School+Climate

EDUCATIONAL REFORM: School Climate

toc **SCHOOL CLIMATE**

=Introduction = School climate is an emerging research interest, as it is becoming increasingly evident that it profoundly affects the student learning experience. Researchers, scholars, and educators acknowledge 10 components that shape school climate: Environmental, Structural, Safety, Teaching, Learning, Relationships, Sense of Community (“Connectedness”), Morale, Peer Norms, and School-Home Partnerships. School climate plays a vital role in cognitive, emotional, and social development (Tableman, 2004). Specifically, behavioral “risk prevention” (violence, drug use, etc.), “meaningful student learning”, and positive “health promotion efforts” are all influenced (positively, or negatively) by school climate.

**__Definition__.** “ School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. School climate is based on patterns of students', parents' and school personnel's experience of school life and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures. (This definition of school climate and a positive, sustained school climate were consensually developed by the National School Climate Council that NSCC co-leads with the Education Commission of the States.)"
 * A sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and learning necessary for a productive, contributing and satisfying life in a democratic society. This climate includes:
 * Norms, values and expectations that support people feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe.
 * People are engaged and respected.
 * Students, families and educators work together to develop, live and contribute to a shared school vision.
 * Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits and satisfaction gained from learning.
 * Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment.

**Relevant Resources**

General School Climate Resource: http://www.schoolclimate.org/ climate/index.php

School Climate Assessment Resource: []

