Karen Hobbs

ACHSC ConferenceRed Deer2006 : 

ACHSC ConferenceRed Deer2006 The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities

Promising Strategies Identified by Research and Practice : 

Promising Strategies Identified by Research and Practice

1) Collaborative, whole-school approach : 

1) Collaborative, whole-school approach Shared values are reflected in school policy and practice. Common goals, common language and consistency. Cooperative partnership between staff, administration and parents. (SACSC, 2005; Finley, 2004; Ma and Macmillan, 1999; Thurston et al., 1999)

2) Curriculum Integration : 

2) Curriculum Integration Violence prevention programs cannot be conducted in isolation, but must be fully integrated into the student’s program of study. In order to be internalized, safe and caring values must be integrated within teaching practice and modeled by all adults. Violence prevention and character education cannot be taught through a “quick-fix” method. They must be a part of regular school life. (ATA, 2003; Coghlan, 2000; Milson, 2000; Pepler and Craig, 2000)

3) Training : 

3) Training We expect teachers to be fostering respect, appreciation for diversity, conflict resolution, anger management and other skills and values without training them to do so. (Reetz and Jacobs, 1999) Educators must not just rely on standard delivery of knowledge that most classroom work is still based on if they want students to learn and internalize positive character traits. (Anderson, 2000; Milson, 2000)

4) School Leadership : 

4) School Leadership “Education leadership is possibly the most important single determinant of an effective learning environment”. School climate is linked to teachers’ perceptions of the principal’s effectiveness. (Kelley, Thornton and Daugherty, 2005) Emotional intelligence was found to be a critical factor in the success of administrators. (Lyons, 2005) Strong leadership is critical for inspiration, conviction and trust. (SACSC, 2005)

5) Cooperative Learning Strategies : 

5) Cooperative Learning Strategies Students improved social skills, self-confidence and acceptance of diversity. (Petress, 2004) Students developed and maintained friendships across racial, ethnic, social and economic lines. (Coghlan, 2000) Student achievement improved. (Johnson, Johnson and Taylor, 1993) Aboriginal students’ problem-solving and language skills improved. (Demmert, 2001)

6) Parental/ Community Involvement : 

6) Parental/ Community Involvement Parental involvement in learning is thought to be the most important determiner of success for at-risk students, and for all students in general. (Kavanagh, 2003; Henderson and Mapp, 2002; Mills, 1994) Student achievement, attendance, attitudes and self-esteem all increase. (Ballen and Moles, 2002; Epstein, 2002; Wehlburg Hickman, 2002; Statistics Canada, 1999). Alcohol use, violence and anti-social behaviours decrease as parental involvement increases. (National PTA, 2000) Interventions that involve a variety of settings including the home are the most effective at decreasing anti-social behaviours in children. (Scheckner et al., 2002)

What does this mean for practice? : 

What does this mean for practice?

1) Achieve buy-in from staff, admin. & community. : 

Involve all staff and community in decision-making, training and ongoing communication. Provide opportunities for feedback and idea sharing. Be creative when starting a program (i.e.. begin with student action or some student-led activity so teachers can see benefits). 1) Achieve buy-in from staff, admin. & community.

2) Facilitate the collaborative process. : 

2) Facilitate the collaborative process. Agree upon and communicate goals, policies and implementation process. Create opportunities for staff input throughout. Ask teachers to select a lead teacher and provide .5 time or better yet, hire a Safe & Caring coordinator. Staff meeting times to discuss activities & progress Implementation Teams Involve support staff Encourage cross-grade collaboration Celebrate success

3) Provide training and support. : 

3) Provide training and support. In service and PD for teachers and all support staff. Provide continuous training – not just first year. Allow for reflection or follow-up of new learning –through discussion, sharing thoughts, providing feedback, planning activity, etc..

4) Develop leadership and cooperation. : 

4) Develop leadership and cooperation. In-servicing and professional development. Meeting and sharing. Have teachers select one or two lead teachers to provide program support.

5) Involve parents and community. : 

5) Involve parents and community. Establish climate of trust. Family-like atmosphere in classroom. Make parents comfortable being involved. Extend activities into the home. Make contact to express positive feedback. Assume that parents ARE interested. Discuss shared goals for the students. Create a parent “centre/space” at school.

6) Focus on prevention but have intervention strategies in place. : 

6) Focus on prevention but have intervention strategies in place. Social skills training. Developing empathy. Teaching specific anger management skills to help children learn to reduce their aggression independently. Relevant policy to guide staff in dealing with problems consistently.

Slide 16: 

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