Generation Schools Network Inc

TRIBAL YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM - THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR REDUCING SUICIDES AND ULTIMATELY PREVENT SUICIDE DEATHS AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO AGE 24 IN THE EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS (EBCI). GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK (GSN) AND EBCI WILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO ACHIEVE THE THREE GOALS: IMPROVE PROTECTIVE FACTORS, IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION, AND PREVENT SUICIDES AMONG EBCI YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO AGE 24. TO ACHIEVE THE STATED OBJECTIVES, GSN AND EBCI PARTNERS WILL BUILD A EBCI SUICIDE PREVENTION IMPLEMENTATION TEAM (IT) INCLUDING THE PROJECT DIRECTOR (PD), EVALUATOR, CHEROKEE CENTRAL SCHOOLS (CCS) LEADERSHIP, CCS MENTAL HEALTH STAFF AND MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT COORDINATOR, TRIBAL POLICE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH STAFF, PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES STAFF, TRIBAL LEADERSHIP, CULTURAL EXPERTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, INCLUDING SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS AND SUICIDE ATTEMPTS. THE IT WILL DEVELOP THE TRIBAL SUICIDE PREVENTION PLAN COMPRISED OF ALL REQUIRED ACTIVITIES. EVIDENCE-BASED SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WILL BE PROVIDED TO SCHOOLS STAFF, TRAINING AND EDUCATION PROVIDED TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AN INCREASE IN SCREENING AND REFERRALS TO TREATMENT WILL BE A RESULT OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COORDINATION OF EFFORTS ACROSS THE TRIBE. PARTNERS FROM ACROSS THE TRIBE, INCLUDING RESIDENTS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, WILL BE ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE TERM OF THE GRANT. EVALUATION WILL INCLUDE BOTH PROCESS AND OUTCOME MEASURES TO EVALUATE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS AND MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES.

STRATEGIC PREVENTION FOR JUSTICE-ENGAGED COLORADO STUDENTS - GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK (GSN) WILL SUPPORT THE JUSTICE ENGAGED STUDENTS COLORADO (JES-CO) INITIATIVE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE JUSTICE-ENGAGED BILL OF RIGHTS (JESBOR) TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AND INCREASE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR JUSTICE-ENGAGED STUDENTS. JES-CO IS GSN’S STATEWIDE INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR JUSTICE-ENGAGED AND ADJUDICATED (JEA) YOUNG PEOPLE AS WELL AS THOSE AT RISK OF JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT. JESBOR WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHEN SUPPORTING WORKING WITH ADJUDICATED STUDENTS. GSN’S INITIAL RESEARCH AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOUND THAT JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT CAUSES DISRUPTIONS IN A STUDENT’S EDUCATIONAL LIFE AND LACK OF SUPPORT, LEADING TO DISCONNECTION FROM SCHOOL AND HIGHER POTENTIAL FOR DROPOUT, RESULTING IN THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUBSTANCE USE AND RECIDIVISM. COLORADO JEA STUDENTS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY STUDENTS OF COLOR. THE RISK FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR THIS AT-RISK POPULATION. SPF-PFS FUNDING WILL ALLOW JES-CO TO IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION APPROACH THAT WILL REDUCE THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND ITS RELATED PROBLEMS THROUGH PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES THAT REACH AT-RISK YOUNG PEOPLE AT THEIR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF RISK AND SOCIAL CONTEXT. JES-CO’S PROGRAMMING WILL FOLLOW THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK TO BUILD PROTECTIVE FACTORS IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. THE FIRST GOAL IS TO CREATE A COALITION OF STATE-WIDE COLLABORATORS INCLUDING SCHOOL PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS COMMITTED TO SHUTTING DOWN THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE (STTP) THROUGH EDUCATION, POLICY, AND LEGISLATION. GSN HAS RELATIONSHIPS WITH MORE THAN 100 SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND WILL PARTNER WITH UP TO 5 OF THEM IN THE FIRST YEAR. THE JES-CO INITIATIVE WILL PROVIDE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES AND TRAUMA-INFORMED SCHOOL TRAINING FOR ALL PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AFTER THIS TRAINING AT LEAST 80% OF PARTICIPANTS WILL REPORT AN UNDERSTANDING OF ADOLESCENT NEURAL DEVELOPMENT, RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS, AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SUBSTANCE USE AND SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. THESE UNIVERSAL INTERVENTIONS WILL INCREASE SOCIAL CONNECTION, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) COMPETENCIES, AND POSITIVE SCHOOL CONNECTION. GSN’S SECOND GOAL, THE CO-CREATION OF THE JESBOR, WILL SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS SYSTEM CHANGE TO SUPPORT ADJUDICATED YOUTH THAT WILL INCREASE THE PROTECTIVE FACTORS OF SCHOOL CONNECTION, FAMILY SUPPORT, TRUSTED ADULTS, PURPOSE, AND CAREER READINESS. JESBOR TRAINING, INCLUDING HOW TO SUPPORT JEA STUDENTS, THEIR FAMILIES, AND REINTEGRATE ADJUDICATED STUDENTS INTO THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT WILL BEGIN YEAR THREE OF THE GRANT. GSN HAS THE GOAL TO CREATE 5 ADDITIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERS EACH YEAR OF THE GRANT. THIS WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ADJUDICATED STUDENTS INTEGRATED INTO THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. GSN’S PREVENTION BASED APPROACH WILL REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS FOR ALL PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICT’S YOUTH. OUR JEA YOUTH WILL BENEFIT THE GREATEST BECAUSE OF THE SELECTED AND INDICATED INTERVENTIONS. THE JESBOR AND IN-SCHOOL, CONTRACTED, COUNSELING SUPPORT FROM LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONALS WILL INCREASE ACCESS TO HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, BUILD SEL COMPETENCIES, AND ADDRESS THE FUNCTIONS OF THE BEHAVIORS. GSN ANTICIPATES THAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE A 25% REDUCTION OF SUBSTANCE USE BY JEA STUDENTS BY SEPTEMBER 2028.

THE COALITION FOR JUSTICE-ENGAGED STUDENTS COLORADO (C-JESCO), A COLLABORATION FOCUSED ON REDUCING ALCOHOL, NICOTINE, AND MARIJUANA USE AMONG JUSTICE-ENGAGED AND ADJUDICATED STUDENTS IN DENVER, CO. - THE COALITION FOR JUSTICE ENGAGED STUDENTS COLORADO (C-JESCO) WAS CREATED TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR JUSTICE-ENGAGED AND ADJUDICATED (JEA) YOUNG PEOPLE AS WELL AS THOSE AT RISK OF JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT. COLORADO NONPROFIT GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK (GSN) CURRENTLY FACILITATES THIS COALITION FOCUSED ON IMPROVING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND REDUCING SUBSTANCE USE AMONG JEA YOUNG PEOPLE. FOR THIS PROJECT, C-JESCO WILL BE FOCUSED ON REDUCING ALCOHOL, NICOTINE, AND MARIJUANA USE AMONG JUSTICE-ENGAGED AND ADJUDICATED STUDENTS IN DENVER, CO. THIS PROJECT WILL USE THE STRATEGIC PREVENTION FRAMEWORK (SPF) TO IDENTIFY AND SELECT COMPREHENSIVE, DATA-DRIVEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE SPF WILL GUIDE ALL COALITION ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ASSESSING THE COMMUNITY, BUILDING CAPACITY, PROGRAM PLANNING, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES. COALITION ACTIVITIES WILL FALL WITHIN TWO FOCUS AREAS ALIGNED WITH THE TWO DFC GOAL AREAS: 1) MULTI-AGENCY COORDINATION/COLLABORATION TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION AND 2) STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY-LEVEL CHANGE TO PREVENT AND REDUCE SUBSTANCE USE AMONG JEA YOUNG PEOPLE. ALL WORK BOTH INTERNAL TO THE COALITION AND EXTERNAL IN THE COMMUNITY WILL BE CONDUCTED USING A POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (PYD) APPROACH AND WILL BE COMMUNITY-DRIVE. JES-CO WILL ACHIEVE ALL OUTCOMES IDENTIFIED IN THE PROGRAM LOGIC MODEL. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES ARE TO REDUCE USE OF ALCOHOL, NICOTINE, AND MARIJUANA AMONG JEA STUDENTS IN DENVER. EVALUATION ACTIVITIES WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR ALL INTERVENTIONS; DATA COLLECTION WILL RELY ON STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARTNERS. GSN AND C-JESCO WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL CROSS-SITE EVALUATION. GSN WILL SERVE AS THE FISCAL AGENT FOR C-JESCO. GSN HAS THE FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY TO MANAGE A LARGE FEDERAL GRANTS, AND STAFF BRING DECADES OF COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION, COALITION BUILDING, SUBS TANCE USE PREVENTION, AND SUPPORTING JEA STUDENTS.

