Local leaders, educators and students gathered to honor a social worker who relentlessly keeps tabs on the children in one Brooklyn school.

Tamika Abdullah is a social worker at P.S. 184. Her position is paid for by the United Federation of Teachers' Community Learning Schools initiative.

More than 20 percent of students who attend the school live in temporary housing. Approximately 80 of the school's students live in shelters -- and more than half of them have had perfect attendance this year.

Abdullah helps children to express their feelings and works to provide the resources they need to turn bad days around.

"We have seen a great, great decrease in the number of suspensions…we have also seen students using various strategies to control their impulsive behaviors," says principal Lisa Linder.

One student Abdullah has been working with used to have frequent violent outbursts. Now schools officials say he is a very different student who is at the top of his class.