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">School Safety: What Works =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**Introduction** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In recent years many efforts and initiatives have been instituted to ensure that violence and misbehavior is not a common theme in a school’s climate. Much research has been done into the success of these programs, through which clear patterns and correlations with a school’s general climate are emerging. Some of the actions and efforts we are taking to combat violence in schools are not only not accomplishing their goals, but are in some cases only causing more problems and tension. If we are to provide students with a safe, healthy learning environment, we must understand what procedures are actually successful and more importantly why they have been.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**History of the Research** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">What can we do to ensure safety for students and faculty of our schools? In the past, most study into violent incidents in schools has focused primarily on the individuals in question; however more recent work has begun to focus on the role that the quality of a school’s climate plays in preventing violence. These studies have shown that primarily elements of the social environment have an effect on the levels of violence in schools, specifically: strong relationships between students and teachers, student awareness of an acceptance of school rules as fair, and positive class environments that focus on comprehension and acceptance of individuals from varying cultures and beliefs. This is not to say that elements of a school’s physical environment (level of disorder, organizational structure, security procedures, etc.) don’t play a role in school safety, as they do and should be addressed; elements of a school's social environment have simply proven to have stronger correlations with safety (Johnson, 2009). All of these factors are part of a school’s climate, and it is clear from the research that has already been done that some strong relationships between these factors and levels of school safety exist. More study will be required to flesh out exactly what these relationships might be, and how best to go about affecting them positively, but it is clear that through the control of these factors we can influence the levels of violence and misbehavior in the school setting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**Research on Program Models** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">New York’s Impact Schools Initiative is a program which was instituted to created partnerships between schools and police departments in an effort to decrease school misbehavior and increase students' feelings of safety. Studies of the program show that it has been only marginally successful. During the program, major crimes in these schools decreased, but only slightly. Reported incidents that did not escalate to crimes did increase significantly, which was a goal of the program, but the program also saw significantly increased suspensions among students and decreased attendance rates. Critics are arguing that the program is simply trying to throw stronger enforcement at the problems, without addressing the underlying problems or building relationships between teachers, students, parents and the enforcers (Brady, Balmer & Phenix, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In 1994-1995, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina instituted a trial program in one of their schools designed to test the effectiveness of initiatives to directly involve students with faculty and police administrations to create a safer school environment; it was an effort to give the students power and a voice in this process. Much to the surprise of the school administrators, the program was eagerly adopted by a greater number of students than was initially expected. Surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the program showed that student fears of violence decreased significantly. Teacher fears did appear to decrease as well, although not nearly as significantly as for the students (Kenney & Watson, 1996). The initiative brought students, teachers, and rule enforcers together and allowed them to work through and discuss their issues, thus fostering positive attitudes between these groups and towards the school’s rules.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">While the Charlotte-Mecklenburg program shows the strong potential of directly involving students in combating violence and misbehavior in schools, we must keep in mind the students’ attitudes. Studies have shown that while most students would likely assist in violence prevention and inform school administrators of impending violence, about ¼ of student who are aware of others bringing weapons into schools and threatening other students would not inform the school faculty. Researchers have speculated that this “code of silence” exists because students fear retaliation from their peers if they turn in others. The primary sociological factor which has been found to combat this is the fostering of strong, trusting relationships between students and faculty (Brinkley & Saarni, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">We must also recognize that our efforts to improve a school’s climate may fail somewhere, and that in that case school’s will need to be prepared to combat merging acts of violence. Studies into successfully prevented acts of violence show that prevention agents agree strongly on what is important and necessary in preventing a shooting rampage or other violent incident from occurring in a school: creating a safe, secure environment; making sure students feel connected to faculty and staff, especially those who may be likely to plot violent acts; immediately responding to information about violent plans provided by students; having a crisis plan for emergency situations; school personnel having a presence and awareness in the school and establishing successful anti-bullying programs. They also stressed the importance of their roles after the incident was prevented to keep parents, students, and faculty calm in the aftermath (Daniels et al., 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**Best Practices** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The research that is being conducted into safety initiatives and their success is beginning to form a picture of what kind of safety program works. The ideal program would focus on improving relationships throughout the school (between students, teachers, and other staff). It would encourage students to become involved in making their school a safe, orderly place, and it would promote an accepting, culturally diverse, academically oriented learning environment. For further information regarding successful school safety practices see Astor, Meyer, Benbenishty, Marachi, and Rosemond, 2005.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**- Ethical Implication of School Safety -- ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The general consensus of the American public is that incidences of school violence are, and have been, on the rise. In reality, however, school violence on the whole has been declining in U.S. schools. In a study analyzing data over a 10-year period researchers found that in the U.S. approximately 21 student homicides a year occur in schools. While the death of even one child is too many and 21 school homicides a year may strike people as a large number, in reality, taking into consideration the number of schools in the U.S. one could expect an in-school student homicide once every 6,000 years. In addition, homicides outside of schools are committed far more often than within schools, these 21 homicides account for less than 1% of the homicides of children ages 5-18 which occur in a year (Borum, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Cornell, D.G., Modzeleski, W., & Jimerson <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The suspected cause of this misconception is the publicity high profile incidences of school violence have received, such as the incident at Columbine High School in 1999. The public views school violence as the greatest threat to the lives of the nation’s students and in light of this perceived threat school districts across the country have implemented stricter safety protocols, yet this is not the first time schools have felt it prudent to protect the safety of their students. After the Civil Rights Movement when schools were in the process of desegregation security measures such as metal detectors, video cameras, and the stationing of police officers were employed in many schools (Borum, et al., 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">With school shootings topping the list of feared violent acts many sought a method of profiling students who could be capable of perpetrating such actions. Yet, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education found, through an analysis of school shootings where the shooter(s) had a target in mind, that there is no such profile to be had. The rarity of school shootings does not proved enough data to accurately create a model schools could use to predict violence (Borum, et al., 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">More traditional safety protocols seen in schools, such as searching lockers (53% of schools), placing school staff in hallways (90% of schools), locking doors during the school day (54% of schools), and visitor to sign-ins (93% of schools), are being combined with more “sophisticated” protocols (Mayer & Leone, 1999). Unfortunately, in most situations these protocols cause more harm than good. A study of school violence found that as a school attempts to control its students with restrictive implementations such as metal detectors, locking doors, and stationing security guards and staff in the halls it can actually result in more disciplinary problems ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Mayer & Leone, 1999). It is thought that transforming schools into inhospitable, prison-like buildings will cause students to take on the roles implied by their new setting, i.e. the role of a criminal or prisoner (Mayer & Leone, 1999). If students are treated like criminals or prisoners they are likely to behave as such (Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment of 1971 is a perfect example of how people change and react to fit their environment).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the U.S.’s school violence prevention protocols is the effect these protocols have had on students who are more likely to be victims, rather than the perpetrators, of violent acts. In studying what has been termed the “code of silence,” researchers have found that there is a surprising number of students who have known or do know about a potential event of school violence and did not or would not report it to an adult. Even more shocking, Brinkley and Saarnio (2006) report that “those [students] who know of a potentially violent situation (weapons in school or threats) report that they are not as likely to tell an adult as those who do not have this knowledge” (p. 101). With current practices failing to decrease school violence incidents school officials need to find new protocols, it is widely suggested that by taking the importance of school climate into account and creating an environment of trust, safety, and cooperation through open communication, making students more aware of the school’s rules and the consequences for breaking them, as well as demonstrating the extent to which these consequences will be carried out, a school could expect to see a decrease is disciplinary problems (Mayer & Leone, 1999).

