Closing the Achievement Gap and Educating all Children to High Standards - Providing an Educational Environment Where Children Focus on Learning

To provide an educational environment where children focus on learning, we will:

provide children an array of health, guidance, social services and co-curricular activities at all sites
provide all children a safe, drug-free, welcoming environment for their education

Student Health

Ongoing Efforts

Providing a culturally proficient school health model that builds on success and addresses barriers to learning, including behavioral health, substance abuse, nutrition, physical activity with attention to obesity/diabetes and district-wide positive behavior support
Providing comprehensive Nursing Services across the district
Designing a coordinated school wellness program for all schools
Sustaining support for pilot schools in coordinated school wellness program

Ongoing Efforts

Providing early prevention/intervention substance abuse programs in all APS high schools
Sustaining the current Project Success/Crossroads Program at all high schools

Ongoing Efforts

Providing an orderly, safe, secure, and drug-free environment with a zero-tolerance policy and enforced code of conduct within each school
Ensuring that school facilities are inviting and well maintained, and have the necessary supplies, materials and resources to support and enhance quality teaching and learning
Distributing information on school safety programs, policies, and crisis management procedures through websites, training and ongoing consultation to staff, children, and parents
Providing ongoing training to APS SROs around school safety issues, deescalation and mediation. APS Police Department SROs

Ongoing Efforts

Supporting and sustaining School-wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS) as the comprehensive behavior management framework
Evaluating the impact of PBS and modifying support according to the results
Providing technical assistance to all schools implementing PBS
Operationalizing a common discipline process across the district to ensure equity
Providing common definitions of behaviors and appropriate response to behaviors
Training school and district staff on behavioral interventions

Immediate Action Steps

5.6: Professional development and study on behavior management in the classroom.

Ongoing Efforts

Helping children learn to handle their differences and disputes by implementing a conflict resolution curriculum (Bullying Prevention Programs and Positive Behavior Supports)
Training all principals and designated staff in bullying prevention/intervention procedures
Providing small group and classroom guidance on bullying prevention
Sustaining a comprehension Pre-K-12 Bullying prevention curriculum in all schools
Providing professional development on evidence-based bullying prevention programs
Maintaining a website with bullying prevention information for children, parents, and staff.