Page 18 - CARING and SAFE SCHOOLS in ONTARIO

❏ Students with special education needs are included, welcomed, and valued in the school.
❏ Staff and parents are knowledgeable about the types of challenges faced by students with special education needs.
❏ School leaders and staff understand the concerns of parents of students with special education needs and work collaboratively with them.
Finally, system and school leaders need to assess both system and school cultures to determine whether the necessary conditions for creating positive change are present. Attributes of a culture that is likely to be favourable to initiatives for positive change include the following:
System and school leaders demonstrate:
✦ commitment to protection of key values;
✦ willingness to involve stakeholders in decision making;
✦ willingness to provide tangible support for constructive initiatives;
✦ appreciation and recognition of effort and achievement;
✦ appreciation of tradition.
All partners demonstrate:
✦ a spirit of collegiality;
✦ trust and confidence in leaders and colleagues;
✦ high expectations for self and others;
✦ willingness to experiment;
✦ willingness to reach out to their knowledge base;
✦ commitment to honest, open communication;
✦ a capacity for caring, celebration, and humour.
(Adapted from Saphier & King, 1985, p. 33)
Building a Caring and Safe School Culture
▪ Once schools have a thorough understanding of their existing culture, they can undertake the process of addressing areas that need improvement.
STEPS IN IMPLEMENTATION
The steps in implementation to build and maintain a caring and safe school culture2 include:
Caring and Safe Schools
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✦ identifying needs;
✦ setting goals;
2. School boards may find it helpful to integrate their initiatives to address school culture and student behaviour with their implementation of the draft policies K–12 School Effectiveness Framework (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009c) and K–12 Board Improvement Plans Should Improve Teaching, Leading, and Learning (Ontario Ministry
of Education, 2009b).