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"Safe Schools/Healthy Students"
Oahu, Hawaii
| Partners: | Central Oahu District Hawaii Department of Health Honolulu Police Department | |
The idyllic images of island life mask the sometime harsh realities of the high cost of living, over-crowding, stress, and violence in Oahu that leave many students and their families feeling disconnected and disenfranchised. The Central Oahu District spans 54 miles and enrolls 34,500 students in its 41 schools (29 elementary, six middle, and six high schools). The district, while predominantly suburban, also includes the remnants of a sugar plantation community. A military installation accounts for 42% of the district's students. The district represents a diverse, multicultural student population: 25% Caucasian, 17% Filipino, 14% Japanese, 11% Part-Hawaiian, and 8% African American. Approximately 10% of the students are identified as requiring special education services. Students dismissed from school for possession of a weapon, possession or use of illicit drugs, and other serious offenses jumped from eight incidents in 1996-97 to 30 incidents last year. The increase in at-risk behaviors suggests that students are experiencing feelings of alienation, isolation, and fragmentation in their school, family, and community lives.
The three core partners will tap into existing programs and resources to ensure that every community member is valued, individual diversity is celebrated, student support is coordinated, and student resiliency is routinely developed by providing opportunities for meaningful participation and an environment of caring and support.
Six new preschools with a structured curriculum involving parent and child will be implemented and serve as a means to network additional services to these families. Coordinated school delivery services will be expanded to reach those students that traditionally have not been identified for services, but who are experiencing acute problems or whose families are in crisis. These children and their parents will receive school-based services that can also link them to additional mental health resources. Each school's Community-Based Management Council will increase the number of children in preventive/wellness activities, including academic support services, after-school programming, and referrals to early intervention activities. Staff development will focus on early identification and how to motivate all children to reach high standards through meaningful, differentiated instruction. A district action team will ensure school safety through training, development of crisis plans, school resource officers, and the use of retired police officers in dual roles as mentors and security officers.
The overall evaluation plan will be directed by the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. The evaluation will utilize a Logic Model to define the association between program elements and effects.
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[Cicero, Illinois]