# Presentation: 150907

##  Overview of Single School Culture© 

- Alison Adler, Ed.D., Chief
- Safety & Learning Environment
- School District of Palm Beach County, FL

## hat is Single School Culture©?

- It is not a program but a way of organizing and running a school.  It begins with shared norms, beliefs, values, and goals and results in agreed upon processes and procedures that produce consistency in practice.
- A Single School Culture © results in consistency of both adult and student practices related to:
- Behavior
- Academics
- Climate

- W

## Ours is a practice primarily focused, because of urgency, on adult change in practice first.
Two approaches are used:
Make an intellectual case for Single School Culture © process in one or more of three domains (behavior, achievement, climate).
If one cannot accept the case (a “show me” individual), then we ask adults to change their practices to produce real and observable change/results in a time specific period.

- Two approaches are used:
- Make an intellectual case for Single School Culture © process in one or more of three domains (behavior, achievement, climate).
- If one cannot accept the case (a “show me” individual), then we ask adults to change their practices to produce real and observable change/results in a time specific period.

## What interferes with a successful school culture/program/initiative that has been successful somewhere else (was research-based, evaluated, etc.)?
Why doesn’t it work in our school?
Sometimes the culture has developed dysfunctional values and beliefs.  Deal and Peterson call this dysfunction “toxic cultures.”

- Why doesn’t it work in our school?
- Sometimes the culture has developed dysfunctional values and beliefs.  Deal and Peterson call this dysfunction “toxic cultures.”

- (Deal and Peterson, 1998)

## In “Toxic Cultures” Staff:

- View students as the problem rather than as their valued clients.
- Are sometimes part of negative subcultures that are hostile and critical of change.
- Believe they are doing the best they can and do not search out new ideas.
- Frequently share stories and historical perspectives on the school that are often negative, discouraging, and demoralizing.
- Complain, criticize, and distrust any new ideas, approaches, or suggestions for improvement raised by planning committees.
- Rarely share ideas, materials, or solutions to classroom problems.
- Have few ceremonies or school traditions that celebrate what is good and hopeful about their place of work.

- (Deal and Peterson, 1998)

## Toxic Cultures Inhibit and Limit Improvement Efforts in Several Ways:

- In these cultures, staff are afraid to offer suggestions or new ideas for fear of being attacked or criticized.
- Planning sessions led by school improvement teams are often half-hearted due to the negativity fostered by hostile staff who refuse to see that improvement is possible.
- New staff who bring hope and a sense of possibility are quickly squelched and resocialized into negative ways of thinking.
- Programs are poorly implemented because the motivation and commitment to change is weak or nonexistent.
- Plans fail for lack of will.
- No one wants to work in these kinds of schools. But, it takes leadership, time, and focus to rebuild these festering institutions. Fortunately, most schools are not this negative, though many have some of these cultural patterns that make change problematic.

- (Deal and Peterson, 1998)

## The Opportunities of Positive Cultures

- In contrast to the poisonous places described above, many schools have strong, positive cultures.  These are schools:
- Where staff have a shared sense of purpose, where they pour their hearts into teaching.
- Where the underlying norms are of collegiality, improvement, and hard work.
- Where rituals and traditions celebrate student accomplishment, teacher innovation, and parental commitment.
- Where staff informally networks to provide a social web of information, support, and history.
- Where success, joy, and humor abound.

- (Deal and Peterson, 1998)

## Why Should We Do It?

- Not very motivated/ lacking prerequisite knowledge & skills/ minor vulnerabilities
- Avoidant / very deficient in current capabilities. Has a disability/ major health problems

- Barriers to Learning

**Range of Learners** (categorized in terms of their response to academic instruction)

- I  =
- II  =
- III =

- Instructional Component
- Classroom Teaching
- Enrichment Activity

**Desired Outcomes**

- _Examples of Barriers_:
- Negative attitudes toward schooling
- Deficiencies in necessary prerequisite skills
- Disabilities
- School and community deficiencies
- Lack of home involvement
- Lack of peer support
- Peers who are negative influences
- Lack of recreational opportunities
- Lack of community involvement
- Inadequate school support services
- Inadequate social support services
- Inadequate health support services

- (Adelman and Taylor, 1998)

## School Environmental Protective Factors – within classrooms, between classrooms, as a school:

- Caring and support, sense of “community” in classrooms and school
- High expectations from school personnel
- Clear standards and rules for appropriate  behavior
- Youth participation, involvement, and responsibility in school tasks and decisions

- Adapted from Hawkins, J.D., Catalano, R., and associates (1992)

## Failure to Achieve a Single School Culture© Will Result in:

- More costly interventions.
- Higher teacher mobility.
- More alienated students.
- Increasing numbers of students who do poorly in school/engage in negative behaviors.
- Increased tension among staff/administration.

