Pilot ‘BARR’ relationship program draws praise from Wyoming schools for lower failure rates and fewer referrals

Educators from three Wyoming regions described early results from the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) relationship‑building model and told the Joint Education Committee the program reduced course failures and major discipline referrals while improving student engagement.

Angela Jerbeck, BARR’s founder and executive director, told the committee the model grew from efforts to collect and share information about students so adults in a school could act on what they knew. She said BARR uses regular, structured relationship lessons and data‑informed team meetings to identify students at risk and coordinate interventions.

Why this matters: multiple Wyoming pilot schools reported measurable classroom and culture changes in the first semester after starting BARR, and committee members expressed interest in wider documentation and possible scaling.

District results and classroom examples Moorcroft…