Communities That Care® and School Transformation

By 2008, all Seattle Public Schools students must meet state-wide learning standards in order to graduate from high school. In 1993, the state of Washington issued statewide learning standards, the Essential Academic Learning Requirements, which benchmarked the specific academic skills and knowledge students must acquire in order to graduate from public schools.

Students’ mastery of the standards in four academic areas; reading, writing, mathematics, and communication, is measured by the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. School leadership is responsible for crafting a “transformation plan” indicating the steps that will be taken to ensure that all students are able to meet the standards.

“If this nation is to be truly committed to leaving no child behind, then we must ensure that education policies candidly address those issues that affect the health and well being of students.”
-Brenda Lillienthal Welburn, Executive Director
National Association of State Boards of Education

Communities That Care promotes academic achievement and supports school transformation by promoting the positive development of students. Health and behavioral issues such as substance abuse, academic failure, unplanned pregnancy, school dropout, and violence are barriers to learning that block student achievement. CTCARE interventions promote positive behaviors and reduce problem behaviors. As a result, barriers to learning will decrease and academic achievement will increase.

Communities That Care • (206) 252-0790 • ctcare@seattleschools.org