Strengthening Conditions for Learning in Cleveland Public Schools
Following a school shooting in 2007, the City of Cleveland and its school district commissioned AIR to conduct a needs assessment and make recommendations for school improvement.
The resulting AIR report found that students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District faced numerous obstacles, including inadequate conditions for learning related to emotional and physical safety; student support; social-emotional competence; and level of academic challenge.
In response, the school district implemented a plan to improve student supports and learning conditions that included recommendations from the AIR report. Since then, the district has developed a strong collaborative leadership team, staffed planning centers and student support teams, and launched a research-based social-emotional learning curriculum for pre-Kindergarten to fifth-grade students.
In 2013, a follow-up assessment led by AIR and funded by the Cleveland Foundation was commissioned by the school district to guide continuous quality improvements. The assessment addresses four overarching questions:
- What has been done to implement the recommendations from the 2008 report?
- How have conditions for learning changed since 2008?
- What gaps in conditions for learning and supports affect health and mental health needs, and reduce aggressive behavior and violence?
- What is the capacity of the school district and partners to provide necessary supports?
AIR will report results from the follow-up assessment in October 2014.