BARR Center announced today that South St. Paul Public Schools will become the first district to serve kindergarten through 12th grade students. BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) is a national organization that aims to bring education into the 21st century through intentionally deepened relationships and a data-driven, personalized and supportive approach.
South St. Paul Public Schools and BARR have been working closely together for three years, beginning this work with a focus on 9th graders. Last year, the district became part of BARR Center’s Network for School Improvement (NSI) grant funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expanding implementation to all 9th through 12th grade students. With a continued focus on relationships, South St. Paul Public Schools and BARR will be expanding their reach to impact more and more students at Lincoln Center Elementary, Kaposia Education Center, South St. Paul Middle School and South St. Paul High School.
“The partnership between BARR Center and South St. Paul Public Schools as the first BARR district will be transformational in shaping a generation of youth” said BARR Founder and Executive Director Angela Jerabek. “Expanding the reach of BARR throughout the district will allow us to focus even more on relationships to ensure each and every student succeeds,” said BARR’s Founder and Executive Director Angela Jerabek.
South St. Paul High School has experienced first-hand the importance of strengthening staff-to-staff, staff-to-student and student-to-student relationships.
“I am watching the climate of the building change. I am watching the teachers talk to each other differently. I am watching the teachers hold each other accountable in a way that they never have before,” said BARR Coordinator and South St. Paul High School’s Assistant Principal Angie Ryter.
This is an exciting opportunity for the district to focus on relationship-building and data to help ensure students’ needs are met. This collaborative system provides staff members with the data to make sure they are supporting each and every Kindergarten through 12th grade student academically, socially, and emotionally. With BARR being engrained throughout the district, it will allow educators to have systems in place to help students thrive in the classroom and beyond.
BARR is looking forward to supporting South St. Paul Public Schools’ mission to ignite a passion in every learner to inquire, continuously improve and engage in positively changing our world. The BARR and district teams are looking forward to a continued partnership by focusing on relationships and data to help each and every student achieve success.
Check out the full press release.