BAASE College & Career Readiness Initiative

BETTER ACADEMICS AND SOCIAL EXCELLENCE

“IT’S COOL TO BE SMART”

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of the Wichita Public Schools BAASE Initiative is to identify males of color who have demonstrated positive academic identities and to engage them in meaningful/culturally relevant activities that will lead to further academic and social success as well as increased participation in AP, Honors and IB programming.

VISION STATEMENT

Through the Office of Equity, Diversity & Accountability the BAASE initiative aims to eliminate some of the current data that suggest that Black a & Hispanic males (and males of poverty in general) hold the highest suspension rates and lowest grade point averages.  BAASE hopes to motivate these young men to continue to strengthen their academic identities by enrolling in rigorous college and career readiness courses.  Our number one goal is to increase the number of males in WPS who are college and career ready and prepared to compete for academic scholarships!

Although the focus of BAASE is males of color, we do not exclude any males who would like to join!

LONG TERM GOAL

• Increase the percentage of students completing dual credit, concurrent credit, industry certification or other college and career readiness opportunities.
• Increase high school graduation rates.
• Increase the number of males of color who receive academic scholarship opportunities.

Six Pillars of BAASE

• Brotherhood
• Leadership
• College and Career Ready
• Health and Wellness
• Identity
• Community Service

BAASE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

• Challenge and support each member to enroll in Honors, AP, Dual Credit courses
• Promote Pro-Social Behavior
• Cultivate Leadership
• Promote Equitable Access and Opportunity

BAASE Measurable Goals and Outcomes:

• Maintain 20 grade point average
• Maintain a 95% attendance rate
• 0 out of School Suspensions

Six Pillars of BAASE

• Brotherhood-We define brotherhood as a network and/or group bounded by shared values, principles, attitudes, and beliefs. These networks and/groups aim to challenge and empower their members in positive ways, and to hold each other accountable to these values and beliefs so they can collectively impact their local communities in positive and empowering ways.

• Leadership-We define leadership in an individual and collective sense, as a person or groups who have the necessary qualities to be an example in multiple spaces: at home, in school, and in their communities. Leaders develop the ability to persevere and accept the support and input of others to work cohesively towards a common goal.

• College & Career Readiness-We define college and career readiness as being academically and socially prepared to succeed in college and career. College and career readiness ensures that students have the tools, skills, and abilities to succeed and excel academically in school. Students should be able to translate these skills and abilities to succeed and excel in the workplace.

• Health & Wellness-We define health and wellness as promoting healthy relationships amongst our students. Achieving health and wellness requires taking the initiative to improve our health holistically and includes but it is not limited to students’ physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health and well-being.

• Identity- We define identity as the unique aspects that make individuals, in all their complexity, who they are rather than necessarily how they are defined by society and the media. We promote positive self-identity development by creating safe spaces for students to examine their own experiences and identities and to allow them to freely express it. Understanding identity development in its multiple expressions allows students to understand themselves, their experiences, and how they relate to other diverse individuals and communities around them.

• Community Service- We define community service as unpaid workperformed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis and may be compulsory per situation.