“We are worthy of being heard and included”: Engagement of youth and parent voice to improve school climate

The proposed project unites efforts to install trauma-informed approaches in New Orleans charter schools with efforts to increase youth equity and youth and parent empowerment through a collaboration between the Coalition for Compassionate Schools (the Coalition), the CDC-funded Center for Youth Equity (CYE), and the Center for Restorative Approaches (CRA). The Coalition will partner with two charter management organizations (CMOs), KIPP New Orleans and Community Academies of New Orleans. The purpose of this Category 2 violence prevention project is to engage BIPOC student and parent voice in the installation and initial implementation of trauma-informed approaches in their schools to improve school climate and help prevent acts of violence. 
 

The following goals reflect two deliverables expected by this funding mechanism: Goal 1. Partner with three middle schools and two high schools that have been historically underserved, economically marginalized, and disproportionately impacted by violence to train school personnel and educate students and parents on preventing school violence using evidence-based strategies that promote a positive and healthy school climate. Goal 2: Implement community violence intervention strategies in a school setting.
 

The proposed project takes place in the context of the Coalition’s Trauma-Informed Schools (TIS) program, based on installation strategies shown to be effective at increasing educator and school capacity to install and implement a TIS framework. However, this proposal adds student and parent engagement and links the TIS program to outside experts in community violence prevention through partnerships with CRA and CYE’s Enrichment 2 Empowerment program, which trains high school students in research skills to investigate and address community violence. Over three years, we will directly engage 66 students in grades 7-12 as well as 54 parents at partner schools. However, anticipated beneficiaries will include the entire student bodies at five partner schools, as well as school staff, as they will reap the benefits of improved school climate, more effective violence interventions, and, ultimately, fewer incidences of violence in their schools.
 

Expected outcomes include: sustainable gains in school climate measures, a reduction in disciplinary referrals, shifts in school disciplinary policies toward positive and restorative approaches, school stakeholders (e.g. students, parents, staff) reporting a greater sense of belonging and agency at the school, the development of youth and parent leaders who continue to advocate for their peers, fewer incidences of violence at partner schools, and the capacity for CMOs to expand this work to other schools within their organizations.