School Support Services Program

South Side Middle School

Anderson, IN
 

Summary

South Side Middle School in Indiana needed a way to reach and motivate students who were in danger of being suspended from school.

Through our School Support Services Program (SSSP), we sought to keep these students in school and work on their behavioral issues without losing focus of core academic skills. We found an online program, Kid’s College, that combined sports with standards-based math and language arts activities. We were amazed by how well our previously hard-to-reach students responded to Kid’s College and by their noticeably improved math and language arts skills.

We spend $5,000 per year for unlimited access to Kid’s College. Because it is on online program, there is no impact in hardware costs nor does it impact our technology coordinator because it is accessed through a Web browser. This was a small investment in a program that our students related to instantly and that gave them an opportunity to show off their abilities. We knew they had the potential to succeed but the behavioral problems were getting in the way. We found that with the right approach, these students took ownership of their learning and improved their understanding of the key academic skills.

In addition, our SSSP youth were able to mentor 1st grade students in the use of Kid’s College, which further enhanced their self-esteem. Our SSSP youth rose to the challenge of directing and assisting the younger students and became teachers! Seeing the excitement, pride, and enthusiasm that ensued was one of the outstanding memories of my career as an educator. For more information, visit http://www.ijjtf.org/site/juvjustice/section.php?id=9978.

Contact Information

Peggy Kiser
sssp@ijjtf.org