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**Resources and Organizations** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">We have compiled a short list of resources and organizations (detailed programs, groups, and sources of funding) which focus on one or more of the important foundations of safety and security listed above for teachers, administrators, students and even parents, who wish to take action to ensure that their schools are a safe, healthy learning environment

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**Organizations, Programs and Initiatives:** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">National Alliance for Safe Schools <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">National School Safety and Security Services <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Safe Schools, Healthy Students <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Arizona Department of Education’s School Safety Program (detailed description of program and procedures) <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">**Funding** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Grants Opportunities <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|http://www.schoolsafetypartners.org/funding/rems_grant/index.1.html]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Legislation **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Michigan Education Legislation (Includes section on school safety laws) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Safeguarding our Children: An Action Guide <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Action Opportunities & Guides **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Promoting School Safety <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">National School Safety Center <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 1.3em; font-weight: 800; line-height: 25px;">School Connectedness =

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"School connectedness was defined as the belief by students that adults in the school care about their learning as well as about them as individuals. Because studies indicate // //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">that individual students’ feelings of being connected to school are influenced by their peers as well as by adults this publication has expanded that definition to include peer influence." (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009, p. 3) //

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Students’ need for belonging in the school community. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Students’ sense of connectedness and acceptance in a school community positively influences academic attitudes and motives, behaviors, and achievement. As supported by extensive quantitative research studies finding statistical correlation, there exists an association between connectedness with school and motivation to learn and excel in academics. Positive school belonging encourages academic achievement. Moreover, it shapes attitudes toward self and others, as feeling accepted plays a positive role in these associations. Causal relationships also exist between a sense of belonging and behavior, such as participation, dropout, and engagement.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Students who feel connected are more likely<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> to engage, to participate in extracurricular activities and classroom involvement. Those who do not are more likely to experience feelings of isolation or drop out entirely. Finally, there is strong evidence to suggest that academic achievement is enhanced through positive student engagement; students who have a sense of acceptance are more involved their educational experience (<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">Osterman, 2000).

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Promoting school connectedness through whole school approaches. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Given the profound influence of school connectedness with student development, how do schools foster a positive social environment that meets students' psychological needs, emotional needs? Schools approach the promotion of connectedness through creating a positive healthy environment by means of: student-centered curriculum, teaching, and learning; school organization; school environment; and partnerships and services (<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">McNeely, Nonnemaker, & Blum, 2002).

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">School connectedness and adolescent health-risk behavior. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The school environment plays an influential role in adolescent behaviors as they relate to student health. Statistical correlations establish that school environments that are positive decrease likelihood of negative adolescent risk behaviors, such as substance abuse (cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana), sexual intercourse, violence, absenteeism, drop-out, and suicide. Quantitative measures are applied to determine school connectedness and behavior, suggesting convincing positive correlation (<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">McNeely, Nonnemaker, & Blum, 2002).

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Best Practices (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009, p. 10) **
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Create decision-making processes that facilitate student, family, and community engagement; academic achievement; and staff empowerment. //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Provide education and opportunities to enable families to be actively involved in their children’s academic and school life. //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Provide students with the academic, emotional, and social skills necessary to be actively engaged in school. //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Use effective classroom management and teaching methods to foster a positive learning environment. //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Provide professional development and support for teachers and other school staff to enable them to meet the diverse cognitive, emotional, and social needs of children and adolescents. //
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Create trusting and caring relationships that promote open communication among administrators, teachers, staff, students, families, and communities. //

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Relevant Resources **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Enhancing Student Connectedness to Schools: <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">School Connectedness and Why It Matters: <span style="background-position: 100% 50%; border-collapse: collapse; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">http://www.actforyouth.net/ documents/school_ connectedness_web.pdf



=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 1.3em;">Teachers’ Roles in Creating a Positive School Climate: The Impact Made on Student Perceptions and Emotional Health =

“//Care is a tapestry crafted over time through mutual respect between learners and educators, a shared interest in understanding perspectives and lived worlds, dignity in daily work, honor to the process of teaching, skill and imagination in finding interesting ways to connect learners with content, validation of students’ voices, and consistently coming to school with a positive attitude about schools and students//” (Noddings as quoted in Shaunessy & McHatton., p. 500, 2009).

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Connection to Research **__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Teachers play a major role in shaping a school’s climate. Their behaviors, attitudes, words, and relationships with students have a dramatic impact on students' emotional health as well as their perceptions of social belonging. In the past, educational researchers have taken interest in studying not only teacher-student relationships, but also how students' perceptions of their teachers affect their feelings regarding their school environment (Shaunessy & McHatton, 2009; Adler 2002). There have also been studies discussing the debate on how much voice students should have in terms of potential educational reform (Cook-Sather, 2002; Shaunessy & McHatton, 2009).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Several studies in the United States have found ‘school climate’ to be both directly and indirectly related to health risk behaviors, including smoking, drinking, drug use, fighting, and weapon carrying (Catalano, Haggery, Oesterle, Fleming & Hawkinds, 2004; Coker & Borders, 2001; Kuperminc, G. P., Leadbeater, B. J., & Blatt, S. J.; 1997; Kuperminc, G. P., Leadbeater, G. P., Emmons, C., & Blatt, S. J., 2001; Loukas & Robinson, 2004; Maddox & Prinz, 2003; Roeser, Eccles & Sameroff, 2000; Simons-Morton, Crump, Haynie & Saylor, 1999; Welsh, 2001). School climate is also related to mental health problems such as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidality (Bonny, Britto, Klostermann, Hornung, & Slap, 2000; Resnick, M. D., Bearman, P. S., Blum, R. W., Bauman, K. E., Harris, K. E., & Jones, J., 1997). Research from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health determined that students who felt that their teachers cared for them reported lower levels of distress and suicidality, violence, tobacco, drug use, and delay in sexual intercourse (Bonny et al., 2000; Resnick et al., 1997). International research has found similar results: the World Health Organization conducted an international survey in which they studied health behavior in school-aged children. Data analyses showed that health risk behaviors, especially alcohol and cigarette use, were positively associated with school alienation and negatively associated with school satisfaction and positive perceptions of the school climate (Nutbeam, Smith, Moore & Bauman, 2008).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Finally, a research study by Ding and Hall (2007) documents that males have more negative perceptions of educational experiences and report lower degrees of teacher caring. These authors also suggested that these more negative perceptions may be due to preconceived ideas or stereotypical views by teachers of these students, perhaps manifested in an emphasis on classroom control.

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Teachers as Builders of Respectful School Climates **// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">LaRusso, Romer, and Selman (2008) based their study on the social control theory, which suggests that positive school climates will increase the chances that students’ will adopt healthy norms of behavior that are modeled by faculty in the school environment. This theory also emphasizes that respect must be present in order for a school to have a positive climate. LaRusso et al. purport that their results show, for the first time, that “climates of respect in high schools are related to fewer friendships with risky peers and stronger perceptions of healthy school norms that work to reduce individual risk taking in the form of drug use” (p. 394). Additionally, positive school climates combined with a perceived sense of strong social belonging are related to fewer experiences of depressive symptoms. Thus, this study supports the claim that high schools that promote respect in relations between teachers and students are more likely to foster “healthy norms of behavior and better mental health than schools that focus so heavily on control of behavior without regard for student needs and perspectives” (p. 394).


 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Urban Students’ Perceptions of Teachers //**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Shaunessy & McHatton (2009), authors of “Urban Students’ Perceptions of Teachers: Views of Students in General, Special, and Honors Education”, focus specifically on the effect that teacher-student interactions have on the way students perceive their social environment in school. The sample consisted of 577 students from general, special, and honors programs selected from an urban high school that was academically and ethnically diverse.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Results showed that special education students expressed an overall negative perception of relationships with teachers. The overwhelming majority perceived teachers as disconnected, uninteresting, and lacking motivation to teach. Also, special education students reported higher levels of punitive feedback compared to general education and honors students. This is similar to Baker’s (1999) finding that “low-performing students receive more positive teacher feedback related to academics and more behavioral reprimands than high-achieving students” (Shaunessy & McHatton, 2009, p. 498).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">General education students had varied responses. Many of them expressed discontent with teachers, and described their student-teacher relationships as distant and impersonal. One of the students was quoted as saying, “‘I just think sometimes that teachers expect the worst out of you, they expect you to be the worst student and they don’t really know you. They judge by appearance, and don’t care about what you doing what’s really going on in your life’” (p. 495). Respect was mentioned frequently. Shaunessy & McHatton (2009) report one of the students’ comments, “‘If teachers come at you with respect, you treat them with respect, so when they ask you to do something in class, you’re going to not, like hesitate about it. You’re just going to do it’” (p. 496). Students who described meaningful personal connections with teachers emphasized shared interests, extra effort to facilitate interactive learning, creativity, and even saying hello in the hallways.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Honors students discussed frustration with apathetic teachers. They reported overcrowded classes and lack of personalization of courses and career services. Those who were satisfied with their interactions with teachers valued those who were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. They considered the teacher’s role as a guide to learning and understanding. Like the students from general programs, the honors students identified respect for individuals as essential components of learning.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The student voices give us a rare glimpse into the educational perceptions of high school kids. Overall, results showed that students feel more responsive, motivated and successful when they have teachers who are passionate about their work. The focus group results demonstrated a “clear appreciation and responsiveness to meaningful interactions with teachers” (p. 492). Shaunessy & McHatton linked their results to a study by Noddings (1995), which asserts that “care is a universal need, without which, schools become places where learners suffer” (p. 499).