## While school culture may involve other aspects such as:
Leadership
Staff development
Resource allocation
  as in a systems approach...

“there is little disagreement that school culture influences:
Student and teacher motivation
School improvement
Leadership effectiveness
Academic achievement.”

- Leadership
- Staff development
- Resource allocation
-   as in a systems approach...
- “there is little disagreement that school culture influences:
- Student and teacher motivation
- School improvement
- Leadership effectiveness
- Academic achievement.”

- (Stolp, 1995)

## Create a Single School Culture©

**Create a Single School Culture**©

_*Adults*_                          	         _*Students*_*	**	**	*_*District*_

- Empowered
- Efficacious
- Engaged
- In control of learning  outcomes and behavior of all  students not just their own
- Bonded
- Self-directed

- Self-regulated
- Confident in their ability to   perform and behave
- Bonded
- Socially responsible
- Intrinsically motivated
- Shared identity with adults:   “We’re all Cougars!”

- Safer Schools
- Academic Goals Met
- Teacher Retention
- Cost Effective Process
- Positive Public Perception

**OUTCOMES**

- BEHAVIOR

- ACADEMICS

- CLIMATE

## How Do We Do It?

- The Three Aspects of Single School Culture © :
- Behavior
- Academics
- Climate

- _Adult_ and _Student_ change in practice

- We are focused first on adult change in practice.

## What Do We Mean By Behavior?

- Behavior is a uniform set of practices and procedures that are aligned to a school’s mission and goals.
- These practices and procedures are known and used by all staff to positively norm both student and adult actions.

## What Does Single School Culture© for Behavior (SSC-B) Look Like in the Whole School?

- Rules and expectations are taught, modeled, and coached by all teachers in a school
- Rules are consistently and ethically enforced by all adults on campus _all of the time_
- Student behavior is positively normed when staff works together to create an ethos of fairness

## What Are the Adult Processes in SSC-B? 

- Create an enthusiasm among staff to work together.
- Identify, prioritize, and select an issue to address using a whole group process.
- Gain consensus among staff for the interpretation of the selected issue.
- Identify specific practices to teach, coach, model, and enforce the issue.
- Determine desired outcomes and ways we would note progress.

## Processes (continued)

- Provide scripts for staff to read to students describing the “renewed focus” on behavior issue.  All staff members should say *exactly* the same thing including:
- Reasons for focusing on the behavior
- Exact language interpreting the rule
- Consequences that will be enforced
- Positive outcomes for compliance
- Staff will read and review scripts with students for 3-5 days (every period, every day) prior to beginning the “renewed focus” on the behavior issue.

## What Does Single School Culture© for Behavior Look Like in the Classroom?

- The goal of classroom management is to develop a classroom of students who are:
- Responsible
- Motivated
- Highly engaged in meaningful tasks (Sprick)
- Many teachers fail to reach “effective instructor status” because they can’t manage student behavior.

## What Are the Teacher Strategies for SSC-B?

- Overtly teach students what is expected of them in every classroom situation.
- Create positive relationships with students through the continuous recognition of their appropriate behaviors.
- Preplan responses to student misbehavior to ensure a calm and measured response.
- Ensure a ratio of at least 3 to1 positive interactions to negative interactions.

## Further Evidence of SSC-B

- Whole School
- Create a sense of fairness
- Standardize clear boundaries across the campus
- In the Classroom
- Institutionalize the respect and positive relationships some students experience in the classroom across all classrooms
- Focus more time, attention, and energy on *acknowledging* responsible behavior than on *responding* to misbehavior
**TEACH** students expectations for each classroom activity and transition thus resulting in:
- More time spent on academics
- Less time spent on misbehavior

## Supporting Research

- In a meta-analysis of school-level factors associated with student success, McREL researchers found:
- Maintaining an orderly environment was correlated with an average gain of 9 percentile points in student achievement.
- Involving staff in key decisions was correlated with an average gain of 4 percentile points in student achievement.

