Page 17 - CARING and SAFE SCHOOLS in ONTARIO

FIGURE 2. A CHECKLIST FOR ASSESSING SCHOOL CULTURE
 All members of the school community feel safe, comfortable, and accepted.
 The learning environment is healthy, safe, and orderly.
 The school atmosphere is positive, friendly, and welcoming.
 Morale among students and staff is high.
 Teachers, students, and parents feel that the environment is favourable to learning.
 Diversity is acknowledged, accepted, and respected.
 The school mission or vision promotes student achievement.
 There are high expectations for all students.
 Students have opportunities to enhance their self-esteem and develop respect for themselves and others.
 Expectations for student behaviour are clear and effectively communicated, and students are supported in their efforts to meet those expectations.
 School leaders actively promote initiatives to strengthen instructional skills and techniques.
 The quality of classroom instruction is consistently high.
 Teachers receive recognition and support for their contribution to the students
and the school programs.
 The value of teamwork is recognized, and responsibilities are shared.
 Relationships and interactions between students and between students and
teachers are positive and characterized by mutual respect.
 Community involvement in school activities is welcomed and proactively sought.
 Parents are welcomed into the school through meaningful involvement as
partners in the learning process.
 School leaders encourage risk taking, individual initiative, and leadership growth.
 Mistakes are seen as an opportunity for learning.
 Consequences for challenging student behaviour are appropriate and are
applied fairly.
In addition to the indicators in the checklist, surveys need to include indicators such as the following, which are of particular relevance to students with special education needs:
❏ Programs and other supports are in place to enable staff to teach and reward the skills and attitudes that promote a caring and safe school.
❏ The physical environment of the school and classrooms is designed to ensure students’ safety and promote student engagement and emotional well-being.
❏ Mechanisms are in place for identifying the needs of individual students and matching them to available and/or potential strategies and resources for meeting those needs.
Promoting Positive Behaviour
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