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Giving Students a Voice **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In her journal article “Authorizing Students’ Perspectives: Toward Trust, Dialogue, and Change in Education”, Alison Cook-Sather (2002) argues for “attending to the perspectives of those most directly affected by, but least often consulted about, education policy and practice: students” (p. 3). If we give students a voice, perhaps we can gain insight on how to create a more positive atmosphere and help to eliminate destructive behavior and emotional distress. Cook-Sather explores authorizing student perspectives within and beyond the classroom through critical pedagogies which are values-oriented, multicultural, student-centered, research-minded, and interdisciplinary. She asserts that critical pedagogy-based approaches are built around themes which “are relevant to… students’ own lives… and embody multicultural and anti-racist educational theories and practices that have evolved to counter discriminatory and exclusionary tendencies in education” (p. 6).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Next, Cook-Sather studies how to authorize student perspectives through educational researchers’ perspectives, which take a “range of approaches to integrating student voices into their own critique of school and presenting perspectives voiced as a legitimate impetus for change” (p. 6). She addresses the studies of Weis and Fine (1993), who invited students to give their perspectives on issues such as identity, racism from black students’ point of views, sexual promiscuity, and heterosexism and homophobia as experienced by gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. This insight provided information that allowed educators to better understand what modern day students are struggling with, and give them improved decision-making skills to help them deal with family issues, societal problems, and social inequities.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Cook-Sather concludes by asserting that we cannot afford to continue with old reform efforts. The authorizing of student perspectives for which she is arguing is not merely a nicety to the students. Rather, “it is about including students to change the terms and the outcomes of the conversations about educational policy and practice” (p. 12). She urges educators and education researchers to move toward trust, dialogue, and change in education, acknowledging that we do not know more than students living at the dawn of the 21st century about what it means to be a student in the modern world and what it might mean to be an adult in the future.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">If we wish to bring reform to education, then we must allow students to offer their opinions and ideas. Educators and administrators must overcome the common assumption that they know better than they do what is best for them in terms of what they should learn and how they should learn it. If given a chance, students just might surprise us! Authorizing students’ perspectives lets them know that they are valuable, contributing members of the school. Not only does this build confidence, it might make them feel more motivated to work harder and achieve academic success.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In conclusion, the literature demonstrates that high school students who perceive their teachers to be supportive and sensitive are more likely to feel a sense of social belonging to their school, and to experience positive climates of respect. Students who perceive the opposite reported more depressive symptoms, such as hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Additionally, the aforementioned studies demonstrate that students feel more responsive, motivated and successful when they have teachers who are passionate about their work. With this valuable information in mind, educators should strive to create and maintain caring relationships with students, listen to what they have to say, and ultimately contribute to a healthier, more positive school climate that fosters deeper learning and the development of character.

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Connection to Student-Teacher Policy **__

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The following link is to The Vale First and Middle School’s “Student Teacher Policy”. This school is located in West Sussex, Canada. The policy outlines strategies and guidelines that teachers are expected to use to directly impact their students' academic achievement. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Funding Sources **__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Relevant Resources **__

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Strengthening Teacher/Student Relationships: // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~shumow/itt/StudentTchrRelationships.pdf] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The following link is to a “Positive School Climate for Learning" tool kit for building leaders, teachers and staff of Minneapolis Public Schools. It is an excellent source that addresses school climate and behavior, attendance, safety, culture competence and equity, and health. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">More info on school climate: // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 1.3em;">Ethical Learning Curriculum =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Ethics, sometimes referred to as moral philosophy, is tied to several standard concepts that are agreeably essential to the betterment of society, such as morality, virtue, and discipline. Therefore, it constitutes a key component in the context of education that strives to instill such principles in our students’ learning.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Topic Introduction// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Jonathan Cohen (2006) argues that the goals of education are not strictly to promote academic excellence but also to build social, emotional, and ethical values. In an educational environment, such as schools, learners will have a chance to practice good values, develop good character traits, and learn how to distinguish between right and wrong throughout their lives.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">So the question becomes: What type of curriculum can help students build a good character and develop the skills that they need in order to contribute positively to society while maintaining a healthy school climate?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Character education played an integral part of the American public school curriculum, throughout history, from the Colonial period until present.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Historical Context// **
 * **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Colonial Period //****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The aim of American schools in the Colonial times was to teach students the integration of character education as part of religion and learning (Murphy, 2002). The Founding Fathers asserted the importance of character education for the success of a democratic society.
 * **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Nineteenth Century //****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Educators continued to be advocates of moral values by teaching the //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">McGuffey Reader tales //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> that instilled in children these virtues of patriotism, hard work, honesty, thriftiness, altruism, and courage (Lickona, 1991).
 * **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Twentieth Century: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> At the beginning of this century, character education flourished and national contests for best methodologies of teaching the moral codes were conducted (Murphy, 2002). John Dewey, an American philosopher, believed that “moral education in school is practically hopeless when we set up the development of character as its supreme end” (Murphy, 2002, p.29). His philosophy formed the basis for the movement of values clarification in 1970, which taught students to “clarify their own values, choose their beliefs, and then be willing to act on their beliefs” (Murphy, 2002, p.30).
 * **//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Twenty-First Century: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> The increase of crime rate in society raised concerns across the country and led people to realize the importance of having schools address the subject of character and values. A character education movement was created to lay down the foundation of values that we all share in order to encourage the development of ethical, responsible, and caring young people (Murphy, 2002). A key movement in this direction was Character Counts Coalition, which was founded by the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics in 1992, and stressed on six main pillars: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship (Murphy, 2002).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Character development should be integrated in everyday curriculum activities. Teachers should model behavior, values, and good character and help students develop good work ethics with their peers, teachers, parents, and the community. A better understanding of the key components in the curriculum will help educators apply these concepts in their everyday teaching career in order to enhance their offerings and contribute positively to society. Students should be afforded a curriculum, which encompasses learning experiences that facilitate their character development as principled individuals. Character Education takes a proactive stance in addressing the growing concerns that our youth suffer a shortage of “the necessary values that help them develop into adulthood in a socially healthy manner” (Christopher, Tamara, & Nelson, 2003, p. 81).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Connection to Research// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In 1992, the Josephson Institute of Ethics hosted a summit conference in Aspen, Colorado, which was spearheaded by various stakeholders, including ethicists, youth leaders, and educators in order to address the topic of character education. This resulted in the birth of Character Counts! which was based on six main virtues, also referred to as the “Six Pillars”: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. This program later developed into a comprehensive system that encompasses a variety of educational activities ranging from structured projects to basic educational workshops, all based on a main tenet of this program, which is the universality of virtues that form good character. It is noteworthy that Character Counts! is not the first character education programs but there were others that preceded it in the United States (Christopher et al., 2003).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Moral visions, or the “collective understandings of what the self is and how the self should be in the world,” are also shaped by character education. They function as frameworks that help interpret and provide structure to our lives in light of a good understanding of what are an ideal person and a good life. This leaves no room for value neutrality, especially for teachers who, according to Lasley and Biddle (1996) “are significant transmitters within the classroom” (p.158). This naturally leads to a two-level character education that inherently communicates values intentionally while character educators transmit such values unintentionally, yet implicitly, at a different level, which makes such values inescapable. This is where questions may be raised regarding claims made by Character Counts! that “virtues transcend cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences.”

