Engagement, Safety, and Environment
The Pennsylvania Department of Education's vision is to establish an easily-accessible evidence-based repository of Student Interpersonal Skill resources for use by Pennsylvania school districts and other stakeholders. This aligns with the goal of promoting a comprehensive approach to supporting students (and their families) in the Commonwealth. The Safe and Supportive Schools element of SAS supplies resources and exemplars to promote active student engagement in a safe and positive learning environment. The three areas that comprise this element are: Engagement, Safety, and Environment.
Scholars and educational practitioners alike have suggested examining at least four aspects of school climate (National School Climate Council, 2009; Cohen, Pickeral & McCloskey, 2009): school safety, teaching and learning, interpersonal relationships, and institutional environment.
Various stakeholders have identified aspects of school climate that include:
- School structure or organization—School rules, enforcement of rules, average class size, collaboration between departments, leadership of administration. policies, disciplinary practices, school leadership, teaching and learning methods, curricula content and building designs (school level)
- Culture–Ecology and culture of schools (e.g., patterns of behavior, shared beliefs, norms and value
- Relationships within the school—Positive interactions between teachers and students, safety (classroom level)
- Behaviors—Alcohol and drug use, bullying, positive engagement, peer relations, absenteeism, academic pressure
- Internal aspects of school members—Academic engagement, commitment and attachment to teaching, quality of teachers, social and emotional skills like communication, listening, empathy and conflict resolution skills (individual level)
- Engagement: School engagement is essential towards building academic success and a positive school climate. Engagement in school is a process of events and opportunities that lead to students gaining the skills and confidence to cope and feel safe in the school environment. These events and opportunities include relationships, respect for diversity and school participation.
- Safety: School safety refers to the security of the school setting and school-related activities as perceived and experienced by all stakeholders, including families, caregivers, students, school staff, and the community. School safety encompasses both emotional and physical safety, and is influenced by positive and negative behaviors of students and staff as well as the presence of substance use in the school setting and during school-related activities.
- Environment: School environment refers to the extent to which school settings promote student safety and student health. Environment is inclusive of all aspects of a school – its academic components, its physical and mental health supports and services, its physical building and location within a community, and its disciplinary procedures.
The Safe and Supportive Schools element is now active, and the Student Interpersonal Skills may be accessed from this element. While still a work in progress, materials and resources are available and aligned to these new standards.
Click here to access the Student Interpersonal Skills Standards: Student Interpersonal Skills Standards
- The recognition and reporting of child abuse
- The Pennsylvania Educator Misconduct Act
- The maintenance of professional relationships with children