The Philadelphia School District has won a $3.97 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand a program aimed at community-building and restorative justice as a way to enhance school climate and academics.
Relationships First schools have a dedicated coach to help them implement and maintain the program, and offers “It’s creating those moments of tradition and community, ‘Oh, this is not a place where I have to come and get my academics. This is a place that cares about me,’” said Joseph“We have such a fantastic student body with extraordinary challenges — we want them to feel like they belong here.”
Even the principal is getting into the act. Kimlime Chek-Taylor was standing in the lobby of the South Broad Street school when a group of students walked into the building at lunchtime. It turns out they had left the building earlier to pick up food at a nearby restaurant. “We were always living in that reactive mode; we wanted to change that feeling,” the principal of the 600-student school said.South Philadelphia’s climate and culture statistics look much better than they did last year, and Tabasco and Chek-Taylor attribute that to Relationships First.
Ha ha ha you've obviously never seen the dismissal at South Philly high school. The addicts and homeless run away. 😬