Purpose of project: stratford school district proposes project uplift, a program designed to reduce school violence by addressing specific factors affecting stratford public schools students:…

The Stratford Board of Education received a $1 million Project Grant award from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance under the STOP School Violence Program (CFDA 16.839) to implement Project Uplift from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2025. Project Uplift aims to reduce school violence in Stratford, Connecticut through evidence-based multi-disciplinary intervention, trauma-informed instruction training for staff, and restorative practice training. It is expected to serve approximately 385 middle and high school students and their families over the grant period to address trauma and encourage non-violent participation in school communities. Key outcomes include significantly lower rates of sanctions, arrests, and violent acts among participating students, as well as improved interpersonal and stress management skills. No subrecipients are involved in delivering the program's services.

Expected outcomes

Project uplift will serve approximately 385 students and their families over the grant period: 85 in year 1, 150 each in years 2 and 3, with a total of 70% of enrolled students completing the program. Stratford school district expects to see significantly lower rates of sanctions (particularly out-of-school suspensions), arrests, and engaging in violent acts. Participating students will demonstrate improved interpersonal and stress management skills. Service area: the service area will be the town of stratford, connecticut.

Intended beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries of project uplift will be middle and high school students in the stratford public schools who: 1) are at risk of committing violent acts or offenses, or 2) have committed a violent act or offense but have not entered the juvenile court system due to diversion. Project uplift will provide such students with a case-managed suite of services designed to address trauma and encourage non-violent, restorative participation in the school communities. Participating students' families will also be included in, and benefit from, the programming. Stratford's entire, diverse secondary student community will benefit from restorative, trauma-informed climates in their schools. This is particularly important in the stratford public schools, which is increasingly diverse, with 38% hispanic, 30% white, and 25% black (7% other) students. The district's diversity has increased from 1%-2.5% per year over the past decade, requiring students to develop greater interpersonal skills to function in a diverse environment. The stratford community will benefit from reduced risk of youth violence and decreased court involvement of students. There are no subrecipients for this proposal, but the district's partners include the town of stratford community services and its juvenile review board (representing several community agencies), and the stratford police department.