Fenty, Reinoso Announce DC START to Provide Additional Support Services for DCPS Families

Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Deputy Mayor Victor Reinoso launched DC Student Assessment and Resilience Team (DC START) in select DC Public Schools to offer wrap-around social services to students and families.  DC START is a pilot program created to help address issues outside of the classroom facing families in order to improve learning inside the classroom.

“One of the major benefits of bringing the school system under mayoral control is having the resources of the entire city government and the ability to collaborate to best serve our children,” said Mayor Fenty. “We need to make sure that our kids have all the tools they need to do succeed.”

The program, which came about as a result of the Interagency Collaboration and Services Integration Commission (ICSIC), will provide each pilot school with a clinician who will use proven and innovative techniques to help identify children’s needs before they escalate into crisis. Clinicians will assist students with the challenges they face, connect them to positive activities, and support the family by coordinating services from city agencies and community organizations, ensuring appropriate follow up.

DC START will begin its pilot program at Barnard, Ferebee Hope, Leckie, Malcolm X, Simon, Truesdell elementary schools and Hart Middle School. The annual cost per school is approximately $150,000, with a cost of $200,000 in the first year for start-up expenses. The program will be funded in this fiscal year through FY2008 funds and will be included in the FY 2009 budget.

Schools were selected for the pilot program based on several factors, but most specifically on a school’s current level of counseling services.  Pilot schools range in levels of federal NCLB school improvement and restructuring status and are clustered together in neighborhoods to have a strong impact in that area.

"This program is grounded in current research on child development and we want to ensure it is rolled out deliberately and carefully in these schools to ensure success," said Deputy Mayor Reinoso.

The DC START program is based on work done in the Auburn, NY school system where the program has shown a drop in student behavior problems in the classroom and an increase in student attendance and achievement.  Clinicians will be trained in evidence-based counseling techniques and using a database designed to track referrals and monitor progress.  An independent evaluator will be hired to measure the outcomes of DC START.