School Climate & Safety

Cleveland Schools Faulted on Climate

By Christina A. Samuels — August 25, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Cleveland school district has an inconsistent approach to how it handles students’ behavior problems that must be addressed, in part, by better training of school personnel, says a study by a Washington-based research group.

The 52,000-student district requested the report on schools’ capacity to handle students with mental and behavior needs after a 14-year-old opened fire at a school last August, wounding two teachers and two other students before killing himself. Another report requested in the wake of the shooting focused specifically on security improvements.

The American Institutes for Research study was based on more than 100 interviews, a student survey, site visits, and a review of school documents. David Osher, the lead author and a managing director at the air, said the report was one of the most thorough he has conducted on an urban district.

Among the challenges noted by the researchers were harsh and inconsistent punishments in schools, poor adult role modeling, and a weak family-school connection.

Students were asked to rate their schools on a “safe and respectful climate,” which measures how physically and emotionally safe students feel. About 46 percent of middle school students thought their school environment “needs improvement.” Also, more than 48 percent of responding high school students said they worry about crime and violence in school, and almost 43 percent reported that students are threatened or bullied at their high school.

Mr. Osher said Cleveland officials took pains to convince him that they wanted a deeper look at mental-health capacity in the city and schools, and weren’t just looking for a symbolic gesture. In press reports, Cleveland officials said they welcomed the report’s candor.

“People are poised to be willing to take the next implementation steps,” Mr. Osher said in an interview. The institute drafted a four-year plan and intends to work with Cleveland schools for six months, he said.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the August 27, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Whitepaper
The Future of School Safety
This report provides sensible answers and concrete solutions to help educators make evidence-based decisions to improve campus security.
Content provided by T-Mobile for Education
School Climate & Safety What Makes Schools Safe? Researchers Outline These 4 Key Recommendations
Researchers distilled dozens of studies to create practical school safety recommendations.
5 min read
Pictures of the Week North America Photo Gallery 23236807597084
Melissa Alvarez hugs her son, Ignacio, then 2, during a special session of the state legislature on public safety on Aug. 23, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn., following a deadly school shooting that March. New research drawing on scores of studies identifies some of the most important steps schools can take to stop violence on their campuses.
George Walker IV/AP
School Climate & Safety Spotlight Spotlight on Enhancing School Safety and Emergency Response
This Spotlight will help you explore proactive measures and effective strategies for enhancing school safety and emergency response.
School Climate & Safety Leading a District After a School Shooting Is Hard. These Superintendents Want to Help
A network of superintendents who've led districts after school shootings plans to support colleagues recovering from similar crises.
4 min read
Photograph of crime scene tape and school.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty