District highlights community partnerships for student wholeness; staff cite reduced referrals and outcomes
Summary
District staff described partnerships with Continuous Growth, Holistic Life Foundation and the Movement Team to support student well-being, restorative practices and reengagement; staff cited reductions in administrative referrals and reported outcomes for students in partnered programs.
District staff reported June 10 on three community partnerships the Baltimore City Public Schools said support student wholeness, restorative practices and reengagement: Continuous Growth (mentoring and school-based restorative practices), Holistic Life Foundation (mindfulness, breath work and yoga) and the Movement Team (mentoring, supports for homeless students and partnership with the mayor’s violence-intervention programs).
Katia Stokes, director for student wholeness, told the board that Continuous Growth’s school-based restorative work has led to students spending more time in reflective settings with staff and fewer referrals to the administrative discipline route. Holistic Life Foundation programming has introduced breath work and mindfulness practices; district staff reported that in one school 42% of students said they applied mindfulness strategies in the school setting. The Movement Team’s partnerships were tied to the district’s work serving students who are homeless and students involved with juvenile services; staff cited enrollment and promotion figures for students engaged by the Movement Team’s DJS program for recent school years and reported increases in promotion or graduation rates among participants.
Why it matters: The district framed these partnerships as part of a broader strategy to reduce punitive discipline responses, strengthen social-emotional learning and reconnect students to school. Board members praised the partnerships and encouraged the district to highlight areas of measurable impact publicly.
Next steps: District staff said they will continue monthly monitoring and partnership coordination, and they noted that the partnerships are integrated into the district’s wholeness strategy and school climate work.
