erase: The Story
Last updated on September 6, 2024
Information
Every child deserves an education free from discrimination, bullying, harassment, intimidation and violence. The erase strategy is helping ensure every child feels safe, accepted and respected.
The building blocks of safe, caring and inclusive school communities
erase is based on creating safe and welcoming school cultures that support learning. That means having schools that are equitable, inclusive, diverse, tolerant, respectful and accepting.
The building blocks of a safe school community include:
Connectedness
Connectedness involves communication and caring that makes people feel valued, respected and wanted. When students are connected to their school, they feel that adults and peers at school care about them as individuals.
Research shows that youth who feel connected to their school are less likely to engage in risky behaviours like smoking, drinking, drug use, gang involvement, etc. They're also more likely to have better academic achievement, school attendance, and will stay in school longer than those who don’t feel connected.
Here are some factors that increase school connectedness:
Adult support. School staff and parents can dedicate their time, interest, attention and emotional support to students. Children and youth who feel supported by the important adults in their lives are more likely to be engaged in school and their learning.
Positive peer group. A stable network of peers can improve student perceptions of school and can also protect students from being bullied.
Commitment to education. Students are more likely to engage in their own learning and get involved in school activities if they believe that school is important to their future and perceive that the adults in school are interested in their education.
School environment. A healthy and safe school environment with a supportive psychosocial climate enhances connectedness and sets the stage for positive, respectful relationships and safety. This can be influenced by factors like good discipline policies, opportunities for meaningful student participation, school activities, well-managed classrooms, etc.
Climate
Climate is the quality and character of school life with a focus on the quality of the relationships within the school community. This refers to how connected people feel to each other within the school, as well as how connected the school is to the community.
Classroom climate has a major effect on student behaviour. Children and youth often look to connect with one caring and responsible adult at school, in many cases, their teacher.
Culture
Culture is “the way we do things.” It's the shared beliefs, values and priorities of people within a school community. It’s not about religion, race or socio-economic status. It encompasses whatever “normal” is for a particular school. For example, there may be a culture of teacher innovation, or of high parent involvement.
School culture can evolve and change. Dramatic changes typically take three to five years and require buy-in from those in the school community.
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