A student passes through security at the beginning of the school day at Christian Fenger Academy High School in Chicago. School officials around the country are working to balance school security with the need to maintain a positive learning environment.
Timote Vaka, 18, a senior at Ralph J. Bunche High School in Oakland, Calif., is participating in an anger-management program at the behest of the alternative school.
Brander S. Suero, 16, walks past Central Park East High School after buying lunch in Harlem. The school is using a program that focuses on students' resilience and connection to other students as building blocks for success.
Brander S. Suero, at back, is a peer leader in his AP English class at Central Park East High School. Earlier in high school, he struggled with his grades and behavior, but was tapped to take part in the College Summit peer-leadership program. Now he and other students who once seemed longshots for graduation work to help fellow students boost their performance.
Jeff Steindorf, a physical education and wellness teacher at Yamhill Carlton Intermediate School in Yamhill, Ore., became the de facto counselor at his school when budget cuts left it without one. The school has since hired a counselor, but Steindorf remains involved in one-on-one student work. “I wear many hats,” he says. “I don’t even think about it, I just do what needs to be done.”
