Your Support Makes School Safer with Student IDs

CMC grant makes IDs picture perfect for students

Thanks to a grant from Children Medical Charities Association, Street School will now be providing students with photo identification cards.

ID cards will provide a number benefits for our students. One primary benefit is safety. The photo ID card will enhance the safety of all students and personnel through establishing a system that provides consistent and clear identification because staff will be able to quickly identify someone in the building who is not a student. Also, because the cards will include contact information, the cards will be invaluable in an emergency.

The ID cards will provide a tool for security, help transact business within Street School, provide students with discounts at community merchants, process library materials, provide confidentiality, and provide identification when on school business outside of Street School.

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The NovaNET Solution

Individualized program enables students to earn credits needed to graduate

Thanks to a grant from Good Neighbor Fund of Spirit AeroSystems, Street School has implemented the NovaNET program, which enables our students to earn credits needed to graduate, receive on-line tutoring, and direct instruction. NovaNET is a self-paced, individualized program that students complete over the internet through interactive curriculum that is designed to ensure the mastery of core subjects.

Many students are tempted every summer and every break to not return to school and simply continue their lifestyle without a high school diploma rather than return to school to earn the few credits they need to graduate. We will decrease the number of dropouts, have more students graduate on time with their class, and have many students begin college through the use of the NovaNET program.

This program, recently endorsed by Tulsa Public Schools, provides over 6,000 hours of individualized, self-paced courses covering language arts, math, science, and social studies. NovaNET is a program that meets the individual needs and learning styles of the full spectrum of students served through Street School.

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Street School Program Overview

treet School is a private, non-profit, tuition free alternative school of choice and therapeutic counseling program. Being a school of choice means that students choose Street School as their high school and go through an application process for admittance. The school is an attractive setting for students who are committed not only to their education, but also to resolving substance-abuse problems, learning and practicing life skills, dealing with behavioral issues or filling a void of education and emotional support traditionally provided by family.

Street School was created as a school of choice for at-risk high school youth who have dropped out of school, or who are at risk of dropping out. Students attend school to earn academic and elective credit towards the completion of their high school diploma.

Each year, Street School motivates teenagers to begin to take meaningful steps toward reaching their full potential. We know that to make a difference in the lives of Tulsa youth ages 14 – 19 whom we serve each day, we must help them acquire both social skills and academic tools. Our success is a result of our therapeutic counseling, our unique approach to alternative education, and our public and private partnerships.

Counseling has always been an integral part of the program. The founders realized that if the student’s personal and emotional problems were not addressed, then the ability to focus on academics could continue to be affected. Our school is structured with a low student-to-counselor ratio of 15:1 with six counselors. Students see their counselors daily and meet with them regularly for crisis intervention, individual and group psychotherapy and participate in up to four group counseling sessions each week. Family counseling is offered continuously as needed, and a parent support group is offered each month. Students and families placed on our waiting list are offered individual and/or family counseling. Creating an environment where students feel that they “belong” is critical to our success.

Counselors lead several groups to meet the different needs of the students. These groups include: women’s issues, recreation, drug/alcohol intervention, drug/alcohol information, HIV/AIDS and Pregnancy Prevention, and anger management. Often, the severity of a teenager’s problem is not known until sufficient time is spent in counseling. Frequently, problems will surface at our school, which have been virtually unaddressed in public schools or the student’s home. Many of the parents and families of these youth are in need of being linked with essential community social service resources. The counselors attempt to impact the entire family system in order to help reduce problematic behavior.

The World As Our Classroom is Street School’s educational program. To educate the youth in our program, creative brain-based learning activities are used to motivate students to learn, grow and become socially productive citizens through curriculum that is taught both inside and outside of the classroom with the primary emphasis being real world experience.

The nature of The World As Our Classroom curriculum encompasses out of the classroom lessons by offering students a number of different opportunities during the school year. Objectives common to all experiences include building self esteem, communication skills, leadership skills, and team work for both personal and social growth. Core programs include Mentoring, HIV/AIDS and Peer Pregnancy Prevention Education, and First Time Offender Program. They also have the opportunity to participate in numerous school-sponsored "real world" activities including: Key Club, Music Appreciation, internships, Wilderness Adventures, Leadership Class and Student Voices.

We need to educate our students to be successful when they leave Street School. We believe that through interaction with the community in real life experiences, the proper atmosphere is created for increased appreciation of one’s self, others and the world in which we live. Our program provides excellent teachable moments where the lessons from the classroom come to life in the real world. We know that teenagers learn and grow from the challenges they face. For our students, our program provides challenges, opportunities, and education they might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. This program educates students with the skills they need to graduate from high school, to gain employment or to continue their education.

Street School programs and services provided:

• Education
• Technical/college preparation
• Job readiness training
• Career development
• Bovaird Foundation post secondary scholarships
• Individual therapeutic counseling
• Group counseling
• Individual treatment plans
• Substance abuse screening
• Substance abuse treatment
• Family counseling
• Health services
• Crisis intervention
• Court advocacy
• Case management
• First Offender Program
• Parent support groups
• Community outreach
• Parenting classes
• Testing and referral
• Mentoring
• Life skills education
• Individual follow-up