.3 Solution Number 7.1: Neighborhood Leadership Solution Description: Beginning in 2012, twenty FC-CIS Neighborhood Leaders will participate in a Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA) and receive common training and education in areas such as conflict resolution, mediation, public speaking, cultural competency, inter-personal communication skills, and community advocacy, among others. Trainings will be provided by local partners, including the UGA Fanning Institute, the Georgia Conflict Center, and Mind Body Institute. The Academy will connect training, skills and 96 Appendix F

resources from various community programs and organizations to the residents and neighborhood citizens interested in becoming parent leaders, community advocates and those interesting in creating a successful culture in the neighborhoods within the ACC PN. NLA Core Training classes will meet for six weeks, with two 3-hour sessions each week per class. Neighborhood Leaders will also have the opportunity to become “specialists� with additional sets of trainings and resources to assist with delivering solutions identified by FC-CIS as having positive outcomes on student educational achievement. These specialization areas include early childhood parent education, K-12 school system navigation/connecting to school resources, post-secondary assistance, health education, nutrition/exercise, community safety, information referral, and others.

The NLA will offer relevant training and support to Neighborhood Leaders in a variety of areas. Members of the FC-CIS Neighborhood Leadership Advisory Council will be engaged in identifying developing standards for trainings as well as values which serve as guidance for the Academy. The Leaders will also be involved in determining who will be providing the trainings.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Making Connections, an initiative of The Annie Casey Foundation, works to support strategies around authentic demand in resident leadership. The strategy’s goal is to strengthen resident leadership in communities. Various sites implemented the authentic demand strategy in developing leadership trainings and course offerings for community residents. Success was measured noting positive outcomes for attending residents and their families. In Milwaukee, the resident leader training provided a pathway for graduates into jobs and other asset building opportunities. Others took up leadership positions in local organizations, boards and commissions in the community. In Milwaukee, for example, since 2006 more than 200 residents have graduated from the Institute for Resident Leaders, and it already has a thriving alumni network. A key outcome of the program in Milwaukee was the reliable financial education attending residents received. The trained residents were connected to organizations that assisted in credit repair and home ownership. Additional positive outcomes were noted in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2006, more than 160 residents had graduated from the Making Connections Resident Leadership Institute. The Resident Leadership Institute results were successful, positive outcomes. The graduates organized and fought for the implementation of Play and Learn groups that helped other parents serve as their primary teacher. Also, they created a Family, Friend and Neighbor child care provider network. The Resident Leadership Institute increased parent involvement in the local schools.

In its study of the efficacy of its Strengthening Neighborhoods leader training programs, the Denver Foundation found four factors that emerged as most significant in the development of grassroots leaders: support and inspiration from family and friends; mentoring, both formal and informal, from elders and seasoned leaders; lessons learned from life experience, such as exposure to injustice, overcoming obstacles, pursuing a passion, acting on spiritual beliefs, or playing sports; and formal training through a community organizing workshop, civic leadership retreat, or similar opportunity.

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According to a report from the Aspen Institute, offering community-based planning and leadership development opportunities are an essential way to build the civic capacity of residents. These efforts open the door for providing residents with a chance to have a meaningful stake in the decision-making processes in their own neighborhoods.

Increased civic engagement allows for more robust and healthy communities where families can grow and flourish.

Citations: Annie E. Casey Foundation (2009), Des Moines Community College, Instituting A Neighborhood Resident Leadership Certificate Program, Collaboration in Des Moines Prepares Neighborhood Leaders to Take on a Community Change Agenda.

Ashan, N. (2008). Sustaining Neighborhood Change: The Power of Resident Leadership, Social Networks and Community Mobilization. Making Connections; an Initiative of The Annie Casey Foundation. 20-21.

Auspos, P., et al. (2008). Living Cities and Civic Capacity: Leadership, Leverage, and Legitimacy, The Aspen Institute. Washington, D.C. Crew, T.B., Kim, Woo, J. & Schweitzer , J.H. (n.d.). Taking Care of Our Neighborhoods: Exploring the Leadership and Participation in Urban Communities in Lansing, Michigan, Urban Affairs Programs Michigan State University East Lansing, MI. Foster-Fishman, P.G., Cantillon, D., Pierce, S. J. & Van Egeren, L. A. (2007). Building an Active Citizenry: the Role of Neighborhood Problems, Readiness, and Capacity for Change. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 91-106.

Greenberg, M. (1999). Restoring America’s Neighborhoods: How Local People Make a Difference. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Greenberg, M. (2000). Grassroots Leadership, Personality, and Urban Neighborhood Environments: A Case Study in New Jersey. Human Ecology Review, 7[2], 21 - 29.