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Today’s plethora of moral problems that have plagued our society, ranging from greed to violent crimes, to drug abuse and suicide, have underscored the importance of morality and character education in fighting against such societal ailments (Lickona, 1991). Researchers realized that something has to be done before it is too late and that it will take time to restore “good character” into young people, unless proactive measures are taken.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Since there is no set standard definition of character education, schools are challenged to teach good character, morals, and citizenship. Sichel (1988) provides a base list of values and character education that addresses values like respect, honesty, fairness, courage, knowledge, etc. The development of values and character education are thought to be part of a continuous educational process; leading to a positive transformation of the culture and the life of the individual.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The state of Michigan realized the importance of character education for a democratic society. The Michigan Board of Education released, on June 8th, 2004 a policy on quality character education in which it encouraged teachers and schools, parents, and families, and the community to combine their efforts to help children better understand and act upon the shared ethical values. In this policy, eleven main principles of character education were adopted to be taught in all Michigan public schools. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[|http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Character_policy_final_94134_7.pdf__]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Connection to Policy// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The U.S. Department of Education passed legislation for elementary and secondary education in Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in Subpart 3- Partnerships in Character Education SEC .5431- Partnerships in Character Education Program, in which it states that “The Secretary is authorized to award grants to eligible entities for the design and implementation of character education programs” that do not conflict with the State’s academic curriculum, can be implemented through classroom instruction, and relate to educational reforms. []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Relevant Legislation// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The school reform movement led to the formation of many organizations that supported the integration of character education into the academic curriculum. Some of these organizations were formed to facilitate the job of teachers and schools of implementing character education by providing tools, ideas, programs, lesson plans, and many other resources. A list of fourteen key character education organizations and a small description of each can be found at: [|http://www.goodcharacter.com/Links.html__].
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Relevant Organizations// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Relevant Character Education Classroom Models can be found at: []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Relevant Models// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A lot of schools used character education as a means to improve their instructional explanation and their average scores on standardized tests.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Best Practices// **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">For example, In Plano School District in Texas, they have adopted the character of citizenship and broke it down into multiple traits such as courage, honesty, respect, etc. The teachers integrate a weekly trait into the curriculum, allow time for discussion and examples of what to do and what not to do. Also, parents are informed about the citizenship activity through newsletter and other means of communications (Murphy, 2002).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Another example is the Princeton School District in Ohio which also stresses twelve values for respect that hover around their motto: “ Respect yourself and others.” In Princeton, values of respect are integrated across the curriculum starting from kindergarten (Murphy, 2002).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">2009 National Schools of Character: Award-Winning Practices: [|__http://www.character.org/uploads/PDFs/NSOC/NSOC_Book_2009.pdf____].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A lot of resources concerning character education are now available and easily accessible online. Some of these resources that contain tremendous amount of information about character education are provided through the Character Education Partnership (CEP) are:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Relevant Resources// **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Eleven principles of Effective Character Education:[|__http://www.character.org/uploads/PDFs/Eleven_Principles.pdf__].


