Leadership Strategies for Safe Schools Book

Acknowledgments ix

About the Author xi

Introduction 1

The Problem of School Safety 1

The Need for a Proactive Approach to School Safety 3

Strategies for Creating Safe Schools 3

Organization of the Book 4

What's New in the Second Edition 5

Chapter 1 Creating a Safe School 7

Defining a Safe School 7

Indicators of a Safe School 8

Defining an Unsafe School 12

Factors Associated With School Violence 13

Characteristics of Youth Offenders 15

Chapter 2 Setting the Foundation 19

The School Safety Team 19

Composition of the School Safety Team 20

The Role of Assessment in School Safety 21

Developing the School Safety Assessment Tool 22

Content of the School Safety Assessment Tool 23

Assessment Areas 24

Area 1 Cultural and Personal Characteristics 25

Area 2 Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes 27

Area 3 Social Environment 28

Area 4 Political Environment 29

Area 5 Physical Environment 30

Techniques for Measuring School Needs 31

The Argument for Focus Groups 37

School Safety Plan 38

Area 1 Environmental Safety 38

Area 2 Student Education 41

Area 3 School Policies and Procedures 42

Area 4 School-Community Partnerships 43

Developing School Safety Plan Strategies 43

Vision 43

Statement of Need 44

Goals and Objectives 44

Timeline for Implementation of the School Safety Plan 46

Procedures for Plan Review 47

Resources Required to Implement School Safety Programs 47

Implementing the School Safety Plan 47

Evaluating Safety Plan Effectiveness 48

Chapter 3 Positioning Character Development in School Curricula 51

Effects of Character on Safe Schools 51

Character Education 52

History of Character Education 52

The CharacterEducation Controversy 53

Current Trends in Character Education 55

Moral Content Versus Moral Thought Processes 55

Cognitive Development and Character Education 57

Connecting Character Education to Conflict Resolution Education 59

Strategies for Implementing Character Education 61

Curriculum 61

Environment 63

Offering Opportunities for Student Action 64

Potential Pitfalls in Character Education 64

Successful Character Education Programs 65

Chapter 4 Implementing Conflict Resolution Education 67

The Fourth R: Resolution 67

Goals of Conflict Resolution Education 68

Building Students' Self-Awareness 68

Self-Esteem 68

Anger Management 69

Perspective Taking and Empathy 70

Enhancing Students' Interpersonal Interactions 74

Communication Skills 74

Assertiveness 78

Constructive Conflict Resolution Strategies 79

The Nature of Conflict: Theoretical Background 80

Approaches to Conflict Resolution Education 81

Process Approach 83

Curriculum Infusion Approach 83

Language Arts 84

History and Geography 85

Math 85

Music and Art 85

Professional Development Requirements of Conflict Resolution Education 86

Involving Family Members in Conflict Resolution Education 87

Models of Effective Conflict Resolution Education Programs 88

Chapter 5 Peer Mediation Programming 91

Students Helping to Create Safe Schools 91

Goals and Process of Mediation 92

Theoretical Foundation of Peer Mediation 95

School Staff Involvement in Peer Mediation Programs 96

Implementing Peer Mediation Programs 98

Selecting Students for Peer Mediation Training 98

Selecting Mediation Program Coordinators 101

Training Peer Mediators 102

Conducting the Peer Mediation Program 106

Mediation Referrals and Requests 107

Mediation Location and Time 109

Potential Problems and Solutions Encountered in Peer Mediation Programming 109

Creating Family and Community Partnerships 111

Application of the Mediation Model 112

Models of Effective Peer Mediation Programming 113

Chapter 6 Integrating Diversity Into Conflict Resolution Education Programs 115

Safe Schools Appreciate Differences 116

Goals of Diversity Education 117

School Reform 117

Student Learning Programs 118

Connections Between Diversity and Conflict Resolution Education Programs 120

Effect of Culture on Communication Skills 121

Communication Skills and Diversity Education 121

Conflict Resolution Strategy Selection 122

Strategies for Diversity Education 124

Cooperative Learning Groups 125

Direct Antibias Education 126

Circle Game Activity 127

Verbal and Nonverbal Cues Activity 129

School as a Culture Exercise 129

Mythodrama Technique 129

Cultural Connections 129

Discussing Differences 130

Guidelines for Implementing Diversity Education 130

Models of Effective Diversity Education Programs 132

Chapter 7 Evaluating School Safety Programs 135

Evaluation: A Necessary Component of School Safety 135

The Role of the Evaluator 136

What Should the Evaluation Measure? 138

Evaluating Student Education Programs 138

Evaluating Policies and Procedures 142

Evaluating School-Community Partnerships 143

Evaluating the Environment 144

Mechanisms for Evaluating School Safety Programs 144

Process Evaluation Versus Outcome and Impact Evaluation 147

Appendix A Sample School Safety Handbook Table of Contents and General Emergency Management Plan 151

Safety Handbook Table of Contents 151

General Emergency Management Plan 153

Appendix B Sample School Safety Information Policy Agreement 155

Appendix C Resources 159

References 161

Index 169