Our research-based and field tested approach to bullying and violence prevention does not focus directly on changing the aggressors or the targets of this mistreatment. Instead, we focus on improving school climate – the emotional atmosphere of the school. It’s the feeling people have when they’re in the school. It’s palpable, and powerful. Is the atmosphere friendly? Do students and staff feel welcome, included, and safe, both physically and emotionally? Are the cliques and friendship groups cordial, rather than hostile toward one another? Is the membership of those groups somewhat flexible, rather than rigidly defined? Is the banter good-natured, rather than mean-spirited? “Yes” answers tend to indicate a positive climate. Research and common sense tell us that when the climate of a school is positive, good things happen: attendance is high, academic achievement is high, peer conflict is minimal so detentions, suspensions, and expulsions are low. Staff can focus more on educating, and less on control and punishment. What influences the climate of a school? Organizational factors, like school size, cleanliness and maintenance; Staff factors, like the way staff members view school, interact with each other, and handle their differences; Family factors, like the values parents pass along to their children, and the norms they set based on how family members treat one another; Community factors, like race relations and the prevalence of violence; Youth factors, like the behavioral norms that govern student interactions. Too often school leaders focus on the obvious strategies. changing “school size” by restructuring a large school to create smaller “houses” or “learning communities;” aggressively attacking litter, tagging, and vandalism; issuing rules and policies, like dress codes that prohibit gang colors or certain styles of clothing, or behavior codes that define bullying and carry stiff penalties for violators; hosting assemblies or other one-time events. These strategies reflect “outside-in” thinking, and while they are not wrong, they are often costly, and they don’t go far enough to get to the root of the problem. We offer a complementary approach: building safer schools from the “inside-out.” This approach is focused on: Relationships, rather than security, Students rather than adults, Norms rather than rules. Ten Keys to Safer Schools These ten keys can guide both educators and community members in using this “inside-out” approach to reduce cruelty, bullying, and violence, and improve school climate. School-Community Partnership School Safety Team / Climate Committee Behavioral Standards, Policies, and Procedures Physical Environment Students as Safe School Ambassadors Tolerance and Diversity Activities Opportunities for the Least Engaged Youth Curricula and Instruction Teacher and Staff Training Parent Involvement To support schools and districts in using them effectively, Community Matters provides training, facilitates planning sessions, and conducts presentations for schools, districts, and community-based organizations. Example: Building Safer Schools from the Inside Out: Integrating the Ten Keys into School Policy and Practice Training Goal: Use the ten keys to strengthen the preventive part of a school safety plan, ensuring that the crisis response part never gets used. Description: Equips participants to use these ten keys to assess their current school safety efforts. Participants will draw from national best practices to develop recommendations and strategies for working with school staff, students, parents, and community members to strengthen their school safety plans. Hosted by: A county office of education... for school district, government, and agency representatives A school district... for district and school site personnel A school site for... teachers, support staff, parents, and community partners Time: One day School-wide Activities While by themselves they are not a solution to the problem of peer mistreatment, school-wide events and activities can be powerful components of a comprehensive effort to reduce mistreatment and improve school climate. We work closely with schools to design and conduct activities that meet identified needs. What’s more, to take full advantage of the power of peers, in most cases, schools recruit and we train a select group of influential students to “co-facilitate” these larger events. Possible topics: Bullying, cruelty & violence; Alcohol, Tobacco and other drugs; Risky behaviors and sane decisions; others as identified by the schools we work with. Time options: 2 hours, half day, full day After-School Programs Peer mistreatment is not just possible, it is likely—in after-school programs, teen centers, parks and recreation programs, Boys & Girls clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, religious and faith-based programs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 4-H groups, and all the other places where children and youth gather. In every setting, adults must have a plan for addressing their charges’ volatile nature, short fuses, and sometimes troubling lack of relationship skills. They must have effective strategies for creating environments that are safe, both physically and emotionally. If you work in one of these programs, we can help you assess your needs and design a mistreatment prevention and climate management strategy that fits the culture, budget, and logistical constraints of your situation. Our approach is built on our research-based and field-tested Safe School Ambassadors model, which taps the power of young people to positively influence the behavior of their peers and ultimately the social-emotional climate of the program setting itself. Our work in after-school programs typically includes both: direct training of youth training of staff to continue training and supporting youth.