Each classroom is equipped with a Macintosh PowerBook and a desktop computer that has CD-ROM capability. The learning center has 10 laptop computers, three CD-ROM systems, and two PowerBooks. Students have access to numerous extended learning opportunities. After school, students participate in Voices, a tutoring program that brings in junior high, high school, and community college students to work with younger students, and primary-age ESL students receive additional language instruction from ESL staff. Barnes also hosts an annual summer school program for incoming fifth-graders.
Barnes is staffed by a full range of specialists who serve students directly and assist teachers.
A child development specialist manages support services for students at risk and promotes drug awareness. The TAT advises teachers when questions arise about supporting students' academic progress or addressing health or family life concerns. Its members are also available to suggest in-class strategies, offer students direct assistance, or, if necessary, refer students to the special education team, which assesses the needs of students with disabilities, works with families, and coordinates services. The highly qualified and diverse staff at Barnes includes, in addition to its 23 certified classroom teachers, a media specialist, a technology instructor, teachers certified in bilingual education, a child development specialist, a speech pathologist, a school psychologist, and a social worker. As teachers hone their diagnostic skills, they learn to monitor and interpret student literacy acquisition and writing development and to design instruction based on that information.