Page 6 - CARING and SAFE SCHOOLS in ONTARIO

Caring and Safe Schools
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Leading schools – as in any great organization – requires principals with the courage and capacity to build new cultures based on trusting relationships and
There is a direct link between success in school and the school environment in which student learning takes place. Students are more motivated to do well and achieve their full potential in schools that have a positive school culture and one in which they feel safe and supported.
(Safe Schools Action Team, 2008, p. 1)
The investigations of the Safe Schools Action Team have confirmed that a safe
and supportive environment for learning and working is one of the most important factors that influence the quality of student learning and achievement (Safe Schools Action Team, 2008).
Students who experience a positive school culture feel supported and accepted
by peers and school staff and tend to develop a strong sense of school membership. Feelings of belonging enhance students’ self-esteem and can contribute both directly and indirectly to improvements in academic and behavioural functioning and overall mental health. Students who feel accepted are more likely to develop strong literacy skills and make a positive contribution to the school culture and
are less likely to commit infractions. Conversely, a low sense of school engagement in students appears to be correlated to a higher incidence of emotional and beha- vioural disorders (Canadian Public Health Association, 2003). This suggests that an approach to dealing with inappropriate student behaviour which enables students to feel supported and accepted at school may contribute to improved student learning and behaviour and help students stay in school.
Promoting positive behaviour through a caring and safe learning environment
and an individualized approach to behaviour issues begins with system and school leaders, who set the tone for the system and schools. They bear the primary respon- sibility for working with teachers and other partners to create an environment in which individual students and adults are treated fairly, equitably, and with dignity and respect. It is hoped that the ideas in this document will be helpful to them – and also to all staff, including special education resource teachers, to parents, and to other stakeholders.
a culture of disciplined inquiry and action.
(Fullan, 2003)