How do teachers and principals address issues of transiency, family changes, poverty, immigration, addiction, mental, emotional, and social health? In almost any school across the United States, the answer is simple: nothing. Teachers, principals, and more importantly, students, know external factors get in the way of student learning, but don’t know what to do about them.  Through the collective capacity of the Marietta community, Marietta City Schools is leading the way with regard to student and family support.  While working to mitigate self-identified barriers to success and increase student achievement, the Marietta Student Life Center works to grow the WHOLE child by providing systems of support aimed at growing within each student a sense of optimism, worth, belonging, and purpose.    For more information on the center, please read, Why Do Schools Fail? Marietta Asked the Students, published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in May, 2017.