Student Learning and Support

Louisiana's Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative (LSSSI)

In the fall of 2010, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) launched Louisiana's Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative (LSSSI). The initiative is funded through a $13.7 grant from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) with the goal of creating and supporting safe and drug-free learning environments in schools and increasing academic success for students in high-risk environments.

Based on an analysis of district and school-level data, including graduation rates, attendance rates, discipline data and/or hardships caused by the Gulf Oil Spill, LDOE selected eight districts (Tangipahoa, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Caddo, and Lafayette) to participate in the initiative. Collectively, the initiative could potentially impact more than 30 percent of Louisiana’s total school population.

The LSSSI centers on developing and implementing a measurement tool to evaluate school climate and provide data-driven interventions through a program called PASSS – Positive Approaches for Safe and Supportive Schools (PASSS).

The PASSS model is designed to improve the learning conditions related to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and violence by implementing targeted interventions; generating a school safety score for participating schools, and enhancing a support program for students to address mental health needs, family needs, and academic performance. Additionally, the model will allow for the data produced from the measurement system to be reported to the public.

Measuring School Climate: School Climate Scores

The first step in the initiative is to determine an existing measurement for participating schools. School Climate Scores are generated by four unique factors that assess student surveys and incident data: 1) Support and Engagement (e.g. high expectations, supportive and caring relationships; opportunities for meaningful participation; and school connectedness); (2) Violence, Victimization, and Substance Use (this would include committing acts of physical violence; physical and emotional violence victimization and harassment; and substance use); (3) Discipline Rate;  and (4) Attendance Rate.