by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman
Last year, 34 students were killed and 290 more were shot in Chicago, despite many programs created to curb violence.
School superintendent Ron Huberman, a former police officer, identified those most likely to be shot and is investing $30million of federal stimulus money focusing on changing the lives of 1200 at-risk kids.
Shootings involved 38 of the district’s 89 high schools. Schools with the lowest number of victims spent more money on social workers, counselors and training for security officers. Those schools were less likely to call police when drugs, alcohol and fighting were on campus.
Huberman’s ideas for full-time mentors, part time after school jobs keeping kids off the streets, training security guards in dealing with disruptive students and guaranteeing safe passage to and from school have met with cautious optimism.
Described as a data-driven leader, Huberman will keep careful records of what works.
Quoted in an article in the Chicago Tribune, Mark Lipsey of Vanderbilt University warns that interventions don’t fail for lack of ideas, but in sustainable implementation issues.
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