California Safe and Supportive Schools

A Case Study of San Juan High School’s Safe and Supportive Schools Project

Behavioral Support Strategies

A Case Study of San Juan High School’s Safe and Supportive Schools Project

by

San Juan High School, a low-income, ethnically diverse school struggling to boost student achievement in California’s San Juan Unified School District, demonstrated consistent gains in its School Climate Index (SCI) over the three years of the California Safe and Supportive Schools Program implementation. This case study reflects on the programs and strategies that the school implemented and draws upon data collected as part of the program’s evaluation. Some of the key strategies discussed are:

  • Stakeholder engagement and student voice
  • Social-emotional learning
  • Freshman mentoring
  • Restorative justice
  • Project-Based Learning
  • Intervention efforts

Proactive and Inclusive School Discipline Strategies

by

Innovative school leaders have shifted away from punitive school discipline approaches because they generally do not work to reduce the behavior for which they are applied and, more often, have unintended negative and counterproductive consequences. This What Works Brief describes a range of innovative approaches that promote self-discipline and reduce punitive discipline by:

  • Explicitly teaching students expected behaviors
  • Motivating students to commit to school rules by noticing and encouraging students who follow them
  • Addressing underlying conditions that provoke students to break school rules by providing opportunities for feedback and pro-social skill building

Developed through the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Grant, What Works Briefs summarize state-of-the-art practices, strategies, and programs for improving school climate. Based on the most current research, each brief provides practical recommendations for school staff, parents, and community members. They are organized into three sections:

  • Quick Wins: What Teachers and Adults Can Do Right Now
  • Universal Supports: Schoolwide Policies, Practices, and Programs
  • Targeted Supports: Intensive Supports for At-Risk Youth

Substance Use at School

by

Schools can be a major player in both preventing student substance or drug use and helping students who are battling drug addiction. Prevention efforts must include regular education campaigns along with opportunities for students to cultivate their personal strengths, interests, and hobbies. Schools must also construct and maintain a system through which at-risk students can be referred to appropriate outside resources.

This What Works Brief offers schools strategies for handling drug use at school, including how to:

  • Build awareness and knowledge
  • Bolster positive youth development
  • Encourage parent and community involvement

The brief also provides a list of evidence-based programs and therapeutic practices.

Developed through the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Grant, What Works Briefs summarize best practices, strategies, and programs for improving school climate. Based on research and grounded in experience, each brief provides practical recommendations for school staff, families, and community members. They are organized into three sections:

  • Quick Wins: What Teachers and Adults Can Do Right Now
  • Universal Supports: Schoolwide Policies, Practices, and Programs
  • Targeted Supports: Intensive Supports for At-Risk Youth

Harassment and Bullying

by

How can school communities make sure their environments are free from all forms of aggression and victimization, including harassment, violence, and bullying? This What Works Brief provides school staff with suggestions, including how to:

  • Be visible, active, and interested
  • Implement and advocate for clear, consistent, and fair behavior management policies, practices, and programs
  • Encourage student and community involvement
  • Provide conflict resolution education

Developed through the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Grant, What Works Briefs summarize best practices, strategies, and programs for improving school climate. Based on research and grounded in experience, each brief provides practical recommendations for school staff, families, and community members. They are organized into three sections:

  • Quick Wins: What Teachers and Adults Can Do Right Now
  • Universal Supports: Schoolwide Policies, Practices, and Programs
  • Targeted Supports: Intensive Supports for At-Risk Youth

Physical and Emotional Violence Victimization

by

Peer victimization, or bullying, occurs anywhere youth are—schools, neighborhoods, online—and can be physical or verbal, or through social exclusion from groups. Bullying affects the general sense of safety at school, instilling a sense of vulnerability, isolation, and fear in its victims. It also reduces victims’ ability to organize their mental and emotional resources, negatively affecting student outcomes.

To combat bullying, schools must provide resources for all students, including the victims, aggressors, and bystanders. This What Works Brief focuses on how schools can best prevent and intervene in cases of bullying, including:

  • How to be prepared when bullying happens
  • Ways of taking action
  • 10 best practices for bullying prevention and intervention

Developed through the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Grant, What Works Briefs summarize best practices, strategies, and programs for improving school climate. Based on research and grounded in experience, each brief provides practical recommendations for school staff, families, and community members. They are organized into three sections:

  • Quick Wins: What Teachers and Adults Can Do Right Now
  • Universal Supports: Schoolwide Policies, Practices, and Programs
  • Targeted Supports: Intensive Supports for At-Risk Youth

Perceptions of Safety

by

Students feel safe at school when they are free from harassment, bullying, violence, and substance use and experience positive, supportive relationships and engaging opportunities for learning. This What Works Brief offers strategies schools can use to help students feel safer at school, including:

  • Setting clear, consistent, and fair behavior policies
  • Prioritizing positive supports and restorative practices
  • Being visible, active, and interested

Developed through the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Grant, What Works Briefs summarize best practices, strategies, and programs for improving school climate. Based on research and grounded in experience, each brief provides practical recommendations for school staff, families, and community members. They are organized into three sections:

  • Quick Wins: What Teachers and Adults Can Do Right Now
  • Universal Supports: Schoolwide Policies, Practices, and Programs
  • Targeted Supports: Intensive Supports for At-Risk Youth