School Climate Reform & Teen Dating Violence :

1. . School Climate Reform & Teen Dating Violence: Strategies to mobilize the “whole village” and coordinate prosocial education, violence prevention and health-mental health efforts N Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D. Center for Social and Emotional Education; Teachers College, Columbia University; National School Climate Council. Teen Dating Violence Prevention:  Why Middle School Matters Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships Communities - Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Boston MA, Bridgeport CT, Bronx NY, Idaho, Indianapolis IN, Los Angeles CA, Oakland CA, Rhode Island, Wichita KS in collaboration with the Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Violence  Department of Justice, 810 7th Street NW, 3rd Floor Conference Room, Washington, DC – July 20, 2010 2-4:30 pm

2. Goals 1. To appreciate how many K-12 students feel unsafe and how social norms contribute to this. 2. To consider how school climate reform is a data driven strategy that recognizes the social, emotional and civic as well as intellectual aspects of student learning and school improvement efforts. 3. To consider a school climate improvement model and implementation strategy to prevent relationship violence and promote upstander behavior. 4. To highlight school climate process recognizes bully-victim-bystander behavior and can be used to prevent bullying and promote upstander behavior.

3. Feeling safe: an unmet need • Today, over 50% of America’s K-12 students do not feel safe in school. • Large scale student surveys (Quaglia) • Our school climate findings • On the power of social norms: - bully-victim behavior - the role of the witness: bystander or upstander

4. On the power of measurement . . . • “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Einstein • Today, in K-12 education what counts is reading, math and science scores.. and rates of physical violence • School climate: The quality and character of school life (norms, goals, beliefs; relationships; leadership; organizational structure) • Safety • Relationships • Teaching and learning • Institutional environment

5. Educational standards: Setting the bar National School Climate Standards Addressing three essential questions: i) What are the specific skills, knowledge and dispositions that we -- the school community -- most importantly believe can and to be promoted Why these skills, knowledge and dispositions? And, how do we know that they really matter?” ii) How can and will school leaders and the school community translate the school community’s vision into educational policy and rules? And, iii) How will school leaders and the school community translate this policy into effective pedagogic, risk prevention and health promotion practices?

6. School Climate Improvement Process: Stages Stage 1: Preparation Stage 5: Re-Evaluation Stage 2: Evaluation Stage 4: Implementation Stage 3: Understanding & Action Planning

7. Acknowledgments • The National School Climate Council • CSEE’s Staff and Board of Trustees • The hundreds of classroom, family, building, district and state leaders and, most importantly, the children and adolescents who have been my teachers.

8. Thank You! Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D. President, The Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE) 1841 Broadway, New York, NY 10023 (212) 707-8799; F (212) 957-6616 Jonathancohen@csee.net Co-chair, National School Climate Council Adjunct Professor in Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University Adjunct Professor in Education, School of Professional Studies, City University of N.Y.