TWELVE VISTAS AND TEN SUMMER ASSOCIATES ARE REQUESTED TO JOIN GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK AND ITS PARTNER SCHOOLS IN COLORADO AND NEW YORK IN THEIR WORK OF ENSURING THAT ALL STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF LIFE CIRCUMSTANCE, HAVE ACCESS TO A GREAT EDUCATION. THE GSN TEAM IS PARTNERING WITH THE FOLLOWING SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO PLACE THE VISTAS ON THE GROUND TO COMPLETE CRITICAL WORK: ENGLEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT (ENGLEWOOD, CO), TURNING POINT OF THE CITY, AND BROOKLYN GENERATION SCHOOL (BROOKLYN, NY). THE GSN TEAM PROVIDES COACHING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THESE SCHOOLS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ARE ACCESSING THE FULL BENEFITS OF GSN'S SCHOOL MODEL AND RESOURCES. GSN FOCUSES ITS SUPPORT IN FIVE AREAS: STRUCTURAL REDESIGN, LEADERSHIP & ACCOUNTABILITY, LEARNING AND TEACHING, HEALTH & WELLNESS, AND COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS. TOOLS AND PROCEDURES ARE BEING DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED AT ALL OF THESE SCHOOLS AND MORE. THE GENERATION SCHOOLS MODEL IS CURRENTLY IMPACTING OVER 20,000 STUDENTS AND 1,500 TEACHERS NATIONALLY. THE VISTA MEMBERS WILL DEVELOP TOOLS AND PROCEDURES SPECIFICALLY IN THE AREAS OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT, VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, PROGRAM EVALUATION, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA THAT CAN BE UTILIZED AND IMPLEMENTED LONG AFTER THE VISTA MEMBERS HAVE COMPLETED THEIR TERMS. THE REQUESTED VISTA ACTIVITIES AT ALL LOCATIONS WILL INCLUDE DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, DEVELOPING TRAINING MATERIALS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO FURTHER PARENT ENGAGEMENT, AND HELPING TO SOLIDIFY THE ON-BOARDING PROCESS, TRAINING MATERIALS, SUPERVISION, AND APPRECIATION OF THE VOLUNTEERS COMING TO WORK WITH GSN AND ITS AFFILIATE SCHOOLS. 2. HOW MANY VISTAS AND LEADERS ARE YOU REQUESTING? 11 VISTA TEAM MEMBERS; 1 TEAM LEADER + 10 SUMMER ASSOCIATES 3. WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TIME REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT? 4 YEARS 4. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR ORGANIZATION'S MISSION, HISTORY, AND THE BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMS. GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK (GSN) IS AN AWARD-WINNING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WHOSE INNOVATIVE EDUCATION MODEL OFFERS UP TO 30% "MORE AND BETTER" LEARNING TIME WITHOUT INCREASING COSTS OR TEACHER WORKLOAD. GSN'S MISSION IS TO TRANSFORM PUBLIC EDUCATION THROUGH SUSTAINABLE, SCALABLE STRATEGIES THAT DRIVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS FOR ALL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. THE VISION IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS- REGARDLESS OF LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES -- ARE PREPARED FOR SUCCESS IN SCHOOL, WORK AND LIFE. THE GENERATION SCHOOLS MODEL HAD ITS ORIGINS IN 1990 WHEN FOUNDER FURMAN BROWN BEGAN TEACHING IN THE FIRST-EVER CORPS OF TEACH FOR AMERICA IN SOUTH-CENTRAL LOS ANGELES. THE CHALLENGING REALITIES HE DISCOVERED THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE MOTIVATED HIM TO SPEND MORE THAN A DECADE DEVELOPING AND TESTING EDUCATION REFORM STRATEGIES IN A VARIETY OF SETTINGS. HE THEN LAUNCHED GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK IN 2004. IN COLLABORATION WITH NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, HE LAUNCHED BROOKLYN GENERATION SCHOOL IN 2007. WITHIN THE FIRST FEW YEARS, AS THEY IMPLEMENTED CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE GENERATIONS SCHOOLS MODEL, THEY OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN ATTENDANCE, CREDITS ACCUMULATED, AND PASS RATES IN THE NEW YORK STATE REGENTS EXAMS. SUBSEQUENTLY, GENERATION SCHOOLS NETWORK CHOSE TO PILOT THE PROGRAM IN COLORADO AND IN THE FALL OF 2012, WEST GENERATION ACADEMY OPENED. THE BENEFICIARIES OF OUR ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE TEACHERS, STUDENTS, ADMINISTRATORS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES OF THE SCHOOLS THAT WE WORK WITH, WHICH ARE HIGH-NEED, HIGH-POVERTY SCHOOLS NATION-WIDE. HERE IS DATA ON THE SITES THAT WILL BE HOSTING VISTAS: -ENGLEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT: 2,775 STUDENTS IN THE 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR, 65% FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH (FRL) -BROOKLYN GENERATION SCHOOL (BGS): 224 STUDENTS IN THE 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR, 75% FRL -COLORADO RURAL EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE (CREC