School social-organizational structure mediates community influences on school safety¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

This framework holds that a school's internal social organization—particularly the relationships among adults and students, the quality of teacher-student interactions, and family engagement—mediates the adverse influences of community poverty and crime on school safety. The report examines "the extent to which factors under the control of schools—their social and organizational structure, and particularly the relationships among adults and students—mediate those external influences." It finds that relationship-building plays a positive role while punitive approaches like high suspension rates do not.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Schools must actively foster trusting, collaborative relationships with students and parents for the mediating mechanism to operate

Constraints¶

• Schools may not be able to entirely overcome adverse neighborhood influences, though adults can promote structures that mediate them

Target Learners¶

• Students in urban public schools, particularly those from high-poverty, high-crime neighborhoods

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Creating safe and supportive school climates conducive to learning and reducing achievement gaps

Claims¶

• Relationship Quality Defines Safe Schools [+M]
• High Suspension Rates Less Safe [+M]
• Achievement Composition Predicts Safety [+M]

Related Theories¶

• Teaching and learning as social enterprises embedded within school and community contexts
• Developmental relationships: experiences shape development most within strong, supportive, sustained relationships with adults and peers
• Four organizational supports mediating leadership effects on instruction and learning
• Whole School Safety (WSS) Framework

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Matthew P. Steinberg, Elaine Allensworth, David W. Johnson. (2011). Student and Teacher Safety in Chicago Public Schools: The Roles of Community Context and School Social Organization. Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/student-and-teacher-safety-chicago-public-schools-roles-community-context-and-school