Proposal to Capital One/UNO Charter School Network For the THE LIONMAN CLUB of America (TLC) Background Both nationally and locally, violence and drug use (including the use of tobacco and alcohol) are a continuing problem in elementary and middle schools. Several highly publicized violent incidents and deadly shootings in New Orleans over the past few years provide heightened awareness in the minds of the public but for a short time before fading into memory. However, there are countless unpublicized incidents and ongoing tensions in the schools that school faculty, staff and security personnel must handle on a daily basis. Often students do not know how to respond to intimidation, threats or incidents of violence. Peer pressure and an environment of fear and worry make it difficult for students to learn. When coupled with violence in their neighborhoods, and a shortage of supervised, positive in school, after school and weekend activities, youth can become unmotivated, thereby, reducing their expectations of their ability and performance. Threats, intimidation and blatant disrespect of authority figures create unhealthy school environments, which can lead to teacher and administrator burnout. Because of this burnout, the New Orleans Public School system has lost countless numbers of good teachers. The use of drugs, tobacco and alcohol decreases a student’s ability to learn. Such drug usage is often a magnet for violence in schools. It brings students into contact with negative elements and frequently leads to other negative and risky behaviors, such as crime, domestic violence and poor educational performance. All of these factors will contribute to a lowered lifetime earning potential for most students exposed to them. Research shows that parental involvement in their children’s education and schools tend to lead to better academic performance. Additionally, access to positive role models and mentors on a regular, on-going basis has been shown to increase a student’s commitment to academic achievement and lifetime goals. These benefits occur most often if mentoring and parental involvement are begun at an early age and continued over a long period of time.
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