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Middle and high schools in Windham and Raymond are among 94 schools in Maine using the Building Assets, Reducing Risks model of education.

Kayla Vangelist, BARR coordinator for Windham Middle School, as well as Jordan Small Middle School in Raymond, said BARR is a data-driven framework used by schools across Maine centered around relationships between students and their teachers and peers.

Lindsay Hanson, who serves as coordinator for Windham High School, said the BARR model was implemented at the high school level by forming teams of around 75 students, classroom teachers from each of the core subjects, counselors and administrators, with social work and special ed included in the larger framework. Each team’s teachers meet frequently to discuss students and put plans in place to help them succeed.

Vangelist said each BARR team looks at three metrics: academic success, student behavior and attendance rates. Each team updates these measures regularly and puts supports in place based on the data.

According to the Maine Department of Education, 71 schools statewide began adopting BARR in the 2023-24 school year, funded by $10 million in federal emergency relief funds. In Windham, the model was first implemented as a pilot program at Windham High School, expanding district-wide by the following school year.

At the time, the Department of Education said the model was meant to support students and educators in recovering from the impact the pandemic had on educational well-being.

RSU 14 Superintendent Christopher Howell said BARR has allowed for a framework in which, when a student is struggling, a team of educators is ready to come together to support them and make sure they don’t slip through the cracks.

As part of BARR, students and teachers participate in 30-minute weekly activities focused on topics such as community building and goal setting.

Hanson said the BARR framework has “moved the needle” in terms of attendance and failure rates at the high school level and improved the school’s culture. She said these results make the teachers involved in the program feel more seen and supported, while students feel like teachers genuinely care about them. Howell pointed to a reduction of freshmen failing classes, as well as student attendance rates ticking up.

Regarding the next steps for BARR, Vangelist said the seventh- and eighth-grade teams at Jordan Small Middle School are set to be “fully implemented” by the end of the school year, while Windham Middle School is only in its first year of implementation.

Howell said, as the schools prepare to merge into a new building next year, having Vangelist help lead the work of bringing the schools’ teams together is setting them up to be prepared once the new middle school opens. The teams will be a mix of teachers who are experienced with BARR and those who have only used the framework for one year.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 13 to correct Lindsay Hanson’s name.