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Policies That Make For Safer, Higher Performing Schools The success of Ripple Effects' Social Learning Software programs is partly dependent on the context in which they are framed. If the atmosphere is hostile to students, or chaotic, even the best training will have little effect. But if safe and healthy policies are in place, the Social Learning Software can be a powerful means of reinforcing them. These school wide policies that have been shown to work in reducing violence, and improving school climate, and are the the best context any program targeted at managing behavior and improving schools. High Expectations Expectations have a profound effects on conduct. A social context in which expectations are high and support for meeting those expectation are equally high, is the best possible environment for learning. If expectations are high, but structures of support are not in place, frustration sets in and is expressed in either aggression (when turned outward) or low morale and depression (when turned inward). When the atmosphere is nurturing but expectations /requirements are low, the climate of indulgence can turn talented, good students into low achieving and demanding brats. Leadership from the Principal Just as each classroom teacher has to set and maintain clear standards for his or her classroom, the principal has to provide leadership in framing and enforcing and modeling behavioral expectations for the school as a whole. A school wide policy of "showing respect" has little real value if the principal is discourteous to students and teachers. Graduated Consequences for Aggressive Behavior To ensure a violence free environment, school policy must be one of consistent, graduated negative consequences for aggressive behavior, including unwanted sexual touching. This needs to be paired with equally consistent positive reinforcement for prosocial behavior. When it comes to punishment, consistency has been shown over and over again to be more of a deterrent than severity. When it comes to rewards, consistency is also a key factor, tied to overall perceptions of fairness. Parental Involvement The level of parental involvement in a school is definitely related to both academic and social success of today's students. Schools can draw parents in by appealing to their self interest. School based programs that help stretched-thin parents meet their own needs draw more participants than those designed for parents to help their children. Clear Policy About "Telling" Schools need a clear, formal, explicit policy on telling - when it is required and when it is inappropriate. Any time the health and safety of an individual is endangered, students must tell. Tattling about minor matters that students could handle for themselves is inappropriate and best handled by directing the tattler to a problem solving structure. Accessible Problem Solving Structures For problem solving to become a regular, ongoing part of the education process, there has to be a workable structure for solving problems. A rotating group of problem solvers, involving both students and teachers, is one such structure. Regular class meetings devoted to problem solving is another. A peer mediation program, based on a cadre of specially trained students, is a third one that's very good. However, it's unfair and unrealistic to expect students to handle problems that adults are unwilling to deal with. For peer mediation to work, it must complement adult authority, not substitute for it. If it replaces adult authority and sanctions, at best it is less effective; at worst it can set the stage for a "Lord of the Flies" syndrome. Cooperative Goals Setting school wide cooperative goals, that require the contribution of all classes to be achieved, also builds community, especially if there is a group reward upon completion. School teams for sports, music, arts and academics also provide opportunities for developing community Universal Social Skill Training When diversity and democracy combine, harmony is possible but conflict is inevitable. The United States is the most simultaneously diverse and free country in the history of the world. This never-before-experienced social combination is a recipe for combustion. Schools are a smaller version of this same combustible combination. To avoid violence, all members of the school community, including teachers, must learn the key skills presented in Ripple Effects software programs. How the are learned is a matter of choice. That they are learned is a matter of necessity. Stories, Symbols and Ritual For thousands of years, cultures have passed on traditions and values through the use of story. True stories are an important part of Ripple Effects social learning software. Having students and teachers document the best, hardest, most exciting, funniest experiences in school life, and the personal achievements of individual members of the school community (especially in using social skills to meet life challenges) provides a way to develop community identity, both deep and wide. At the same time, it reinforces the messages in the program. School uniforms can be a help in supporting collective identity, but so can less rigid alternatives, most especially behavioral ones. Being known as a school where roughhousing is simply never tolerated in the hallways may be a more important identity than being known as one with a certain kind of clothing. |
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