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Harding Full-Service Community School

Harding Full-Service Community School has provided needed educational and social service supports to remove barriers to student academic success since the 2002-2003 school year.

For students at Harding Middle School during the 2004-2005 school year, Eisenhower Foundation evaluators identified statistically significant differences between participants and non-participants for eight of eleven evaluation outcomes.  In the evaluation of the 2005-2006 school year, the Eisenhower Foundation found at least one statistically significant finding for each of the following evaluation outcomes: school behavior, satisfaction with and attachment to school, orientation toward learning and positive future orientation, self-efficacy, and positive peer relationships.

Urban Dreams is the lead community-based organization partnering with Harding to develop this full-service community school. Urban Dreams brings to the partnership its capacity to work with underserved inner city residents. The school/lead agency partnership is addressing needs identified by the community such as positive, safe extended day opportunities for young adolescents.

Collaborations. The full-service community school at Harding relies on strong collaborations with a wide range of entities: the YMCA, the National Guard, the Mercy/Mayo Clinic Family Practice Department, the Des Moines Health Center, Mercy College of Health Sciences, the Smile Squad, United Way, Iowa State University and North High School.

Program offerings. Activities and programs focus on academic school success. These fee-free activities are offered year round, with two school year sessions and two summer sessions, special Saturday activities and special weekend and evening programs and field trips. To participate in recreation activities students must have a C average or be signed up for both a recreation program and academic support program. Thus, the importance of academic achievement is communicated to the students.

After-school activities:

Grade level academic support, provides students with help in homework questions and tutoring in specific subjects. (Classes are taught in small groups by certified Harding teachers and by community volunteers);
ESL academic support, helps students with homework questions and offers tutoring in specific subjects;
a book club, affords an opportunity to talk about favorite books
a newspaper club, teaches students how to take digital photographs and write short stories for a Harding Newsletter and for the Oracle Jr., which is published as part of the North High School Oracle student newspaper;
Follow the Leader- (Homework.com), offers computer-based practice test taking, work on mathematics, reading, geography and science while using computers;
Mariposa, a life skills group, aimed at Latinas, , focuses on life skills (Latina professionals talk to the students about their life journeys);
Sisters for Success, a program for African-American young women, , focuses on setting personal goals, learning about their African American heritage and participating in public service projects;
Young Men’s Group , affords young men a time to get together, do fun things and talk about issues that are important to them. This is a collaborative program with Iowa State University Extension;
Teen Leaders Club , provides students with opportunities for leadership, for attending YMCA events and being active in service learning projects. All teen leaders’ club members receive a free YMCA city-wide teen membership;
Careers That Can Change the World, offered in cooperation with Mercy College of Health Sciences, teaches students about nursing, surgical and radiological technologies, sonography, nuclear medicines and medical assisting.
Student volunteering opportunities abound at Harding. Every day 8-10 student students help pass out snacks and take attendance in the after-school programs. Students also volunteer at special events such as the family barbecue night and parent nights.

Recreation programs, which motivate students to participate in academic support programs, provide links to Harding’s feeder school. These programs include:

Drama workshop
Saturday intramural basketball, a co-ed program with intramural games and open gym;
Intramural soccer, a co-ed program in which sportsmanship (respect) and cooperation (teamwork) are emphasized;
Guitar class, an introduction to the basics in guitar from folk to blues;
Tournament Games Club, an opportunity to play a wide variety of board games and puzzles with friends and classmates after school;
Heritage Choir, open to all interested 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.
Sports, drama and journalism clubs strengthen the links between Harding and North High School. Some North teachers staff these programs and several high school students volunteer and work in these programs.

Summer session. Harding Middle School incoming 6th, 7th and 8th grade students participate in an exciting no-cost program in the summer. The program combines academic activities, such as reading, writing, mathematics and science with sports, games, crafts, art, fitness, the climbing wall and swimming.

Services. Dental and medical services are offered at Harding Middle School.

Dental services. Students receive dental treatments in the “Smile Squad” mobile dental clinic. This is the result of an ongoing collaboration among the Harding Full-Service Community School, The Des Moines Public School Administration, Harding staff, teachers and many community partners like the Des Moines Health Center and United Way.The Broadlawns Medical Center Department of Oral Medicine and the University of Iowa College of Dentistry provides additional screenings and referrals for treatment.

Youth physicals. Nurses and medical assistants of the Mercy/Mayo Clinic Family Practice residency program provide no-cost youth physicals to students right in the school building.

Family involvement. The full-service community school communicates with parents regularly. Newsletters on reading involvement in both English and Spanish go out four times a year to families and flyers about programs are sent three times a year. Families are asked to voice their views: they are surveyed during parent conferences and participate in focus groups and involvement groups (about one a quarter) to provide feedback on full-service school programs. Focus groups are conducted both in English and in Spanish. To support family involvement, one annual mother-daughter event takes place in each young women’s group.

The role of Eisenhower Foundation. The Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation provides funding, technical assistance and process and outcomes evaluations of the full-service school to the Harding partnership.

Positive Outcomes at Harding Middle School. Evaluation findings show that the full-service community school at Harding had a positive impact on school attendance, academic achievement, satisfaction with and attachment to school, positive future orientation, self-esteem and positive relations with peers and with adults in the school.

 

Cliff Kessler
Site Director

Donna Christensen
Principal

Contact Person
Cliff Kessler
cliff.kessler@dmps.k12.ia.us
(515) 975-6909