School Safety and Climate in Evolving Contexts

Abstract This chapter presents the conceptual model of school violence, bullying, and climate in evolving contexts, a socioecological model that puts the school, rather than the individual student, in the center. The chapter outlines the importance of understanding and, where possible, changing the multiple contexts in which the school is embedded. It emphasizes that although these external contexts have major influences, they do not predetermine the school’s processes and outcomes. School climate is the internal context that can buffer, moderate, or exacerbate these external influences. The chapter identifies three interrelated components of school climate: social-relational, academic, and organizational. School practitioners can help improve these dimensions of climate and help the school community, students, teachers, and parents achieve better outcomes. Practitioners can employ a range of interventions and practices—some of them formal and structured evidence-based programs and others that are locally developed grassroots interventions—adapted to the school’s needs. Practitioners should monitor and assess the implementation and effectiveness of the range of interventions and practices employed in the school. This should be a continuous process, responding to changes that may require modifications of the methods used and additional data collection opportunities. Most importantly, monitoring needs to be perceived as an opportunity to listen to the voices of the school community, students, staff, and parents; include them in the process of making sense of the information gathered; and empower them to take part in school improvement efforts designed to prevent violence, increase safety, and improve the well-being of all school constituents.