Back to School

Today Angela Jerabek, Executive Director of the BARR Center, welcomed the newest class of BARR schools. The BARR Network has grown exponentially since Jerabek piloted the strength-based model as a school counselor in Minnesota, expanding from one school in 2010 to span 104 schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia this academic year.

“These schools are leading the way by implementing evidence-based systems to remove both academic and non-academic barriers for their students,” Jerabek said. “Through the BARR model, each team will be trained to harness the power of data and cultivate relationships to become more equitable and ensure that every student is seen.”

Tested through 12 within-school randomized control trials and a 20-year single school study, the BARR model has quietly become one of the most consistently-proven models in the country. It has been proven to create statistically significant impacts in 19 areas of academic performance and outcomes for students, teachers, and schools, including especially powerful results narrowing opportunity gaps for students of color and students from low-income families.

On average, BARR schools see a 34.5% reduction in failure rate after one year of implementation, and an evaluation by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) found that the BARR model leads to better academic performance, fewer course failures, more courses attained, and better relationships.

New BARR Network Schools

CALIFORNIA
Adelanto High School
Banning High School*
San Bernardino High School
San Jacinto High School
Silverado High School

ILLINOIS
ASPIRA Business and Finance High School*
Curie High School
Chicago Collegiate
North Lawndale College Prep

MAINE
Oak Hill High School
Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School
Poland Regional High School

MASSACHUSETTS
Consentino Middle School
Dr. William Henderson K-12 Inclusion School
Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers*
Haverhill High School*
New Mission High School
Dr. Paul Nettle Middle School
Dearborn STEM Academy

MINNESOTA
Brooklyn Center STEAM High School
Robbinsdale Armstrong High School*
Robbinsdale Cooper High School
St. Cloud Apollo High School*
St. Cloud Technical High School

NEW YORK
Inwood Academy*
Ramapo High School*
Spring Valley High School

TEXAS
H. Grady Spruce High School*
W.H. Adamson High School*
W.T. White High School

WASHINGTON, DC
Maya Angelou Public Charter High School

WEST VIRGINIA
Oak Hill High School
Hedgesville High School

WISCONSIN
Mukwonago High School
William Horlick High School*

* These schools have been accepted into the randomized control study conducted by the American Institutes for Research as part of the Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale Up grant and designated to provide control data during the 18-19 academic year and begin model implementation in the fall of 2019.

Press Release