Monday, November 29, 1999
Targeted schools making progress
BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
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Improvements
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Three study areas showed the most improvement.
• Suspensions. Gamble Elementary, Schwab Middle and Norwood High schools showed improvements. There was a trend toward fewer suspensions at Allison Elementary and Norwood Middle, but Aiken High showed an increase.
• School connectedness. All six schools showed improvement. School connectedness is defined as whether students think teachers treat them fairly, that they feel close to people at school and feel part of the school.
• Dropouts. The dropout rate at Aiken High is on a sharp, three-year decline.
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Suspensions are down and students are feeling more connected to their schools, second-year results of a three-year, multimillion-dollar Hamilton County program show.
The Children First Plan, designed by the Hamilton County Family and Children First Council, provides a comprehensive array of services — education, recreation, social services, health care — to schools where social problems are prevalent.
“I was very pleased to see that we are actually seeing some progress in our desired outcomes,” said Patricia Eber, executive director of the Family and Children First Council. “The fact (that) there are already some statistically significant changes and some positive trends is very encouraging.”
Targeted schools are Aiken High in College Hill; Schwab Middle in Northside; Gamble Elementary in Westwood; and Norwood's high and middle schools and Allison Elementary. Combined, the schools have more than 6,000 students.
The statistical analysis was conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Institute for Health Policy and Health Services Research at the University of Cincinnati.
“If all we do is provide the social services, we're not going to have a chance,” Ms. Eber said. “It's a bottomless pit.”
That's why Children First Plan promoted after-school recreation activities: Studies say most teen pregnancies are the result of after-school sex.
Other programs in the Children First Plan are GED classes for adults, parent resource centers, conflict-resolution training, activities to promote school spirit, substance-abuse education and school nurses to provide health services.
The Family and Children First Council program was initiated in 1993 by then-Gov. George Voinovich. The goal was to streamline services among agencies that help children.
Hamilton County's council is widely considered one of the most productive in Ohio.
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