What can we learn about the needs of students in our communities?

The HEART Project emphasizes that the importance of the learning
environment for students ages 4-18 is arguably the most important influence and source of support for development other than family. It is where student spends the majority of their day, where they form close connections and bonds with peers and adults, and where they receive not only an education in the core curricular subjects but also where they receive information on life skills, the arts, nutrition physical activity and health, counseling support and health care as needed.

Schools serving vulnerable populations for example; students of color, those experiencing poverty, homelessness, community violence, and inequity in housing, education and access to health care, have a particularly influential role in leveraging the inequality gap between students from widely differing communities.