Soto, C. & Casey, P. (2007). Neighborhood Leadership: A Report on Lessons Learned from the Experience of The Denver Foundation’s Strengthening Neighborhoods Program, 17 pp. The Denver Foundation, Denver, CO. Solution Number 7.2: HandsOn NE Volunteer Coordination Solution Description: Neighboring is a community strategy used across the nation which engages local residents in volunteerism, reinforcing that assistance need not always come from the outside, but that the resources exist within the neighborhood. HandsOn Northeast Georgia (NEGA) Volunteer Coordination will support a Neighborhood Leader Volunteer 98 Appendix F

Coordinator Specialist in engaging the broader community in the ACC PN through a variety of FC-CIS-coordinated and community-based projects. HandsOn NEGA will take this model a step further by assisting the Neighborhood Leader Volunteer Coordinator Specialist in developing a single entity for each school in the ACC PN to recruit volunteers who are passionate about working with youth to serve as tutors, mentors, and after-school leaders, among other responsibilities. This single entity will also coordinate efforts relating to large days of service; the school can serve as a project site as well as a volunteer opportunity for the students and parents affiliated with that school.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Neighboring helps families succeed by providing opportunities, resources, and role models. Participants in neighboring projects in other parts of the United States reported that they gained life skills that have had an indirect impact on their family’s economic security. For these reasons, HandsOn NEGA seeks to engage neighbors in the FC-CIS zone in service to their community. The Points of Light institute carried out an evaluation of the HandsOn Network and its affiliates. This effort discovered that volunteers who serve through HandsOn Network affiliates (one was HandsOn Northeast Georgia) feel certain that they are effective agents of change in their communities. Also, HandsOn Network affiliates are able to assist individuals in finding volunteer opportunities that are personally meaningful, which leads to a stronger volunteer commitment. Additionally, this matching between volunteer and organization leads to affiliate-mobilized volunteers filling true community needs.

Citations: HandsOn Network. (2010). Neighboring Summative Evaluation Study Report.

Points of Light Institute. (2008). Measuring the Impact of HandsOn Network: An Evaluation of Direct and Secondary Impact from the Stakeholder Perspective.

Solution Number 7.3: 2-1-1 Information and Referral Solution Description: Having access to and information about community resources is important to community stability and neighborhood engagement. Communication Connection of Athens will provide residents of the ACC PN with accurate information about the services (health, social services, education, etc.) that he or she needs with a free, confidential phone call to the 2-1-1 Information and Referral Call Center (IRCC), via online database access, or individual meeting. They will also provide printed information about services and increase outreach efforts at resource and health fairs, community events, and collaborative workgroups to assure that all citizens and agencies are aware of the centralized database and know to call 211 for needs and opportunities.

Community Connection will facilitate collaboration among agencies to assure that service gaps are filled where feasible, that needless duplication is eliminated, and that service delivery is efficient and effective. FC-CIS proposes that Community Connection will train community members and two Neighborhood Leaders to serve as ‘2-1-1 99 Appendix F

Resource Specialists’ who utilize system to locate available resources and serve as advocates to track down community resources that may not be easily accessible.

Brief Summary of Evidence: In multiple studies conducted on the 2-1-1 system, including the cost-benefit of utilizing centralized information and referral systems, several benefits of the efficiency and effectiveness have been identified. The evidence indicates success on the following fronts: helping people maintain their independence while using government and nonprofit resources more efficiently to meet their needs; client efficiency in time saved, including work time; cost efficiency including decreased need for public assistance because of timely connection with appropriate intervening services, reduction of nonemergency calls to 9-1-1, savings for businesses through reduced absenteeism and increased productivity due to enhance information of where employees can find services, cost savings for local, state, and federal governments for misdirected calls for services; and ability to disseminate public health and crisis preparedness information Citations: Fisher, K.E., et al. WIN 2-1-1: Performance Evaluation and Cost-Benefit Analysis of 21-1 I & R Systems. Information Behavior in Everyday Contexts, University of Washington. Seattle WA: 2005.

Michigan Association of United Ways. Michigan 2-1-1: Business Plan. Second Draft.

Lansing, MI: 2005.

O’Shea, D., et al. National Benefit/Cost Analysis of Three Digit Accessed Telephone Information and Referral Services: Final Report. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas.

Austin, TX: 2004.

