Southside Middle School is implementing a new Ciy Connects program that employs social workers to help students with at-home issues that might be affecting their academic performance. Staff photo by Jordan Kartholl
MUNCIE — To combat learning loss and the achievement gap, Muncie Community Schools is adopting City Connects, a student-support program that has proven to result in better grades, improve attendance and lower dropout rates, officials said.
Within the program, a master’s-trained social worker, school counselor or mental health professional will work as a “family navigator” at MCS, and collaborate with teachers by assessing each student to determine if out-of-school factors are affecting that student’s ability to succeed.
The family navigator, a full-time staff member, then creates an individualized set of support services for students in need, and connects them with people and community agencies to meet those needs.
"City Connects has proven to work in other districts like ours, and we expect it will have the same impact of higher achievement and fewer dropouts in our schools,” MCS Director of Public Education and CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski said. “The real beauty of this program is that it’s for all students, not just the ‘at risk’ ones, and we’re grateful to the City of Muncie and Marian University for partnering with us to make it possible here at Muncie Community Schools.”
At the beginning of this school year, four family navigators were spread out between Grissom, South View and East Washington Academy elementary schools and Southside Middle School.
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