- (Marzano, 2000)

## How Can We Assess Progress in SSC-B Implementation?

- Visit school to witness implementation.
- Discuss with administrators/staff how things are going.
- Revisit with staff after 3 weeks of implementation.
- Address problematic issues with behavioral rule and “tweak” process, if needed.
- Hand process over to staff/committees to address different behavior issues.

## How Do We Know SSC-B Implementation is Working?

- There is a reduction in discipline incidents for the behavior issue by the end of the 3-week period, if not much sooner!
- Staff sees the positive changes in students' and peers’ behavior in both documentable and observable forms during and after the three-week period.

*Good things happen when staff members realize that they have the power to make school-wide changes!*

## How Did This Work For Us?

- “Targeted SSC-B schools at the elementary, middle, and high school level report a range of 50%-60% reduction in discipline referrals during the implementation school year versus the previous school year.”

- (Brezin, FLDOE, 2003)

## Behavioral support is becoming less a process of selecting an intervention and more the construction of a comprehensive set of procedures that include change of the environment to make problem behaviors irrelevant, instruction on appropriate behaviors that makes the problem behavior inefficient, and manipulation of consequences to ensure that appropriate behaviors are more consistently and powerfully reinforced than are problem behaviors.

- (Carr, Horner, Turnbull, et al, 1999)

## What Do We Mean by Academic Achievement Using an Efficacy Approach?

*Efficacy* represents the beliefs people hold about their own capabilities. (Bandura, 1986)
- Teacher *Efficacy* is generally defined as the teacher’s belief that she or he has the ability to affect student learning.
- The teacher’s sense of *Efficacy* has been named the “single most powerful explanatory variable” related to student performance and teacher change.

- (Ange, 1992)

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## SELF-EFFICACY

**“****Self-efficacy is the *****belief***** ****in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the sources of action  required to manage prospective situations.” **
**Bandura, 1986**

**SELF-EFFICACY**

## Slide 28

## What Might Be Our Goals for Using an Efficacy Approach for Academic Achievement?

- Teachers are empowered to move Level II and Level III students to Level I (motivationally ready and able)
- Students/teachers understand and discredit the philosophy of the Innate Ability paradigm
- Students/teachers support the Efficacy paradigm
- Confidence          Effective Effort           Development 					*(adult model)*
- “Think You Can, Work Hard, Get Smart!” 				*(child model)*

- (Howard, 1995)

**Notes:**
We want students to understand that it is the application of effective effort that leads to their development.  As they build their confidence by their successes, this provides intrinsic motivation.  

We have the false idea that we need to entertain them to motivate them because we are constantly competing with t.v., movies, and video games.  But, the manufacturers of video games have figured out something that we, as educators, sometimes fail to see.  Kids put forth an incredible amount of effective effort into playing a video game.  They give it their undivided attention and spend a great deal of their time trying to master levels.  We think that it’s because it is entertaining.  We (Jeff Howard) call this the Nintendo Effect.  Kids will work really hard at a video game.  They get data-information (their character dies – and sometimes they don’t get the information in a kind way – he falls off of the screen).  There is a constant flow of feedback.  They realize that their strategies are not working so they constantly re-strategize.  They call their friends, buy books about the video games and they get on the internet to research their next steps.  This is the hook.  The game gives them feedback and they constantly restrategize until they get to where they want to be.

We need to incorporate these same aspects into our instructional practices.  Use data, derive feedback from the data and constantly strategize and restrategize until we reach our targets.  

## What Does Single School Culture © for Academics (SSC-A) Look Like in the Whole School?

- Master calendar supports Learning Team Meetings organized around common content.
- Learning Team Meetings are held weekly (elementary) or bi-weekly (secondary).
- Teachers continuously use data to drive instruction.
- Staff use language and practice that support their belief in all students’ ability to learn.
- Teachers share accountability for all student learning.

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## What Are the Adult Processes for SSC-A? 

- Data analysis utilizing the Data-Feedback-Strategy Method.
- Analysis of assignments utilizing the Standards in Practice process.
- Identification of academic targets.
- Determination of assessment quality using the Stiggins model.

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## What Does SSC-A Look Like in the Classroom? 

- Students separate emotion from data.
- Students believe in their ability to perform at a high level.
- Students understand that failure is feedback.
- Students know where they are in relation to their academic targets.
- Students can communicate their academic progress.

