They talked about what to do if they knew other students were going to be involved in unsafe actions such as fighting or harassment. Focusing on how each person in the school shares responsibility for the safety of all, students explored the dangers of reacting to disagreements in anger or violence. They found that resolving these situations often requires critical thinking skills. Worth the Effort To evaluate the success of First Class and our other programs improving school climate, we have conducted student surveys and collected data on discipline referrals, suspensions, behavioral consequences. We've seen that conflict resolution and peer mediation have made a measurable difference in how students choose to solve problems.
Referrals are down and fighting has decreased for the past several years.
Student portfolios and journals reflect positive self-esteem. Some parents have told us that their children feel comfortable about approaching administrators for help in solving their own problems or when they have concerns about their peers. Students have assisted with interventions for suicide threats, abuse, and eating disorders. With a school population of almost 700, it's not easy to help each student adjust to junior high. But it's not impossible, either.