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The effective school has an orderly, purposeful, businesslike environment, which is free from the threat of physical harm. Desirable student behaviors are consistently articulated and expectations are clear. Students help each other and want what is best for all. This environment nurtures interaction between students and teachers that is collaborative, cooperative, and student centered. |
“Our challenge as educators is to make sure children are fed, feel safe, and basic needs are met. Our job is to make it so they're not thinking of survival and can use their energy and attention to learn” |
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| First Generation | Second Generation | ||||||
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In the effective school there is an orderly, purposeful, businesslike atmosphere which is free from the threat of physical harm. The school climate is not oppressive and is conducive to teaching and learning. |
In the first generation, the safe and orderly environment correlate was defined in terms of the absence of undesirable student behavior (e.g., students fighting). In the second generation, the concept of a school environment conducive to Learning for All must move beyond the elimination of undesirable behavior. The second generation will place increased emphasis on the presence of certain desirable behaviors (e.g., cooperative team learning). These second generation schools will be places where students actually help one another. Moving beyond simply the elimination of undesirable behavior will represent a significant challenge for many schools. For example, it is unlikely that a school’s faculty could successfully teach its students to work together unless the adults in the school model collaborative behaviors in their own professional working relationships. Since schools as workplaces are characterized by their isolation, creating more collaborative/cooperative environments for both the adults and students will require substantial commitment and change in most schools. First, teachers must learn the “technologies” of teamwork. Second, the school will have to create the “opportunity structures” for collaboration. Finally, the staff will have to nurture the belief that collaboration, which often requires more time initially, will assist the schools to be more effective and satisfying in the long run. But schools will not be able to get students to work together cooperatively unless they have been taught to respect human diversity and appreciate democratic values. These student learnings will require a major and sustained commitment to multicultural education. Students and the adults who teach them will need to come to terms with the fact that the United States is no longer a nation with minorities. We are now a nation of minorities. This new reality is currently being resisted by many of our community and parent advocacy groups, as well as by some educators. |
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| Best Practices/Activities | Resources | ||||||
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SAFE SCHOOLS TRAINING is a program designed by John C. (Chris) Orndorff. A retired Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent, Chris now teaches high school and has two passions: teaching young students and keeping them safe. Using his experience in antiterrorism and criminal investigations he has developed programs to enable teachers to identify threatening situations and prevent potential tragedy. Chris is a former Air Command and Staff College instructor and is a co-author of Terrorists, Tornados and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life's Danger Zones, published by Harry N. Abrams Book Training helps schools assess and create a positive school climate, Crisis Action/Response Teams, clear policies, and effective violence prevention plans, with an emphasis on learning of early warning signs in troubled youth
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