Wake Education Partnership Awarded Skills for Life Grant
Initiative to Support Middle School Students in Becoming Healthy, Productive Adults
April 20, 2006 – Wake Education Partnership has been awarded a grant from the Public Education Network (PEN) to implement the Middle Schools Skills for Life Initiative with the Wake County Public School System, Communities in Schools of Wake County and other community-based organizations. The $500,000 grant, renewable for three years, provides for a public engagement initiative to increase the capacity of schools and communities to support middle school students in becoming healthy, productive adults. The Skills for Life initiative brings a specific, research-based curriculum — LifeSkills Training — into the classroom, and amplifies its impact across the school, family and community contexts through proven public engagement strategies.
“This grant offers our community a strategic opportunity to strengthen our network of supports for positive youth development,” said W. Robert Saffold, president of Wake Education Partnership. “The Skills for Life initiative gives us concrete tools to engage school and community partners in a coordinated effort to ensure that our middle school youth are prepared for successful transition to high school.”
Today’s middle school students face real-life challenges like substance abuse and violence and related issues of low self-image, troubles with assertiveness and communicating effectively with peers. But research shows that preventing problems is just one part of preparing young people to be ready for college, work and life. With national estimates showing that only four out of ten young people are “ready” by the time they reach adulthood—meaning working or attending college, in good health, and active in their communities—the need for comprehensive solutions is clear.
The results of more than a dozen studies consistently show that the LifeSkills Training program dramatically reduces tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use. These studies also show that the program produces long-lasting results with a diverse range of adolescents.
“By blurring the lines between school and community spaces as well as school and out-of-school time, this program will bring teachers, parents, youth-serving organizations and young people together around the goal of helping youth prepare for the future,” said Dana Diesel Wallace, senior director of middle school programs for the Wake County Public School System. “The end result will be a comprehensive set of ripples that reach from classrooms and recreation centers to the community beyond.”
In Wake County, the Skills for Life initiative will be accomplished through:
• Integration of the LifeSkills curriculum in school and non-school settings and expanding opportunities for middle school students to learn and practice emotionally and socially affirming behaviors;
• Professional development opportunities for teachers, counselors and other youth services providers who work directly with middle school youth in school or non-school settings;
• Engagement of school and community partners in developing and implementing plans for promoting life skills beyond the classroom, as part of a larger vision of ensuring that all young people have the skills they need to be ready for college, work and life.
LifeSkills certification training began in January to prepare educators to implement the curriculum. Additional trainings will be held later this spring. The program is expected to reach 85 percent of middle school students in Wake County’s public schools over the next three years.
Wake County is one of five sites invited to participate in this three-year initiative. The other communities are Orlando, Fla.; Detroit, Mich.; McKeesport, Pa.; and Austin, Texas. The LifeSkills curriculum has been developed and evaluated by Gilbert J. Botvin, Ph.D., and National Health Promotion Associates. The curriculum has been endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, American Medical Association and National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others.
Public Education Network (PEN) is a national organization of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation. PEN and its 88 LEF members work in 34 states and the District of Columbia on behalf of 11.5 million children in more than 16,000 schools, seeking to bring the community voice into the debate on quality public education in the firm belief that an active, vocal constituency will ensure every child, in every community, a quality public education.
As an independent public education advocacy organization, Wake Education Partnership links community resources to strengthen public schools and improve academic achievement for all students. Three strategic goals guide the Partnership’s intent to effect change and connect the community with its public schools: to provide leadership and professional development for teachers, principals and administrators; to foster community engagement that leads to action; and to conduct research and advocacy on fundamental education issues and needs. For more information about Wake Education Partnership, please visit www.WakeEdPartnership.org.