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"Safe Schools/Healthy Students"
Newark, Delaware
| Partners: | Christina School District Dept. of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families State Law Enforcement and the Office of the Attorney General | |
The Christina School District encompasses the southwestern sections of the City of Wilmington (Delaware's largest urban area), the City of Newark, plus suburban areas surrounding Newark. The District serves 20,299 students in 13 K-4 elementary schools, six 4-6 intermediate schools, three 7-8 middle schools, three 9-12 high schools, and one K-12 alternative program. The student population includes 42% minority youth -- 34% African American, 5% Hispanic, and 3% other. All but one school is Title I eligible, and 32% of the students qualify for free or reduced meals. 25% of the District's students reside within Wilmington's Enterprise Community (EC), which represents Delaware's most economically distressed area, with a 12.4% unemployment rate and a 31.3% poverty rate. The trafficking of illicit drugs from nearby Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York contributes to the high-risk status of the District's children. Youth are exposed early and frequently to frightening incidents of violence on the streets and, often, in their homes, which jeopardizes their personal safety, academic performance, and prospects for a successful future.
Safe Schools/Healthy Students expands and enhances existing District initiatives through formal collaborations with mental health and law enforcement, as well as other appropriate agencies and organizations in the County.
The cornerstone of Christina School District's plan, which will serve all students, is the expansion of an integrated program started in 1990. The program includes a team of specialized personnel at each school that addresses the needs of high risk youth. Pre-schools are located in several elementary schools to ensure that all eligible children have the opportunity to participate in age- and developmentally-appropriate settings. Socio-emotional Skills Groups are held weekly by the school psychologist and counselor in each school. Additional emphasis will be placed on teaching anger control and coping skills, as well as generalization of such skills across settings. A Wellness Center is housed at each of the District's three high schools and staffed by a nurse, social worker, counselor and part-time physician to provide a continuum of supports in dealing with children with mild-to-moderate behavior problems. Through the EC's Family Support Partnership, the District will enhance links among local schools and community centers that are in close proximity to each other. Such links include the Peoples Settlement Community Center that encourages the involvement of families in education through adult literacy programs. A School/Community/EC Liaison will coordinate the provision of services by the Family Support Partnership agencies to District residents (pre-school children, students, and families) in the EC. The Christina School District strives to include parents as partners in the education of their children at all levels -- policies, parent workshops, and program involvement.
Evaluation activities will be supervised by the research division of the University of Delaware's Education Research & Development Center through the use of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
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[Washington, D.C.]