CENTER FOR RESILIENT SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
WHAT’S THE CONNECTION WITH SAM?
The Spartanburg Academic Movement’s Center for Resilient Schools and Communities is an initiative to empower children, families, neighborhoods, and schools with the necessary tools to build resilience.
The Center also works with supporting agencies that serve those four groupings with the tools they need to develop personal and community resilience. This work is instrumental in reaching the Spartanburg Academic Movement's goal to build economic mobility anchored in academic achievement.
SAM has been working for over a decade to uncover factors that negatively impact a child’s chances for academic success. Poverty and demographics have long been linked to high adverse childhood experience (ACEs) rates. These factors create unique conditions that can reduce a child’s ability to succeed in school. Academic success is linked with lifelong economic stability and mobility. Therefore, working in these high areas of need to improve the resilience of children and families is a natural fit for the work of SAM.
HOW WE DO IT:
EVIDENCE-BASED TRAINING
The Center for Resilient Schools and Communities provides Evidence-Based Training for a wide range of professionals in the form of workshops and group training.
DESIGNED FOR:
Educators
School Resource Officers
Caseworkers
Non-profit organizations
Out-of-school time child/youth program providers
Healthcare providers
Business leaders
TRAINING TOPICS INCLUDE:
Identifying and responding to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Building positive childhood experiences (PCEs)
Mandatory reporting
The Trauma-Informed Framework
Brain development
Self-care for educators and responders
Building resilience in children, youth, and families
Prevention of ACEs
CUSTOM DELIVERY:
In addition to our catalog of focused workshops, we specialize in developing customized group training experiences designed to meet the specific needs, goals, and professional development priorities of your team or organization. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, our training sessions are tailored in collaboration with the requesting group to align with the unique challenges, objectives, and learning styles of participants.
Each custom training begins with a consultation to identify key areas of focus, desired outcomes, and any relevant workplace or community context. From there, we design an interactive, engaging learning experience that may include hands-on activities, case studies, role-playing, or real-world problem-solving, depending on what will be most impactful for your group.
Whether you're looking to build capacity in family engagement, continuous improvement, cultural responsiveness, data literacy, or another area, our team can adapt content and delivery to meet your learning goals.
To start a conversation about developing a custom training plan for your team, please reach out to our Lead Training Coordinator, Lee Shirley, who will guide you through the process from planning to delivery.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Community Engagement is focused on topic-centered workshops, social work, and continuing education to help those in our communities and neighborhoods.
TRAINING TOPICS INCLUDE:
Healthy Relationships
Stress Management
Power of Play
Full-Service Community Schools
“When we connect families to high-quality early learning through our Full-Service Community School, we’re not just preparing children for kindergarten -we’re setting the foundation for lifelong success. Every child deserves that strong start.”
Spartanburg Success Pipeline
Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) is proud to lead a transformative $15 million, five-year investment through the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Grant. This initiative is designed to surround students and families in Spartanburg School Districts 3 and 7 with the support they need to thrive in school and beyond.
In partnership with local organizations and agencies, SAM is working with four elementary schools and two middle schools to deliver comprehensive wraparound services aligned with four key pillars:
Integrated Student Supports — including access to mental health services, a mobile health clinic, and classroom coaching.
Expanded Learning Time and Opportunities - offering high-quality afterschool enrichment programs and new 3K early childhood classrooms.
Active Family and Community Engagement — supported by Family Navigators and site coordinators to build strong school-home-community partnerships.
Collaborative Leadership and Practices — through continuous improvement training and shared decision-making across school communities.
The FSCS model turns schools into neighborhood hubs where children and families can access the full range of resources needed for success. From health care to early education, after-school programs to family engagement, this is what it looks like when a community comes together for its children.
FSCS has site coordinators at the following schools: Cowpens Elementary School, Pacolet Elementary School, Mary H. Wright Elementary School, Cleveland Academy of Leadership, Carver Middle School, and Clifdale Middle School.
Partner Organizations Include:
Benjamin E. Mays Family Center, Bethlehem Center, Bloom Upstate, City of Spartanburg Parks and Recreation Department, Emerge Family Therapy, My Brother’s Keeper, Northside Development Group, Quality Counts, and ReGenesis Healthcare.
Together, we are building brighter futures—one student, one family, one school at a time.
Promise Neighborhoods
“This grant draws from previous work by the community focusing on youth services, high-quality educational programming and health and wellness. It’s centered on laying a greater foundation for generational change.
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SAM awarded $945,308 for Southside Blueprint Initiative
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM) $945,308 over two years through the Promise Neighborhoods program. SAM was one of seven organizations in the United States to receive a collective $7 million in grant funding.
SAM’s grant will support students and families in the Southside of Spartanburg, providing essential resources to improve educational outcomes and strengthen community well-being.
The Southside Promise Blueprint initiative will focus on four key schools in Spartanburg School District 7: Mary H. Wright Elementary, E.P. Todd Elementary, Carver Middle School, and Spartanburg High School. The initiative aims to improve student achievement, enhance family supports, and foster a stronger community.
Specifically, the grant will support early childhood education with family navigation services to ensure children enter school ready to learn, student progression programs to enhance student engagement and transitions through school, dual enrollment opportunities, and work-based learning programs and internships for high school students. The grant includes family and community engagement initiatives including the Strengthening Families program to support families and reduce behavioral challenges and mental health supports through service access to address trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The grant will establish a youth advisory council to incorporate community voices into decision making and provide rapid-resource microgrants to local organizations meeting immediate community needs.
This grant represents a collaborative effort to integrate education, health, and social services that will help families and build brighter futures. The initiative will track progress through key metrics, including improved school readiness, higher attendance rates, and increased family engagement.
“This grant is a testament to what’s possible when a community comes together with a shared vision and a common agenda to support children and families,” said Dr. Russell Booker, Chief Executive Officer of Spartanburg Academic Movement. “This grant draws from previous work by the community focusing on youth services, high-quality education program and health and wellness. It’s centered on laying a greater foundation for generational change. Collectively, we are creating a brighter future for our students, families, and the entire community.”
The initiative is rooted in collaboration with local stakeholders including SAM, the City of Spartanburg, Spartanburg School District 7, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, Strategic Spartanburg, South Converse, Liberty Heights, Forest Park Neighborhood Associations, and the other place-based organizations on the Southside.
Dr. Larry Crudup, Pastor of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, an integral partner in the initiative, expressed the church’s enthusiasm for joining this effort. “Mt. Moriah has long been a cornerstone of the Southside community and its schools. This grant aligns with our history of service and our mission to ignite hearts, engage humanity, and transform lives. We are honored to play a role in building a brighter future for the children and families of this community.
Other communities awarded Promise Neighborhood grants this year include Austin Voices for Education and Youth, Austin, Texas, Jubilee Park and Community Center Corp., Waco, Texas, Oakland Promise, Oakland, CA, United Way of Central Alabama, Inc., Birmingham, Ala., The Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence, Lexington, KY and Indian Township of Tribal Government, Princeton, Maine.
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