The Supportive Schools Newark is a partnership between the Newark Board of Education and Fairleigh Dickinson University- Metro Campus (FDU) to create a pipeline of school psychologists into high needs schools and increase capacity to effectively address the needs of youth who have experienced trauma. Graduate students from FDU will complete practicum and internship requirements in one of six demonstration K-8 schools, impacting approximately 4,300 students.
The goals of Supportive Schools Newark are:
- To significantly increase the number of school psychology graduate trainees who are well-prepared to provide mental health services in high needs schools and pursue employment in such schools following graduation through high-quality practicum and internship training opportunities.
- To increase the capacity of the NBOE to effectively educate students who have been impacted by trauma and/or traumatic stress by establishing six demonstration schools.
The Supportive Schools Newark is a five-year grant funded initiative awarded in October 2019 by the U.S. Department of Education under the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant.