CASP
We believe
All children have the right to grow and live in a healthy, safe and nurturing academic environment, surrounding by adults who care about them.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a context of a safe and welcoming learning environment which is free of policing, connected to the community, supportive of educators and is centered on the children.
The CASP Model is a new and innovative program, with a duel focus designed to:
- Phase-out in-school policing and school resource officers by replacing them with specially trained paraprofessionals.
- Creation of “new” pipeline of certified teachers that reflects the demographics of the community, through non-traditional pathways.
RE-IMAGINE
In School Policing & Safety
The data is clear:
Arrest rates of children increased substantially after schools received federal grants to hire police officers, starting in 1999.
- Each additional officer led to about 2.5 extra in-school arrests annually of children between ages 7 and 14.
- Black students are much more likely to be arrested in school.
- The addition of school police officers led to a 6% increase in disciplinary actions & suspensions for middle school students.
- School suspensions were largely in response to relatively low-level offenses, and Black students were most affected.
- Middle or high schools that hired more police, students were less likely to graduate high school & lower college enrollment rates.
- That police in predominantly Black schools were more likely to view students in those schools as a threat.
RE-CONNECT
Community & Schools
Building a diverse, inclusive workforce for the future….
- Having at least one black teacher in third through fifth grades reduced a black student’s probability of dropping out of school by 29 percent,
- Non-Black teachers identify Black students as gifted in reading 2.1 percent of the time. Black teachers are three times more likely to identify black students as gifted in reading: 6.2 percent of the time.
- And it’s not just Black students who benefit, ALL students prefer teachers of color and Black teachers, and report greater engagement
- Reduce dropout rates considerably, equalize gifted participation, and engage more students of all races
RE-INVEST
In Youth & the Future
Creating a “new” pipeline for the future of diversity, inclusion & equity academic workforce.
FACT: only about 14.6% of ALL teachers are Black or Latino, while near 60% of all public school students are non-white.
There is also evidence that white students benefit from having a racially and ethnically diverse teaching staff by:
- Becoming exposed to new perspectives
- Realizing an increased sense of civic engagement
- Developing better problem-solving and critical thinking skills
- Expanding their range of creativity and social-and-emotional learning (SEL) skills
