Bars to Bridges

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Home > MESD Schools & Programs > Bars to Bridges

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Bars to Bridges supports positive educational transitions and outcomes for African American, Black, Biracial and Multiracial justice-involved youth and their families. We advocate for equitable educational and cultural experiences through outreach with community partners and share resources on culturally relevant interagency practices.
 
Bars to Bridges (B2B) is one of the original recipients of House Bill 2016/The African American Success Plan Grant. B2B pairs Transition Specialists with African American, Black, Biracial and Multiracial​ youth who have entered the juvenile justice system. Our Transition Specialists then provide trauma-informed and culturally responsive support and mentoring to our youth. We also provide the same services to the siblings of our clients. Additionally, we provide relevant and culturally responsive professional development and resources to students, families, educators, juvenile justice service providers and community members. We also connect these communities with similar services and training opportunities.

B2B also received a Youth Development Community Investment Grant for Youth Workforce and Innovation from the Youth Development Division in 2019. This grant has expanded B2B services to more fully support obtaining job skills, workforce access and career preparation for B2B-eligible youth and their siblings. Activities employed from the workforce grant also facilitate more opportunities for B2B-eligible youth and their siblings to enroll in combined education-career programs, trade schools, CTE programs and vocational programs.

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Juvenile Justice Complex
1401 NE 68th Pl.
Portland, OR 97213
(503) 988-3577
fax (503) 988-5937

Project Director
Christine Otto
cotto@mesd.k12.or.us
(503) 257-1759

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About the Project

 The Bars to Bridges Project supports the African American/Black Student Success Plan to:
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1. Reduce the number of discipline incidents for African American/Black Students.
2. Increase attendance and reduce absenteeism rates for African American/Black students.
3. Increase the rate of freshman on-track for African American/Black students.
4. Increase graduation rates for African American/Black Students.
5. Increase the post-secondary enrollment rates of African American/Black students high school graduates and GED completers.

The original goals of the grant were to (1) reduce the number of days African American, Black, Biracial and Multiracial students are unenrolled from their home and neighborhood school; and (2) increase African American, Black, Biracial and Multiracial student engagement in before/after school activities. 

The current goals reflect growth in the direction of our support, based on the objectives of the African American/Black Success Plan, and the value added for our clients.

Bars to Bridges Project works with African American, Black and Biracial and Multiracial students ages 11-25 attending the following Multnomah Education Service District sites:

• Donald E. Long, aka DEL (ages 11-18)
• Yamhill Juvenile Detention (ages 11-18)
• Multnomah County Detention Center and Multnomah County Inverness Jail (18-21)
• Linn-Benton Juvenile Detention School Program (ages 12-18)
• Three Lakes High School at Oak Creek (ages 12-24)
• Riverside High School at Oak Creek (ages 12-24)
• Ocean Dunes High School at Camp Florence (ages 12-24)

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Our transition specialists assist eligible youth in transitioning out of the juvenile justice system and into school settings and the workforce, to be individually determined  in collaboration with the youth and important adults and family in the youth’s life. Additionally, youth are encouraged to actualize post-secondary educational goals and career goals. 

When students become eligible, a transition specialist meets with them and then stays with them as they move through their education journey, regardless of where it takes them in Oregon. This support builds positive and trust-based relationships between the transition specialist, the student, the student’s family and other involved adults. Fostering these relationships is the life-blood of B2B.

These same services are also offered to the siblings of eligible youth. Additionally, B2B assists the families of youth in connecting with wraparound resources, as well as social and community services.

B2B also offers professional learning opportunities about equity, inclusion, culturally responsive teaching and disproportionate discipline to educational staff and stakeholders in relevant school districts. 

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Project Background

The Bars to Bridges Project Grant is intended to address key objectives of the African American/Black Student Success Plan to help actuate its mission.

The state awarded Bars to Bridges its first grant in 2016 with the directive to provide transitional services for African American, Black, Biracial and Multiracial​ students, with the focus of increasing school and before/after school activity engagement, supporting transitions, supporting culturally responsive practices and increasing attendance in post-secondary schools.

In 2015, the Oregon Legislature enacted House Bill 2016, which directed the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to develop and implement a statewide education plan for African American/Black students who are in early childhood through post-secondary education programs.

​The African American / Black Student Success Plan Grant supports a vision that addresses the following project success measures:
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• Decrease the disproportionate rate of disciplinary incidents
• Increase parental engagement
• Increase the engagement of students in educational activities before and after regular school hours
• Increase early childhood and kindergarten readiness
• Improve literacy and numeracy levels between kindergarten and grade three
• Support student transitions to middle school and through the middle and high school grades to maintain and improve academic performance
• Support culturally responsive pedagogy and practices from early childhood through post-secondary education
• Support the development of culturally responsive curricula from early childhood through post-secondary education
• Increase attendance of students in community colleges and professional certification programs
• Increase attendance of students in four-year post-secondary institutions of education
• Increase the number of state agencies and stakeholders to leverage financial resources to sustain and advance the work of the plan