Feeling Safe in School

Book excerpt: Jonathan Cohen and Dorothy L. Espelage, two leading authorities in the fields of school climate and prevention science, have gathered experts from around the globe to highlight policy and practice recommendations for supporting children and adolescents to feel and be safe in school. Featuring analysis and commentaries from experts in public health, psychology, and school improvement, Feeling Safe in School addresses social, emotional, and intellectual aspects of safety as well as physical safety. The experts offer candid and unique insights into the way eleven different countries view and define what it means to feel safe in school, the types of goals and strategies that are being used to promote safety, and whether and how measures are being used to gauge progress. Interest in supporting the physical as well as the social and emotional safety of students as a prerequisite for learning and healthy development is now a global phenomenon. Feeling Safe in School adds to the understanding of the possibilities for increasing student safety by examining the experiences of other countries that are tackling this issue.