Equitable Access to Wraparound Services
The current landscape.
Over a quarter of Atlanta’s children currently live in poverty, and APS data shows that schools with higher poverty rates are more likely to experience lower student performance. This means that a kid growing up in low income neighborhoods like English Avenue, Bankhead and Vine City only has a 4% chance of making it out of poverty, while kids in more affluent neighborhoods like Morningside and Buckhead have a 91% chance of continuing their high social status as adults.
Our kids deserve a better shot at success. Though the District has acknowledged the social impact of poverty on student performance and academic success, the District has been idle. The current social service intervention in Atlanta Public Schools is a limited and one dimensional approach. Student supports are not comprehensive and they do not integrate community assets or local resources. The absence of a thorough and effective Wraparound service model is continuing to yield inequitable outcomes for kids.
The absence of a thorough and effective Wraparound Service Model is continuing to yield inequitable outcomes for kids.
The
Proposal
Wraparound Service Models are comprehensive in nature and therefore require strong partnership with community organizations. In order to provide effective wraparound programs, social workers and community liaisons must be highly trained. When followed with fidelity, wraparound service models are equity centered and anti-racist in nature.