When done reliably and efficiently, measuring school climate can help improve schools' vital signs and help state boards of education realize their goals and objectives for the system as a whole. Moreover, because it is as consequential to schools as checking heart rates and blood pressure are to humans, schools should always use climate measures…

This report describes how chronic absence and conditions for learning are interconnected issues that can have an impact on a child's educational success. The report identifies specific conditions for learning that can improve school experiences for students and staff and help reduce absenteeism and improve academic outcomes. It includes brief case…

Learning is not just a cognitive process. Research shows that powerful social and emotional factors affect learning. These factors influence students' abilities to attend to and direct their learning; students' engagement in learning activities; and teachers' ability to connect with, challenge, and support students. Social and emotional factors…

The Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative is an ambitious and comprehensive prevention initiative to promote evidence-based practice to address school safety and the reduction of substance abuse. This article describes the history of the SS/HS initiative and the national evaluation efforts to monitor the success of the initiative. To…

This brief paper summarizes findings from research on effective school practices that reduce violence and frequency of behavior problems. It finds that research on schools supports a comprehensive three-level approach to prevention as the most efficient and cost-effective way to reduce violence. Such an approach involves first, a schoolwide…

Provides an overview of this special issue that examines the implementation of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative in seven local communities. An overview of the SS/HS Initiative is provided. Critical lessons learned from the seven sites are discussed with a focus on the special role that school psychologists can play in…

Discussion of the Department of Education's 1998 publication, "Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools," stresses the importance of violence prevention by providing a supportive schoolwide climate and responding early to at-risk students' academic and behavioral problems. Early imminent warning signs are highlighted, as…

Children and youth require safe and supportive schools and communities if they are to succeed in school and thrive. These needs are particularly great for children who struggle with the impacts of chronic poverty, lead poisoning and lead effect, community and media violence, drugs and alcohol, trauma and loss. There are many such students in…

Although most schools are safe, they all can be safer. Improving school safety requires the strategic investment of time and dollars--scarce resources for which there are competing demands. Fortunately, schools that strategically coordinate schoolwide efforts are more likely to improve academic performance as well as reduce behavior problems. This…

This report presents findings of a project that identified and examined three communities where schools have successfully reduced discipline problems and improved learning and behavior of all students, including those with disabilities. Site visits by a research team and expert panels (including both lay community members and professionals) were…