Safe & Secure
It makes sense that for students to learn at high levels, they must first feel safe and secure. Students who are fearful, bullied, distracted by fights and other disruptive behavior are unlikely to do well academically.
Too many children do not feel safe and secure in school. For example, only 38 percent of U.S. students always feel safe at school and 30 percent rarely or never feel safe (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). About two-thirds (62%) of high school dropouts say their schools should have done more to enforce classroom discipline (Civic Enterprises/Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). Contributing to these conditions, only 20 percent of students report that they take part in making rules at their school (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003).
To ensure that all students are safe, ASCD recommends, at a minimum:
- Students, school staff, and family members establish and maintain behavioral expectations, rules, and routines
- Families are welcomed by school staff as partners in their children's education