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Leadership Strategies for Safe Schools
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Leadership Strategies for Safe Schools

Second Edition
Edited by:


June 2009 | 192 pages | Corwin
Students learn best when they are in a safe and supportive environment. Elizabeth A. Barton guides principals, administrators, and teachers through the process of creating a proactive, student-centered school safety program. Updated to reflect current research, especially related to marginalized students, the second edition of Leadership Strategies for Safe Schools offers new case studies, vignettes, and strategies from needs assessment to program evaluation, and provides detailed information about how to implement programs for:

Character education and development

Conflict resolution

Peer mediation

Diversity education

Empower your students through educational experiences that help them gain respect for cultural differences, practice enhanced problem-solving skills, and build healthier social relationships in and out of the classroom.

 
Introduction
The Problem of School Safety

 
The Need for a Proactive Approach to School Safety

 
Strategies for Creating Safe Schools

 
Organization of the Book

 
What’s New in the Second Edition

 
 
1. Creating a Safe School
Defining a Safe School

 
Persistently Dangerous School Indicators

 
Indicators of a Safe School

 
Factors Associated With School Violence

 
Characteristics of Youth Offenders

 
 
2. Setting the Foundation
The School Safety Team

 
Composition of the School Safety Team

 
The Role of Assessment in School Safety

 
Developing the School Safety Assessment Tool

 
Content of the School Safety Assessment Tool

 
Assessment Areas

 
Area 1 – Cultural and Personal Characteristics

 
Area 2 – Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

 
Area 3 – Social Environment

 
Area 4 – Political Environment

 
Physical Environment

 
Techniques for Measuring School Needs

 
The Argument for Focus Groups

 
School Safety Plan

 
Environmental Safety

 
Student Education

 
School Policies and Procedures

 
School-Community Partnerships

 
Developing School Safety Plan Strategies

 
Vision

 
Statement of Need

 
Goals and Objectives

 
Timeline for Implementation of the School Safety Plan

 
Procedures for Plan Review

 
Implementing the School Safety Plan

 
Evaluating Safety Plan Effectiveness

 
 
3. Positioning Character Development in School Curricula
Effects of Character on Safe Schools

 
Character Education

 
History of Character Education

 
The Character Education Controversy

 
Current Trends in Character Education

 
Moral Content vs. Moral Thought Processes

 
Cognitive Development and Character Education

 
Connecting Character Education to Conflict Resolution Education

 
Strategies for Implementing Character Education

 
Curriculum

 
Environment

 
Offering Opportunities for Student Action

 
Potential Pitfalls in Character Education

 
Successful Character Education Programs

 
 
4. Implementing Conflict Resolution Education
The Fourth R: Resolution

 
Goals of Conflict Resolution Education

 
Building Students’ Self-Awareness

 
Self-Esteem

 
Anger Management

 
Perspective Taking and Empathy

 
Empathy and Perspective Taking

 
Enhancing Students’ Interpersonal Interactions

 
Communication Skills

 
Active Listening Techniques

 
Paraphrasing

 
Clarification

 
Reflection

 
Encouragement and Validation

 
Summary

 
I Messages

 
Assertiveness

 
Constructive Conflict Resolution Strategies

 
The Nature of Conflict: Theoretical Background

 
Approaches to Conflict Resolution Education

 
Process Approach

 
Curriculum Infusion Approach

 
Language Arts

 
History and Geography

 
Math

 
Music and Art

 
Professional Development Requirements of Conflict Resolution Education

 
Involving Family Members in Conflict Resolution Education

 
Models of Effective Conflict Resolution Education Programs

 
 
5. Peer Mediation Programming
Students Helping to Create Safe Schools

 
Goals and Process of Mediation

 
Theoretical Foundation of Peer Mediation

 
School Staff Involvement in Peer Mediation Programs

 
Implementing Peer Mediation Programs

 
Selecting Students for Peer Mediation Training

 
Selecting Mediation Program Coordinators

 
Training Peer Mediators

 
Conducting the Peer Mediation Program

 
Mediation Referrals and Requests

 
Mediation Location and Time

 
Potential Problems and Solutions Encountered in Peer Mediation Programming

 
Creating Family and Community Partnerships

 
Application of the Mediation Model

 
Models of Effective Peer Mediation Programming

 
 
6. Integrating Diversity Into Conflict Resolution Programs
Safe Schools Appreciate Differences

 
Goals of Diversity Education

 
Connections Between Diversity and Conflict Resolution Education Programs

 
Effect of Culture on Communication Skills

 
Communication Skills and Diversity Education

 
Conflict Resolution Strategy Selection

 
Strategies for Diversity Education

 
Cooperative Learning Groups

 
Direct Anti-bias Education

 
Circle Game Activity

 
Verbal and Nonverbal Cues Activity

 
School as a Culture Exercise

 
Mythdrama Technique

 
Cultural Connections

 
Discussing Differences

 
Guidelines for Implementing Diversity Education

 
Positive Techniques

 
Potential Pitfalls to Avoid

 
Models of Effective Diversity Education Programs

 
 
7. Evaluating School Safety Programs
Evaluation: A Necessary Component of School Safety

 
The Role of the Evaluator

 
What Should the Evaluation Measure?

 
Evaluating Student Education Programs

 
Evaluating Policies and Procedures

 
Evaluating School-Community Partnerships

 
Evaluating the Environment

 
Mechanisms for Evaluating School Safety Programs

 
Process Evaluation vs. Outcome and Impact Evaluation

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

 
B: Sample School Safety Information Policy Agreement

 
C: Resources

 
 
References
 
Index

“The book emphasizes a proactive, preventive approach to building safe schools through education programs. The interweaving of character education, conflict resolution, peer mediation, and diversity training is powerful.”

Kathy Bohan, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology
Northern Arizona University

“A solid resource for educators, with proven methods for creating safe schools. Includes a number of useful supplemental materials, from forms to guidelines and plans.”

Jeffrey Daniels, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology
West Virginia University

The second edition of Leadership Strategies for Safe Schools contains a number of modifications that will better assist school leaders with assessing, developing, implementing, and evaluating proactive strategies for safe schools. Case studies, scenarios, and classroom activities have been added throughout the book to provide real-life examples of the concepts and strategies presented. Research has been updated throughout, with a particular emphasis on marginalized populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual (LGBT) adolescents.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction

Chapter 1: Creating a Safe School


For instructors

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