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Character Education Quality Standards:[|__http://www.character.org/uploads/PDFs/Pub_Quality_Standards_.pdf__].


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">2009 National Schools of Character: Award-Winning Practices: [|http://www.character.org/uploads/PDFs/NSOC/NSOC_Book_2009.pdf__].


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Performance Values:[|__http://www.character.org/uploads/PDFs/White_Papers/Performance_Values.pdf__].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">There are two main grant and funding sources that are available to support efforts in character education:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Funding Sources// **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The government is providing funding and grants for character education as well as the department of education. A list of funding resources is available at: [|http://www.character.org/government__].


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Some private organizations fund character education programs and other initiatives. A list of private foundations is available at: [|http://www.character.org/foundations__].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">On the website [|www.goodcharacter.com] there is a list for students who would like to take action building character experiences. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Action Opportunities// **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">- Best Practices **__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">One important aspect of school climate and specifically a method of improving a poor climate is ethical learning curriculum which can be practiced by most any school. Ethical learning curriculum refers to lessons and skills that the teachers in a school can bestow upon their students that gives them the skills needed so that they can help improve school climate and their learning experience. Through an ethical learning curriculum the ability to change school climate will no longer reside exclusively with the faculty of a school but instead will give everyone a sense of ownership and ability to make a difference for their own well being.

__-Best Practices, Steps for Turning Around a School Climate__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The first item that one must address when developing an ethical learning curriculum is what you want the atmosphere of your school to look like, this way one will have an idea of what to build towards which will make the development of the curriculum a much more basic process. While the individual goals of schools may differ in their specifics, most would agree on a basic set of standards. Most every school would agree that a positive school climate has an atmosphere of cooperation, mutual learning, trust, and a welcoming environment (all of which contribute to a better learning environment) (Cohen, McCabe, Mitchelli, & Pickera, 2009). When looking at these traits we can also observe what they might be addressing, mainly a climate of violence and intimidation, the sort of atmosphere that this curriculum is looking to combat. Climate is a unique concept because it's something that everyone can understand and recognize and yet it's very difficult to narrow it down to a specific formula that is easily achieved or replicated. A good way to understand positive school climate is that the ultimate achievement and sign of success is when a strong sense of community and interconnectedness exists between the students and faculty of a school, which makes sense since improving school climate requires the involvement of the entire school community (Cohen et al., 2009).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Once school has decided on the qualities that it hopes to foster the next hurdle is to select the skills that the curriculum should provide the students so that they can help to develop this desired environment. Now assuming that a school selected the qualities mentioned above to include in their desired school climate then there would be a specific set of skills that they would want to include in order to create this sense of openness and community. Generally the chosen curriculum would seek to instill qualities of self respect, social perspective of their peers, secular moral reasoning, a sense of caring towards their peers, and an understanding of community standards among other selected qualities (Peterson & Skiba, 2001). Along with the students having these basic traits instilled within their personalities, the curriculum should also provide them with a set of skills which they express these traits and go about the process improving climate. Such skills necessary to reduce a sense of intimidation and develop a school community would include the ability to listen to ourselves and others, be critical and reflective, be flexible problem solvers, be difference makers, skills of basic communication and expression, and the capacity to collaborate with a wide variety of people in order to solve a specific problem (Cohen et al., 2009). If the general student population has these skills and traits instilled upon them through ethical learning curriculum then one could reliably expect a positive school atmosphere to develop.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">As simple as this may seem the difficult part arrives when the faculty has to decide how they will provide these traits and skills to their students and what their ethical learning curriculum will be made up of. Probably the first and most basic approach that a school can take to instill this curriculum is ensure that their teachers are displaying the values that the program is hoping to instill so that they may serve as role models for the culture that they're trying to develop (Cohen et al., 2009). Teachers' interaction with students is the most visible example for the students to follow and would go a long way towards setting the tone that the school is hoping to achieve within its climate. Another method to explore would be Character Counts! curriculum which would be more of a specific class where these values, ethics, and skills are taught and bestowed upon the students in a very deliberate manner (Peterson & Skiba, 2001). Among the less deliberate methods, one technique would be developing a list of school value statements created with the input of the students where they would agree on the standards that they would adhere to and be held to in order to help create a sense of community (Peterson & Skiba, 2001). Finally another strategy that a school could employ would be the creation of peer mediation groups where student mediators could step in and settle certain disputes between students without formally bringing in a teacher to settle a dispute. Studies show that peer mediation programs give the mediators many of the skills mentioned above and also provide them with a sense of ownership over the behavior that takes place in the school which can contribute to improving school climate (Marina, 1996). Techniques might vary from school to school in many different ways, some schools may have specific classes designed with the sole intent of furthering these skills, others might find ways to incorporate the curriculum into existing programs, and other schools might take a different path altogether. There isn't any one method that a school must use to implement this curriculum.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">While this information may serve as a helpful starting point for improving school climate there is an inherent lack of formal information regarding the subject of school climate and ethical learning curriculum. School climate is something that is very difficult to measure and thus is not regularly evaluated on a wide scale (Cohen et al., 2009). To date there has never been a major national study undertaken to research and understand the effects of ethical learning curriculum on school climate and its importance to education and the overall school experience. Until such studies and research is done we will not have all of the information that is needed to make a major effort in reforming school atmosphere on a national scale, which is something that needs to be addressed.