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## What Are the Teacher Strategies for SSC-A 

- Instruction of core Efficacy concepts to students.
- Articulation of academic targets in student friendly language.
- Utilization of the Data-Feedback-Strategy Method with students.
- Involvement of students in the assessment process.
- Facilitation of parent-teacher conferences by student.

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## What Are the Outcomes of SSC-A Implementation?

- Student and teacher efficacy increases.
- Student achievement increases for all students.
- Teachers align their curriculum, instruction and assessment to the standards.
- Teacher assignments increase in rigor.
- Teachers receive on-going staff development as part of Learning Team Meetings.

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## How Did This Work for Us?

- Every school in the project demonstrated significant student achievement as measured by FCAT.
- Students demonstrated exceptional increases in learning gains as measured by FCAT in all subject areas.
- The percentage of students meeting high standards and making learning gains, and the lowest 25% making learning gains in reading, all increased dramatically.

- (Brezin, FLDOE, 2003)

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## How Did This Work for Us?

- All “F” graded schools in the implementation improved their school grade by at least one letter grade.

- (Brezin, FLDOE, 2003)

**Notes:**
If teachers believe that they can get outcomes, they will put forth the effort to do it.  If students believe they are smart and can learn, they will put forth the effort to achieve.  Jaime Escalante taught advanced calculus to the toughest and poorest kids in Los Angeles (Stand and Deliver).  Everyone thinks that that was a great thing for Jaime and for those kids.  Why don’t we think that we can do the same thing?  --  there is something lacking in our own self-efficacy.  In this process, we build teacher self-efficacy so that they believe that they are capable of getting the same kind of result that Jaime got.  Their students can perform at very high level.

Research shows that what we believe (our perception) of ourselves supercedes the reality.  If students believe they are smart, they will live up to the expectation.

Understanding the relationship between self-efficacy beliefs and effort & performance is the first piece of the puzzle.  The next step is to put a process in place that builds both teacher and student self-efficacy.  This process empowers teachers to be in control of the learning outcomes of their students and empowers students to be in control of their own learning outcomes.

## How Do Beliefs and Practices Change as a Result of SSC-A?

- Teachers attribute students’ lack of achievement to inappropriate instructional strategies (e.g., lack of parental support, lack of ability are not causes).
- Administrators/teachers examine all practices for alignment with the beliefs that support Efficacy.  Practices that do not support Efficacy beliefs must be changed or they undermine student confidence.
- Teachers differentiate between “Assessments FOR Learning” and “Assessments OF Learning.” (Stiggins)

**Notes:**
The emotion that is usually associated with failure is shame.  We make a concerted effort to teach students that a grade is data.  It tells them what they need to do to get better, stronger and smarter at everything they do.

The focus is to move all children toward their academic targets.  
Because teachers constantly collaborate with their teams/grade levels, etc., teachers take responsibility for all of the students on their team or grade level.  When they strategize, they address all students who have not yet mastered a particular skill or concept.  This becomes a shared responsibility.

The beauty of the efficacy approach is that it can be used with any curriculum or program, providing that the practices of the program support the efficacy beliefs.  This alignment would include practices that:
Build student confidence
Let students know how smart they are
Move students toward their academic targets
Allow teachers/students to use their data to derive feedback and strategize for learning

## Further Evidence of SSC-A

- Whole School
- Becomes a way of life not another thing to do - It is THE thing to do
- Guarantees continuous improvement
- Retains teachers
- Develops students, teachers, administrators
- Moves staff development and assistance on site
- In the Classroom
- Assessment is used to motivate students
- Lessons and assessments are aligned to standards
- Students know their targets and can communicate about their progress in meeting their targets
- Students are shown in multiple ways how smart they are

## Supporting Research

- People avoid tasks in which they lack confidence.
- Self-efficacy beliefs influence:
- How much effort people will expend on an activity
- How long they will persevere when confronting obstacles
- How resilient they will prove in the face of adversity
- The level of accomplishment they realize
- When students are successful, it increases their confidence and builds their self-efficacy.

- (Pajares, 1998)

## Supporting Research

- According to a synthesis of research studies, when curriculum is:
- Well-articulated
- Aligned to assessments
- Monitored
- student achievement is raised.
- Simply articulating a curriculum and ensuring it is taught raises student test scores by 7 percentile points.
- When the curriculum is aligned to assessments and the extent to which it is actually taught is *monitored*, the measurable impact *increases* from 7 percentile to 31 percentile points.

