Program Description
Building Assets Reducing Risk (BARR) is a whole-school reform approach focused on “developmental, academic, and structural challenges during the ninth year.” BARR is used in all subjects across ninth grade to attempt to increase students’ achievement by improving their social-emotional skills, building positive student-teacher relationships, and solving non-academic barriers to learning, such as truancy and misbehavior. BARR schools closely monitor student achievement and behavior, carrying out real-time analysis of data. Block scheduling is used to build connections among students and teachers. Teachers meet regularly to review progress of at-risk students and make plans to deal with academic as well as behavioral problems, including substance abuse and delinquency. Extensive professional development and coaching are provided to teachers and school leaders.
Program Outcomes
One study in a Southern California high school found that struggling readers in BARR gained more than similar students on NWEA Reading, with an average effect size of +0.21. This qualifies BARR for the ESSA “Strong” category for struggling readers. Positive outcomes for math were also found.
Staffing Requirements
A staff member needs to be selected to serve as the school’s coordinator for the BARR model. The coordinator can be an assistant principal, school counselor, teacher, or another staff member. The coordinator will manage, coordinate, and integrate the BARR model. He or she works with school staff, administrators, and parents/guardians to support the needs of all students. Teams of teachers need to meet at minimum weekly using the BARR model.
Professional Development/Training
Each training session uses BARR materials and practice.
In year one, two days of professional development are dedicated to understanding the BARR model, adopting a whole student approach, identifying and leveraging student strengths, and practicing facilitation of I-Time (SEL curriculum). Each subsequent year of training focuses on the staff increasing the effectiveness of I-Time lessons, adopting a strength-based approach, focusing on topics for the whole student.
In year two, two day training focuses on building a trauma sensitive classroom and the development of an equity lens and protocols.
Year three covers substance use and effective team meetings.
Technology
No specific technology required
Implementation Notes
As part of the research (Borman et al., 2017), surveys were administered to participating students and teachers across both the treatment (i.e., those participating in BARR) and comparison (i.e., those not participating in BARR) groups at the end of the school year. Findings from the teacher survey demonstrated that after participating in the initiative, BARR teachers had more positive views about their colleagues and collaborating with them (ES = +1.13), reported greater levels of data use to inform instruction (ES = +1.01), and had more favorable perceptions of student behavior in the classroom. The student survey indicated that BARR students felt more supported by their teachers (ES = +0.34), felt their teachers had higher expectations of them (ES = +0.23), and reported significantly greater school engagement (ES = +0.12). Researchers noted particularly large impacts for students of color in regard to supportive relationships, expectations and rigor, and student engagement.