Whole School Community

Several years ago, teachers at Ironia Elementary, a suburban New Jersey school with 600 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, began working with their students each September to create classroom rules—simple but powerful guidelines for behavior that set the stage for a productive year of learning. Once all teachers were…

One night this week the national news included two snippets related to our country’s schoolchildren: one I found very discouraging and the other really heartening. The discouraging news was that one in three American children now lives in a household where no parent is working full-time. The heartening news was…

As educators, we know that communication between school and home is hugely important to a child’s success in school. When school leaders, teachers, and other school staff respect parents* and share infor­mation with them openly and frequently, parents are more likely to trust and work with the school to support…

My colleague Caltha Crowe has been researching bullying prevention for an upcoming book, and as a result, my antennae are out for news on this topic. So, the other day when I heard the White House held a conference on bullying prevention. I checked out the website. I was most…

Each morning at the University School of Nashville's lower school begins with a simple routine that welcomes students out of their cars and into the building. As children spill out of the vehicles, three adults—an administrator, an enrichment teacher, and the custodian—are there to greet them with a warm "Hello"…

Bullying is a top issue on educators’ minds. Those using or exploring the Responsive Classroom approach frequently ask, “Is this approach a bullying prevention program? If not, how does it relate to bullying prevention?” The Responsive Classroom approach is a not a program for addressing any particular issue. Rather, it’s…

How Responsive Classroom Strategies Supported a Child with Special Needs Morning Meeting is about to start. With eye contact and a head nod, Wyatt chooses a friend to ring the chime that signals our gathering. We come together in record time. There is a feeling of anticipation as we silently…

Question: I’ve heard a lot about community service learning (CSL) and love the idea of combining service to the community with academic learning. I’d like to get a project going in my classroom, but I don’t know how to find a useful project that my students will buy into. Any…