Santa Cruz County Regional School District
America Cares Project
Contact Information: Chris Bachelier, Project Director
Santa Cruz County Regional School District
1777 N. Frank Reed Road, Suite 4
Nogales, AZ 85621
Web site: None
Grant Period: 2005-2008
Amount Requested: $1,500,000 for a three-year project
Project Description
The Santa Cruz County Consortium will implement a multi-faceted character education project, America Cares, throughout the county utilizing the commitment of its schools, local businesses, governmental agencies and community and civic organizations. The project will use the CHARACTER COUNTS!™ curriculum to impact the culture of the project schools and services to adjudicated youth. America Cares will reinforce school-based efforts through youth participation in community projects and on advisory boards. The project will address the needs of a primarily Latino youth population who must deal with the pressures of a Mexican border location where drug trafficking and other illegal and dangerous activities are prevalent. This multi-faceted project will involve 752 school staff and administrators serving 12,500 students at 21 schools.
Goals and Objectives
- To establish character education as an integral part of the school environment
- To involve 1,200 youth in community service projects to reinforce citizenship
- To provide CHARACTER COUNTS!™ training for 625 teachers, 96 teacher assistants, 31 administrators, detention center teachers and transition staff
- To impact the 2,300 youth who participate in recreation programs by training sports coaches and advisors in the Victory With Honor program
- To increase involvement of parents and youth in sports programs and program design by translating materials and conducting trainings in Spanish
Evaluation Design
Santa Cruz will conduct a quasi-experimental evaluation to study the effects of the project on school-based students and adjudicated youths. In addition, all trainings and activities will be evaluated for their quality and adherence to the program design.
