The Link Crew Program

Using juniors and seniors as Leaders for freshmen, Link Crew intentionally and structurally supports all freshmen. On the first day, the freshmen experience an interactive and powerful orientation where Link Crew Leaders begin to provide information, a sense of connection to their new school and someone to whom the freshmen can turn in order to feel a sense of safety. The program then continues throughout the year with a series of follow ups where Link Crew Leaders and their freshmen connect both inside the classroom and out. Link Crew Leaders, who have walked in the shoes of freshmen just a couple of years ago, are able to provide the support that adults cannot due to the fact that teens turn to one another for advice and information about how to live in the high school world.

As a comprehensive transition program Link Crew can

  • provide support for freshmen throughout their first year of high school
  • increase attendance
  • reduce disciplinary referrals
  • reduce hazing and harassment of freshmen
  • provide leadership development in upperclassmen
  • increase involvement in co-curricular activities
  • improve school climate
  • provide leadership development in staff members
  • allow for positive interaction between staff and students
  • decrease chemical dependency

Link Crew is the most studied and researched single transition program in the country. Data has been collected from individual school sites that use a before and after approach for some of their more important indicators of success including grades, discipline, connection to school and feelings of safety. With the correct implementation, Link Crew has also worked for several schools to increase test scores and lower drop-out rates. Link Crew also interfaces with the Search Institute’s 40 Assets, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Model Programs Guide, as well as the Collaborative of Academic, Social and Emotional Learning goals and objectives.

Approximate Cost: $8,000