Systemic  Renewal—A continuing process of evaluating goals and objectives related to school

policies, practices, and organizational structures as they impact a diverse group of learners.

School-Community Collaboration—When all groups in a community provide collective support

to the school, a strong infrastructure sustains a caring supportive environment where youth can

thrive and achieve.

Safe Learning Environments—A comprehensive violence prevention plan, including conflict

resolution, that must deal with potential violence as well as crisis management. A safe learning

environment provides daily experiences at all grade levels that enhance positive social attitudes

and effective interpersonal skills in all students.

Family Engagement—Research consistently finds that family engagement has a direct, positive

effect on children’s achievement and is the most accurate predictor of a student’s success in

school.

Early Childhood Education—Birth-to-five interventions demonstrate that providing a child

additional enrichment can enhance brain development. The most effective way to reduce the

number of children who will ultimately drop out of school is to provide the best possible

classroom instruction from the beginning of their school experience through the primary grades.

Early Literacy Development—Early interventions to help low-achieving students improve their

reading and writing skills in order to establish the necessary foundation for effective learning in

all other subjects.

Basic Core Strategies

Alternative Schooling—Alternative schooling provides potential drop- outs a variety of options

that can lead to graduation, with programs paying special attention to the student’s individual

social needs and academic requirements for a high school diploma.

After-School Opportunities—Many schools provide after-school and summer enhancement

programs that eliminate information loss and in- spire interest in a variety of areas. Such

experiences are especially important for students at risk of school failure because these programs

fill the afternoon “gap time” with constructive and engaging activities.

Mentoring/Tutoring—Mentoring is a one- to-one caring, supportive relationship between a

mentor and a mentee that is based on trust. Tutoring, also a one-to-one activity, focuses on

academics and is an effective practice when addressing specific needs such as reading, writing,

or math competencies.

Service-Learning—Service-learning connects meaningful community service experiences with

academic learning. This teaching/learning method promotes personal and social growth, career

development, and civic responsibility, and can be a powerful vehicle for effective school reform

at all grade levels.

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