- (Marzano, 2000)

## The Mary & Robert Pew Public Education Fund

**The Mary & Robert Pew Public Education Fund**

## What Do We Mean By Climate?     

- Climate refers to the emotional atmosphere we generate around us; some people refer to climate as the “context” of school.
- Climate involves the perception of stakeholders concerning the fairness,  openness, friendliness, the ethos of caring, and sense of welcome of the school.
- Climate includes the level of orderliness of the school and the degree of satisfaction experienced within its organizational structure.

- (Florida Department of Education 2002)

## What does Single School Culture© for Climate (SSC-C) Look Like in the Whole School?     

- “Connectedness” to school is encouraged in a myriad of ways.
- At-risk does not predetermine the amount of success we can have in working with the student and that which the student can experience.
- Students are given valuable  roles at school.
- Students are made to feel that “I fit in here!”

- (Florida Department of Education 2002)

## What Are the Adult Processes for SSC-C?

- What Are the Adult Processes for SSC-C?

- Identify the problematic practices and their impact on staff/student morale, achievement, and participation and what would good practices look like.
- Gain staff input and agreement to change practices for a set amount of time.
- Establish methods for coaching people who are out of compliance with agreed-upon practice.
- Make a long-term plan for establishing campus norms that support the healthy development of children and that will move Level II and Level III students up to Level I.

## Adult Strategies - con’t     

- (Florida Department of Education 2002)

- Negate Risk Factors
- The conditions underlying the problems of alcohol and other drug use, teen pregnancy, delinquency, violence, and school drop-outs
- Conditions are not seen as “causal” factors
- They are conditions which increase the likelihood of an individual engaging in destructive behaviors

## Risk Factor Chart

| Domain | Risk Factor |
| --- | --- |
| Individual/
Peer | Alienation/Rebelliousness
Friends who engage in problem behavior
Favorable attitudes toward problem behavior |
| Family | Family management problems
Family conflict
Family history of problem behavior |
| School | Early academic failure
Early conduct problems
Lack of commitment to school/poor school affiliation |
| Community | Availability of drugs and/or weapons
Community laws and norms favorable toward problem behavior
Low neighborhood attachment and community disorganization
Severe economic deprivation |

**Notes:**
As you can see, there are four domains in a child’s life:  Individual/Peer, Family, School, and Community.  Within each of these domains there are risk factors.
Many children who experience risk do not succumb to the risk.
Whatever setting you are working in, you can use information to help identify, counter, or eradicate the risk in children’s lives.
Emmy Werner, of the University of California at Davis, did a study on risk that followed 600 Hawaiian children, with four identified risk factors, for 30 years.  Of these children, two-thirds turned out to be productive, happy adults.  What happened “right” for these children that lessened the effects of so much risk?  This leads us to the topic of protective factors.
Note:  You may want to reference those domains most pertinent to your audience when giving examples.  A common question is, “What do you mean laws or norms favorable toward problem behavior?”  An example would be when a community does not enforce loitering laws or adults purchasing cigarettes for minors.

## Adult Strategies- con’t     

- (Florida Department of Education 2002)

- Promote Protective Factors
- “The personal, social and institutional resources that promote adolescent development or buffer risk factors that might otherwise compromise development (Garmezy & Rutter, 1985)
- “The conditions that foster the development of resiliency in youth   (Benard)

## Protective Factor Chart

| Protective Factor | Condition(s) |
| --- | --- |
| Caring and Support | Nurturing staff and positive role models
Creative, supportive school leadership
Peer support, cooperation and mentoring
Personal attention and interest from teachers
Warm, receptive school climate |
| High Expectations | Minimum mastery of basic skills
Emphasis on higher order academics
Avoidance of negative labeling and tracking |
| Opportunities for Meaningful Participation | Leadership and decision-making by students
Student participation in extracurricular activities
Parent and community participation in instruction
Culturally diverse curricula and experiences |

**Notes:**
In addition to these most widely known protective factors, there are others identified by other researchers:
J. David Hawkins
Bonding
Skills/Opportunities
Recognition (of skill use)
Michael Rutter
Four Protective Processes (on page 13 in School Staff Guide to Risk and Resiliency)
These three protective factors – Caring and Support, High Expectations, and Opportunities for Meaningful Participation – become the way we live with and teach children, if we are to foster Resiliency in them.  We will talk about these in greater depth in a few minutes.

