TN Department of Education:K-12

"School Climate" is the final element of a comprehensive school safety plan. Creating a positive school climate fosters a student's feeling of belonging and is critical for learning to take place. This has a direct affect on the safety and security of schools. Below are training opportunities and other resources related to School Climate offered by the School Safety Center.

Aspire - Youth Outreach for a Safe and Drug-Free Tennessee

The Aspire project recruits and trains teams of high school students from across the state to take a leadership role in reducing youth drug use and violence in their school or community. The application process for new teams opens during the late spring of the school year. For more information, please contact Melia Arnold, Tennessee Commission on National and Community Service at (615) 253-6314 or Melia.Arnold@state.tn.us.

Character Education Partnerships

In May of 2000, Tennessee received a four-year Partnerships in Character Education grant from the US Department of Education. The Partnership focuses on disseminating information regarding effective approaches to character education. The Partnership is also charged with recognizing schools/districts with the "Best Practices in Character Education" annual award. Additional information is available on the Character Education site or by contacting Laura Nichols at (615) 253-6037 or by e-mail at Laura.Nichols@state.tn.us.

Lions-Quest Service-Learning Training

Service-learning is an innovative teaching strategy that combines volunteer service and classroom instruction. Workshops will be provided in various locations across the state to equip teachers with the skills and materials necessary to effectively incorporate service-learning into their classrooms. High school educators will receive everything necessary to meet the state’s standards and curriculum frameworks for course code 9395, “Success Skills through Service-Learning.” Lions Quest International will train and provide materials valued at $500 at no cost to Tennessee educators through a grant from the Lions Clubs International Foundation and the Department of Education.

For more information, please visit www.volunteertennessee.net and click on Lions-Quest Service-Learning Training or contact Meredith Freeman, Lions-Quest Service-Learning Coordinator at (615) 741-9242 or Meredith.Freeman@state.tn.us.

Life Skills Training

Recognized by the US Department of Education as one of nine exemplary prevention programs and recommended by the Center for Disease Control and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Life Skills Training is a nationally recognized alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention program developed by Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin of Cornell University. The research-based program targets students in grades 6, 7 and 8 and has been proven to significantly reduce tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use. A three-year grant enables us to underwrite all out-of-pocket expenses (training and materials) associated with the implementation of this program. For more information or to register for the upcoming training classes see the link below or you may contact Lori Ungurait at (615) 253-6382.

The Methamphetamine Awareness Project

The Department of Education is pleased to announce a new training opportunity for Tennessee educators and others working in a school setting. The Methamphetamine Awareness Project will focus on the drug methamphetamine and its impact on children.
Participants receive a basic overview of the drug as well as learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of children living in a home where methamphetamine is being produced or used. Appropriate intervention strategies will also be identified. These trainings are made possible through a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Criminal Justice Programs and is supported by the Governor’s Methamphetamine Initiative Grant.

Any questions about the trainings may be directed to Lori Ungurait at (615) 253-6382 or via email to lori.ungurait@tennessee.edu. (A confirmation and directions will be
sent upon registration.)

No Bullying Implementation Training

Bullying behaviors can have a significant impact on the safety and climate of our schools. Implementation training and program materials for the Johnson Institute's No Bullying program are available for elementary and middle school teams committed to addressing this problem. Contact Mike Herrmann at (615) 741-3248 or Mike.Herrmann@state.tn.us for more information.

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

The Tennessee Department of Education is pleased to announce the availability of certification training for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. This project is being developed in collaboration with the Center for Youth Issues - Nashville and Clemson University. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBP) was developed in Norway and has been recognized as a model program by the U.S. Department of Education.

Thirty individuals will be provided with the training, support materials and ongoing consultation necessary to become a certified OBP trainer. Successful applicants will be expected to make a two-year commitment to the process and will be selected based upon prior training experience and local commitment to program implementation. Detailed information and application packages can be found at www.studentstakingarightstand.org

. Applications must be received on or before November 17, 2006, in order to be considered.

Other Resources

Positive Behavioral Support

Positive behavioral support emphasizes a school-wide system of support that includes proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments. Instead of using a patchwork of individual behavioral management plans, a continuum of positive behavior support for all students within a school is implemented in areas including the classroom and non-classroom settings (such as hallways, restrooms). Positive behavior support is an application of a behaviorally-based systems approach to enhance the capacity of schools, families, and communities to design effective environments that improve the link between research-validated practices and the environments in which teaching and learning occurs. Attention is focused on creating and sustaining primary (school-wide), secondary (classroom), and tertiary (individual) systems of support that improve lifestyle results (personal, health, social, family, work, recreation) for all children and youth by making problem behavior less effective, efficient, and relevant, and desired behavior more functional. For more information on this program, click on the following link http://web.utk.edu/~swpbs/

Questions regarding this program may be directed to Mike Herrmann at (615) 741-8468 or Mike.Herrmann@state.tn.us.

School Climate Questionnaire

Yes 2 Kids Conference

The Yes 2 Kids Conference brings together educators, youth workers, counselors, school resource officers and others who are working to improve the lives of young Tennesseans. The format is designed to provide participants with training from nationally recognized experts as well as opportunities for networking with colleagues from across the state.

Contact Lisa Green at (615) 279-0058 or email her at lgreene@studentstakingarightstand.org if you have specific questions about the conference or use the link below.