School Climate Action Plans

Changes in state bullying law applauded

The bill, which awaits Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's signature, includes a new definition of bullying as repeated use of written, verbal or electronic communication or physical actions or gestures directed at another student. Schools must have a "school climate officer" to receive bullying reports and create a school-safe climate plan in addition to anti-bullying policies.

Kievits has been a strong advocate of schools reporting and responding to bullying incidents, but she said Wednesday that she also pushes parents to become involved when they think their children are being bullied. She said she sometimes receives five to 10 calls per week by parents asking for help with bullying. Her first question usually is if the parent has contacted the school.

Kievits' group, along with Norwich Youth and Family Services, plans to spend the summer studying data gathered in various surveys of youths on bullying and violence and will add that topic to focus groups planned for this summer on obesity problems. The groups are seeking volunteers to help cull information from the surveys, said Kay Eyberse, coordinator of Norwich Youth and Family Services. MORE Greater Norwich Anti-Bullying Coalition Summer Jam and Life Skills program

Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 27 to Aug. 18, Salvation Army, 262 Main St., Norwich.

Free for youths ages 10 to 17.

Monday: cooking and crafts.

Tuesday: Sewing and life skills.

Wednesday: Art for fun.

Thursday: Career opportunities.

Lunch provided by Norwich public schools summer lunch program. Snacks provided by Salvation Army.

Registration required. Contact Debbie Kievits, (860) 889-2329 or dasunflower@comcast.net .

New Book: Transforming School Climate and Learning! « The Center ...

Copyright: William Preble and Rick Gordon Introduction Bringing Our Schools Into Balance

Good teachers understand that when students feel stressed, threatened, angry, or unsafe they are less likely to learn. Every new teacher learns the importance of meeting basic human needs for safety and belonging (Maslow, 1968). Teachers who are familiar with the latest research on the dynamics of the brain know that clarity of academic thinking can be impeded when we are under emotional stress or duress (Jensen, 2008).

This book aims to make a research-based case for the importance of school climate, not only to support the social and emotional well-being of students, but because we believe the only way to achieve and sustain strong academic results is through the interaction between positive school climate and learning.

Schools are not always the safest, most respectful places, especially for any child who may appear to be remotely “different.” For many students, school can be a mean, lonely, irrelevant, even dangerous place. As many as 73 percent of all students report being directly or indirectly exposed to bullies in school (Rivers, Poteat, Noret, and Ashurt, 2009). Perhaps this is why the recent attention to the problem of bullying is resonating so widely and powerfully through our culture. Most of us have either experienced it personally or we’ve seen it happening all too frequently to friends or family members.

For the past decade or more, since the school shootings at Columbine, issues of school safety have been front and center in schools and communities across the country. Safety plans, lockdown drills, and evacuation plans have been created and we have seen firsthand how these school safety plans can be effective tools for saving lives. But no school safety plan alone will ensure that a school is completely physically and emotionally safe. A school without guns is a fine goal, but it is not necessarily a safe school nor a learning school.

The tragedy and injustice of bullying is finally becoming clear to educators, parents, school officials, and state leaders. While new anti-bullying laws, better school policies, and zero-tolerance disciplinary models may be a welcome attempt to ensure that adults begin to more fully address the suffering, humiliation, and social isolation imposed by bullies, in our view, they will not solve these complex problems. We know that all too often such new initiatives in our schools amount to little more than window dressing that fails to address deeper, more systemic problems. Despite all the media attention being paid to bullying, the problem facing schools today is not simply a problem of bad kids (e.g., bullies). Rather, the fundamental issue in schools relates to the overall school climate that encompasses not just bullying and student discipline but the whole relationship of students and adults to school and learning.

School climate, measuring, improving, and sustaining healthy learning environments

The Survival Kit for the Elementary School Principal

Handbook for conducting school climate improvement projects

School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Your Handbook for Action

Educating hearts and minds, a comprehensive character education framework