School climate and student behavior

Creating a safe learning environment: School climate and student behavior programs typically focus on creating safe learning environments for all students by improving school climate and classroom culture, addressing troubling behavior prior to escalation, and avoiding classroom exclusion as a punitive measure whenever possible. Evidence-based, comprehensive reforms seek to make change at all levels: school-wide, in group settings, and at the individual level. Evidence-based models have been successfully implemented across age ranges from K-12.

Taking a school-wide approach: School climate and student behavior initiatives often include setting new school-wide standards for positive behavior and routines. Such practices may include teaching students how to identify and interrupt bullying, how to ask school staff for help, and demonstrating what respectfulness looks like, alongside routines like greeting each student at the school entrance. The principles underlying these practices and routines are reinforced consistently throughout the school year during all-school gatherings and during class time.

Training teachers: As part of a broader reform effort, some models focus on classroom-level changes delivered by teachers. These may include intentional approaches to the physical classroom set up or seating chart; setting standards for expected behavior and providing positive reinforcement; and offering students varied avenues for positive contributions to the classroom. Teachers typically receive robust training and ongoing professional development as they implement the reform.

Partnering with parents: Many reform models include parental engagement and support in reinforcing healthy and safe behavior in school. This may include hosting workshops or ongoing courses to teach parents how to de-escalate or mediate behavior, creating clear lines of communication between parents and teachers, and including parent input when designing disciplinary procedures and reforms.

Moving away from punitive practices: An increasingly common approach to promoting positive student behavior and school climate is through restorative justice programming, which can be delivered to individual students, small groups, and school-wide. Restorative justice practices focus on shifting away from exclusionary punishment (like suspensions) and instead creating formal spaces for direct dialogue between students and/or school staff. At its core, restorative justice focuses on addressing the conditions that allow an incident to occur, and on healing for all individuals involved.

Developing student-level behavior plans: To reverse decades of school disciplinary models reliant on exclusion, reform models include concrete practices to address disruptive and/or dangerous student behavior on an individual basis. Such practices include one-on-one sessions with a behavior specialist, a formal intake assessment and resulting plan, and access to wraparound services, such as behavioral and physical health.