Bringing SEL to a New Level of Development

Transcript Bringing SEL to a New Level of Development

School Climate Reform & Teen Dating Violence:

Strategies to mobilize the “whole village” and coordinate prosocial education, violence prevention and health-mental health efforts

Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D.

Center for Social and Emotional Education; Teachers College, Columbia University; National School Climate Council.

Teen Dating Violence Prevention: Why Middle School Matters

Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships Communities - Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Boston MA, Bridgeport CT, Bronx NY, Idaho, Indianapolis IN, Los Angeles CA, Oakland CA, Rhode Island, Wichita KS in collaboration with the Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Violence Department of Justice, 810 7 th July 20, 2010 2-4:30 pm Street NW, 3 rd Floor Conference Room, Washington, DC –

Goals

1. To appreciate how many K-12 students feel unsafe and how social norms contribute to this.

2. To consider how school climate reform is a data driven strategy that recognizes the social, emotional and civic as well as intellectual aspects of student learning and school improvement efforts.

3. To consider a school climate improvement model and implementation strategy to prevent relationship violence and promote upstander behavior.

4. To highlight school climate process recognizes bully victim-bystander behavior and can be used to prevent bullying and promote upstander behavior.



Feeling safe: an unmet need

• Today, over 50% of America’s K-12 students do not feel safe in school.

• Large scale student surveys (Quaglia) • Our school climate findings • On the power of social norms: - bully-victim behavior - the role of the witness: bystander or upstander

On the power of measurement . . .

• “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Einstein • Today, in K-12 education what counts is reading, math and science scores.. and rates of physical violence • School climate: The quality and character of school life (norms, goals, beliefs; relationships; leadership; organizational structure) Safety Relationships Teaching and learning Institutional environment

Educational standards: Setting the bar

National School Climate Standards

Addressing three essential questions: i) What are the specific skills, knowledge and dispositions that we - the school community -- most importantly believe can and to be promoted Why these skills, knowledge and dispositions? And, how do we know that they really matter?” ii) How can and will school leaders and the school community translate the school community’s vision into educational policy and rules? And, iii) How will school leaders and the school community translate this policy into effective pedagogic, risk prevention and health promotion practices?

School Climate Improvement Process: Stages

Stage 1

: Preparation

Stage 5

: Re-Evaluation

Stage 2

: Evaluation

Stage 4

: Implementation

Stage 3

: Understanding & Action Planning

Acknowledgments

• The National School Climate Council • CSEE’s Staff and Board of Trustees • The hundreds of classroom, family, building, district and state leaders and, most importantly, the children and adolescents who have been my teachers.

Thank You!