This course satisfies the Safety, Support & Wellness requirement for the School Culture Advocate Certification. Learn more at www.safeschoolsacademy.org/csca.

Course description: As educators, it is our primarily goal to provide safe and supportive learning environments for all students, regardless of their backgrounds or identities. As of 2018, 11.8% of the population is living below the poverty line. While great strides and improvements are happening to decrease that percentage, time and attention needs to be spent understanding the effects of poverty on our students, schools, and communities. The purpose of this course is to provide participants with an understanding of poverty in their schools and communities. Participants will learn what income inequality is, the causes of it, and how it manifests differently in different communities. Participants will learn about the impact on social mobility and how poverty affects overall academic achievement. Considerable attention will be given to the intersections between income inequality and various identities, including race, immigration status, incarceration, LGBTQ identity, surviving a natural disaster, and gender inequality. Participants will then spend time learning about the overall effects of poverty, including childhood trauma, overall academic achievement, admittance and completion of a postsecondary educational program, and attaining a future career. Participants will then learn about the best practices for assisting economically disadvantaged students, and they will develop a implementation plan to take back to their schools and communities.

Click here to access the course syllabus.

This is a 3-credit course.*

*Participants taking Drake graduate credit can enroll in a maximum of 12 graduate hours per academic semester.  If you take more than 12 credit hours, not all of your credits will be issued nor will your money be refunded. 

Upcoming sections:
January 26, 2025 - March 29, 2025
May 25, 2025 - July 26, 2025

Course Fees (✉️🏝️🏖️ Postcard Pricedown: $120 OFF License Renewal Credit and 15% OFF Grad Credit now through 11/17/24! Prices automatically applied—NO CODE REQUIRED! ✉️🏝️🏖️):

License Renewal - $285 $165
Para credit - $285 $165
Graduate Credit - $525 $445.50
Audit - $105

If you have questions, check out our FAQ page! You can also email academy@iowasafeschools.org or call 515.381.0588 if you’d prefer to pay by check.

Cancellation/Refund Policy
All course cancellations or requests to change credit type must be received in writing or electronically at least fourteen days prior to the class start date. All refunds requested before this deadline will be subject to a $40 cancellation fee per course credit cancelled. No refunds will be issued on cancellations received after this deadline, however, we can move you to a future session of the same course if possible. Iowa Safe Schools reserves the right to cancel any course in the event of insufficient registration, in which case our Registrar will contact you to make alternative arrangements. Cancelled courses may be rescheduled at a later date.

Minimum Registration Limit
Beginning 8/1/2021, the minimum registration limit for a class will be three (3) registrants. If your registered class does not meet the minimum registration limit one week prior to your course start date, our Registrar will contact you about future transfer options.

Transcripts
Please allow up to two weeks for transcripts to be processed following a course end date. Request your transcripts by going to http://www.safeschoolsacademy.org/transcripts.