## What Does Single School Culture for Climate © (SSC-C) Look Like in the Classroom?     

- Teachers promote the effective resiliency attributes of:
- 		-Social Competence
- 		-Problem Solving
- 		-Autonomy and Independence
- 		-Sense of Purpose and Future

- (Florida Department of Education 2002)

## What Are the Teacher Strategies for SSC-C     

- Confidence and competence are nurtured.
- Students are encouraged to give a genuine hand to others.
- Students believe that listening to them is a priority.
- Students know we care about them - we might not like their behavior, but them we like.

- (Florida Department of Education 2002)

## Strategic Assessment Form

**Notes:**
Let us try this process.  Look at strategies like Service Learning or Community Service or Mentoring, and ask the following questions.
What risk factor(s), if any, does it address?                  
Note:  Responses may cover more than one domain.  Typical answers might be “alienation in the Peer domain,” or “lack of commitment to school or poor school affiliation in the School domain.” 
What protective factors, if any, does it address?            
Note:  Examples might be caring and support, high expectations, or meaningful participation.
Does this strategy support a resiliency attribute?  If so, which one? 
Note:  Responses should include social competence, problem-solving, autonomy or independence,  sense of purpose, or future
 Under what school improvement goal can these strategies be placed?
Note:  Depending on a school district’s priorities, answers may include climate, student performance, safety, or community.                                                                                                       

## Supporting Research

- “Schools may serve as either risk factors, potentiating problems of violence between children, or protective factors, promoting adaptive adjustments among children at risk.”  (Morrison, Furlong, Morrison, 1994)
- “Community can be defined as the relational bond between individuals that allow them to forge shared values and ideals in pursuit of a meaningful common goal.”  (Sergiovanni, 1994)

## More Research

- “School violence reflects a failure of community in schools.  Children with conduct problems perceive environmental events as more threatening and lack social-cognitive and behavioral skills to mediate conflict.” (Lochman, White, Wayland, 1991)
- “The goodness of fit between children’s needs, skills, and expectations and the schools’ response is critical to perceptions of affiliation and community at school.” (Noddings, 1988)

## How Do We Know We Have a Need In This Area?

- Climate survey results are less than we would like in some areas.
- Dissention among staff:  may include anger, grumbling, gossip, factions, as seen in staff meetings, etc.
- High incidences of absences, requests for transfers, grievances
- Low level of participation in “school life” by adults and students
- Lack of a sense of community at school

## What Might Be Our Goals in the Area of Climate?

- Maintain a community in school that reduces risk factors for students and promotes protective factors.
- Maintain a community in school that recognizes and values the contributions of all: staff, students, and parents.
- Maintain a context that will move students in Level II and Level III up the ladder of achievement.
- Promote an atmosphere that encourages positive relationships between all stakeholder groups (administration/teacher, teacher/teacher, teacher/student, student/student).

## How Will We Assess Progress in the Area of Climate?

- Climate surveys
- Reduced conflicts
- Decreases in absentee rate
- Increases in informal socialization
- A sense of community is evident
- Movement of Level II and III students up to Level I
- Is it starting to look and feel like we imagined it could be?

## Further Evidence

- Whole School
- Creates an inclusive environment
- Creates a sense of community that supports, recognizes, and respects differences
- Makes students want to come to school and participate
- In the Classroom
- We understand that we are in the social and emotional development business; not just the academic development business

## Single School Culture © for Climate

- In the Classroom (continued)
- We understand that students need to have pro-social skills to use as needed at schools and in life.  These skills may be:
- Problem-solving
- Non-violent conflict resolution
- Restraint of impulsiveness
- Peer refusal skills
- We recognize the valuable contribution students can make to their school and home community through:
- Service Learning and Community Service
- Safe Schools Ambassadors / Mediation
- Student Government, Sports, the Arts, Character Education, Mentoring, etc.

## How Well Did This Work For Us?

- Schools that worked on SSC-C have demonstrated significant gains in climate surveys.
- Principals’ surveys, *Input Into Decision Making*, have shown the highest gains for those schools that worked on SSC-C.

## Single School Culture is a set of effective individual practices...combined into a holistic approach to increase academic performance and a sense of school safety and community.  Single School Culture uses specific, consistent applications to academics, discipline/behaviors, and school climate.             Brezin, FLDOE, 2003