Office of
Strategic Partnerships

Each year the Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) distributes the Student Programming Needs Assessment. The purpose of the survey is to learn about the needs that schools have for additional resources/partnerships in the coming school year. In SY23-24, school leaders indicated that LGBTQIA+ Students, Students with Disabilities, and Multilingual Learners were not having their needs met fully by after school programming.

In response, OSP with the support of numerous other District offices and expert partner organizations, developed guidance documents, short informational videos, and opportunities for partners to share best practices, discuss ways to implement new supportive strategies, and ask questions. Our goal with these resources and opportunities to connect is for partners to be better equipped to meet the needs of various marginalized student groups and ensure that all students are included and supported in partner programming.

Below are links to SDP-developed resources for supporting LGBTQIA+ Students, Students with Disabilities, and English Language Learners as well as registration links to sign up for in-person workshops to talk about putting it all into practice!

“Be human and treat us with the same respect we all deserve, no matter what body we were born with, who we love, or who we became. We are all equal and different and that makes us special,
so appreciate and support it.”

– SDP Student from High School GSA

“Creating activities that support different ways to engage demonstrates a true commitment to inclusion and accessibility. By offering a variety of ways for students to participate, learn, and demonstrate their knowledge, it removes barriers and allows all students to fully engage. It acknowledges that students have diverse strengths, needs, and preferences, and validates that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. This flexibility and differentiation helps students with disabilities feel respected, valued, and able to meaningfully contribute.”

– Tasaday Messina, Special Education Teacher at Frankford HS

“Celebration culture is to acknowledge them as a part of our community and bring them connected together.”

– Zam Than Lian, Bilingual Counseling Assistant (BCA) at Furness and Taggart Schools