Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a schoolwide approach to promote positive school safety in which student academic success can occur. However, at least one third of students in United States schools are suspended once in their K12 school career for violating a school's code of conduct. School suspensions have been linked to…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the impact that teacher teams, specifically building-level leadership teams and professional learning communities, can have on a school's safe and collaborative culture and effective teaching practices. Waves of school reform have made their way through legislation and schools and, as a result,…

How can districts weave social and emotional learning throughout their work to foster a systemwide culture of connection and trust? This was a key question for district leaders of Atlanta Public Schools (APS), which serves 87 schools and 52,000 students. When a districtwide cheating scandal in 2011 was uncovered, it may have been the expected…

This study investigated the associations among school climate domains and how school climate interacts with academic performance. A sample of Kosovan public school students (N = 855) was assessed using the School Climate Survey. The results showed that students had positive perceptions in the school climate domains of teaching and learning and…

This study examines the level and driving factors of parental satisfaction from public schools in Greece, a country with a highly centralized school system. The study is based on a sample of 1,072 parents from 72 schools located in southern Greece. Parent satisfaction indices, measuring overall satisfaction and certain dimensions of satisfaction,…

Bullying is prevalent in our culture and can be recognizable through a competitive, capitalistic economy and a dominance hierarchy. Based on dominance, bullying continues to be a problem in our public schools as witnessed through nationally televised stories in Colorado (Columbine), Vermont (Ryan Halligan), and Missouri (Megan Meier), to name a…

Increasingly, education policymakers are touting restorative justice as a way to interrupt the "school-to-prison pipeline," which disproportionately impacts students by race, sexuality, and disability. A small but growing research literature suggests that restorative justice decreases suspension and behavioral incidents, while improving…

Our schools are considered a place of safety for learning, however, the unfortunate reality is that schools may face crises and violence. Leadership styles vary among school leaders and provide the framework for handling daily challenges. This mixed-methods research design was used to investigate the individual leadership styles of public school…

This report provides an overview of the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS). SHPPS is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. The 2014 study collected data at the school and classroom levels only. SHPPS assesses the…

This report provides results from the School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) conducted in 2014. Following a detailed Methods section, 2014 results are presented in a series of 168 tables organized around the 10 components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. Tables 1.1 through 10.4 provide the percentage of…

The School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS 2014 assessed the characteristics of selected components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model: (1) health education; (2)…

In Chicago's public school system, LGBT students were three times more likely than straight peers to miss school because of threats to their safety, according to 2003 districtwide survey; and students who face regular harassment were more like to drop out. In this article, the author shares her thoughts on the move of Chicago school officials to…

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) students in public education are challenged with the detrimental effects of homophobic harassment. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions and lived experiences of former GLBTQ high school students and their experiences with school…

This study tested 51 characteristics of bullying victimization, bullying victims, and bullying victims' schools to determine which were associated with reporting to school officials. It found that 11 characteristics in two categories--bullying victimization and bullying victims--showed a statistically significant association with reporting. The…

Inclusion of students with special education needs into regular classrooms, and prevention of violence in schools are two important social or public policies with which school administrators and teachers are faced in today's public education system. If school staffs are to be effective at implementing these two public policies, it seems reasonable…