Solution Number 8.1: Information Literacy Initiative Solution Description: Although there seems to be a headlong rush to adopt iPads and other tablet computers in many schools and universities around the nation, decades of educational technology research shows that clearly identified goals, teacher professional development, high quality content, and effective pedagogical strategies are much more important than technology alone. Accordingly, these components are at the forefront of the proposed activities and programs described below. At Alps Road Elementary School, a pilot project will fully integrate iPads into the first grade curriculum. The initiative will utilize an “educational design research” approach whereby teachers, technology and media specialists, university professors, and other stakeholders will collaborate closely to clarify the needs this project will address and to design prototype innovations related to professional development, program activities, and assessment. These innovations will be refined based on iterative cycles of testing. These 21st Century information literacy skills are aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards/ Common Core standards and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards adopted by 100 Appendix F

the state and CCSD. Developing the information literacy of students at Alps Road Elementary School will be the major focus of this initiative, especially as this relates to the achievement in reading, language arts, and mathematics.

Brief Summary of Evidence: Apple Computer’s iPad was only released in January 2010 and virtually no studies have been conducted specifically investigating its effectiveness in K-12 education. However, several studies are underway using a variety of different research approaches. For example, Empirical Education, an evaluation company located in Palo Alto, CA, has been awarded a contract by the California State Board of Education to conduct a quasiexperimental study comparing students using the iPad-delivered Algebra textbook to those using a conventional textbook with a report of the findings expected in fall 2011.

Fortunately, there is research that examines the effectiveness of ubiquitous computing and Internet access delivered via other types of mobile devices ranging from laptops to handheld devices. The bottom line of this research is that the fundamentals of effective teaching and learning remain most important, regardless of how instructional materials and activities are delivered. Pedagogy (instructional design) and the alignment of learning activities with objectives, content, and assessment are much more important than the technology per se in any successful rollout of mobile devices in education.

Citations: Ash, K. (2010). U.S. Ed-Tech Plan urges rethinking In K-12 schools. Education Week, 29[24], 1-17.

Hattie, J. A. C. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses related to achievement. New York: Routledge.

Kennedy, M. (2011). Learning tools. American School & University, 83[10], 16.

Norris, C. & Soloway, E. (2011). From banning to BYOD. District Administration, 47[5], 94.

Reeves, T.C. (2006). Design research from the technology perspective. In J. V. Akker, K. Gravemeijer, S. McKenney, & N. Nieveen (Eds.), Educational design research (pp.

86-109). London: Routledge.

Tamim, R. M., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Abrami, P. C. & Schmid, R. F. (2011).

What forty years of research says about the impact of technology on learning. Review of Educational Research, 81(1), 4-28.

Solution 8.2.: Expand Internet Access In the ACC PN, just over 60% of the residents have home Internet service; 45% of those with access use their phones to connect. Thus only approximately 30% have access that is meaningful to the academic development of children. Internet connectivity requires two components: the hardware and the signal.

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Signal: To increase access to 21st century technology, FC-CIS proposes to set up WiFi hot spots throughout the zone that will provide substantial access; these are in addition to numerous private businesses in the area that provide free access. (See WiFi Map in Appendix G21) Hardware: For the hardware component FC-CIS is partnering with Free IT Athens to provide 250 laptops for students in grades 6 through 12. Free IT Athens is an allvolunteer non-profit dedicated to increasing the availability of free and open information technology and providing individuals with the experience and knowledge necessary to become comfortable with IT and proficient in its usage and to understand internet safety issues. CCSD will donate 250 surplus laptops. Free IT Athens will repair any damage and install free, open source software. Free IT Athens will work with FC-CIS and CCSD to identify the students and train them and their families in basic computer skills and care. Students also have computer and Internet access at each of the schools in the zone, ACC library, Boys and Girls Club, and Housing Authority Community Centers.

Computer to student ratios at Alps, Clarke Middle, and Clarke Central are 2.81, 2.09, and 1.54 respectively. There is wireless access at each of the schools and students can bring their own hardware in to use.

Brief Summary of Evidence: In a sixteen month study by Michigan State University in partnership with HomeNetToo.org, 140 children between ages 10 and 18 (83% African American, 58% boys) living in single parent households with an income of $15,000 or less showed improved academic outcomes with internet access. While older children tended to use the internet more frequently, the enhanced academic performance of all ages was documented. The researchers found evidence for a digital “use” divide indicating that internet access does in fact make a significant difference in academic performance.

The students grade point averages increased 2.0-2.2 or higher and the largest contributing factor to the improved scores was the additional reading facilitated by the internet use. Another series of studies has found that home internet and computer use has a greater influence on cognitive development then socio-economic factors. The greatest impact was found in below middle class households.

Citations: Barbatsis, Gretchen; Biocca, Frank A.; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.; Jackson, Linda A., Von Eye, Alexander ; Zhao,Yong, Developmental Psychology (2006) Volume: 42, Issue: 3, Publisher: American Psychological Association, Pages: 429-435.

Johnson, G. M. (2010). Internet Use and Child Development: Validation of the Ecological Techno-Subsystem. Educational Technology & Society, 13 (1), 176–185.

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