"Cultures of Calm" Reducing School Violence in Chicago
By Rosalind Rossi/The Chicago Sun Times Reports of serious student behavior problems have dropped 77 percent at six targeted schools -- and Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman on Wednesday credited his $60 million anti-violence initiative. Huberman last year won national attention and $60 million in federal stimulus dollars over two years for his unique anti-violence plan, one grounded heavily on data. The effort included identifying the 1,700 high school students most likely to be shot in the next two years, based on their similarities to prior Chicago Public School shooting victims; bankrolling school-devised "culture of calm'' plans in 38 troubled high schools; and establishing "safe passage'' routes at 12 high schools in high-crime areas. |
On average, students’ GPAs drop a full letter grade between eighth and ninth grades. Students who experience this decline in GPA are by no means doomed to failure, especially if they live in neighborhoods where they can access support services. However, for students who are already struggling and lack access to help (a common scenario in low-income neighborhoods), a decline in grades during this transition makes it even harder to get on track toward graduation.
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