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">- Relevant Legislation **__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">While there isn’t much legislation that addresses the issue of school climate directly, there are pieces of legislation that seek to solve issues that relate to school climate with a special emphasis on bullying. Although bullying and overall climate change have always been an issue, the problem has only recently attracted political attention after a number of school shootings that have taken place in the last twenty years. For example, in 2007 a bill entitled “Matt’s Safe School Law” was introduced into the Michigan House of Representatives and will require each school district to create anti-bullying policy if the bill is adopted. Many individual states have enacted some sort of legislation designed to reduce the amount of bullying within their schools and there are many on the national stage who are clamoring for similar legislation. While there is a movement to increase the amount of anti-bulling legislation, there are those within the educational and political realm who question whether or not these laws actually reduce the level of bullying. Instead many critics claim that the solution from bullying will not come from our legislators but instead from our schools enforcing policies that are already in place. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-HB-4162

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">- Relevant ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Resources **__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Below are a list of organizations who describe various techniques which schools may be able to employ to begin to turn their school climate into one with a positive atmosphere. While there isn’t currently enough information pertaining to school climate these resources at least offer a starting point from which we can begin. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">@http://www.studygs.net/peermed.htm <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">@http://www.ehow.com/how_6023788_improve-school-climate.html <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">@http://www.unl.edu/srs/pdfs/svalues.pdf

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 1.3em;">References =

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Baker, J. A. (1999). //Teacher-student interaction in urban at-risk classrooms: Differential behavior, relationship quality, and student satisfaction with school//. The Elementary School Journal, 100, 57.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Borum, R., Cornell, D.G., Modzeleski, W., & Jimerson, S.R. (2010). //What can be done about school shootings?: A review of the evidence//. Educational Researcher, //39//(27), 27-37. doi: 10.3102/0013189X09357620

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Brady, K.P., Balmer, S., & Phenix, D. (2007). //School-police partnership effectiveness in urban schools: An analysis of New York City’s Impact Schools Initiative//. Education and Urban Society, 39, 455-478. doi: 10.1177/0013124507302396

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Brinkley, C.J., & Saarino, D.A. (2006). //Involving students in school violence prevention: Are the willing to help?// Journal of School Violence, //5//(1), 93-106. doi:10.1300/J202v05n01_07

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Catalano, R. F., Haggery, K. P., Oesterle, S., Fleming, C. B., & Hawkins, J. D. (2004). //The importance of bonding to school for healthy development: Findings from the social development research group//. Journal of School Health, //74//(7), 252–261.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009). School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5-16.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Christopher, J. C., Nelson, T., & Nelson, M. (2003). //Culture and character education: Problems of interpretation in a multicultural society//. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, //23//(2), 81-101.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cohen, J. (2006). //Social, Emotional, Ethical, and Academic Education: Creating a climate for learning, participation in democracy, and well-being//. Harvard Educational Review, //76//(2), 201-237, 285. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from Research Library. doi: 1092371321

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cohen, J., McCabe, L., Mitchelli, N.M., Pickeral, T. (2009). //School climate research summary: January 2010//. School Climate Brief. Volume 1. No. 1. January 2010, 1-16.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cohen, J., McCabe, L., Mitchelli, N.M., Pickeral, T. (2009). //School climate: Research, policy, practice, and teacher education//. Teacher College Record, //111//(1), 180-213.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Coker, J. K., & Borders, L. D. (2001). //An analysis of environmental and social factors affecting adolescent problem drinking//. Journal of Counseling & Development, 79, 200–208.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Ding, C., & Hall, A. (2007). //Gender, ethnicity, and grade differences in perceptions of school experiences among adolescents//. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 33, 159-174.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">LaRusso, M.D., Romer, D., & Selman, R.L. (2008) //Teachers as builders of respectful school climates: Implications for adolescent drug use norms and depressive symptoms in high school//. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 386-399. doi: 10.1007/s10964-007-9212-4.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lasley, T. J. & Biddle, J. R. (1996). //Teaching students to see beyond themselves//. The Education Forum, 60, 158-164.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lickona, T. (1991). //Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility//. New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Marina, V. (1996). //The effects of a school-based mediation program on the attitudes and perceptions of student mediators//. Education Canada, //36//(3), 38-42.

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