Introduction
Objectives
of this Resource Guide
Background
Organization of this Guide
Letter
from Bob Chase, President, National Education Association
Section
I – Stress 101: A Primer on Stress for School Employees
Why Should
We Concern Ourselves about Employee Stress in Schools?
What is Stress?
What are the Symptoms of Stress?
Section
II – Violence and Schools: Separating Myth from Fact
Statistics
on School Violence
Violence Against Teachers: Are Schools Safe Places to Work?
Statistics on Violence Directed at Teachers
School Practices/Policies Related to Safety
Section
III – Reducing Violence-Related Stress in Schools
Violence-Related
Stress for School Staff: 4 Most Critical Stressors
What Can School Employees Do as Individuals to Reduce Stress?
Stress Busters
What Can School Systems Do to Reduce Stress?
Stressor
1: Feeling isolated and/or powerless.
- Build/sustain
peer connections by providing intern programs, providing
mentoring programs; designating teacher leaders; and organizing
teaching teams.
- Involve
teachers in decision-making.
- Provide
recognition.
- Provide
performance incentives that increase cooperation rather
than foster competition.
- Build/support
effective community involvement in schools.
Stressor
2: Lack of training and/or skills needed to identify and address
students’ behavior that
is potentially problematic.
- Build
and maintain partnerships between schools and post-secondary
schools of education and other post-secondary education
institutions for pre-service and in-service training.
- Provide
experiential learning and classroom simulation in pre-service
and in-service training.
- Recognize
and utilize existing expertise among school staff for in-service
training and workshops.
- Develop
and maintain school/community partnerships for access to
community-based training and consultation resources.
Stressor
3: Lack of clear expectations and lack of classroom and school-wide
management
to meet those expectations.
- Develop
clear, concrete, school-wide (i.e., for all classrooms and
for all non-classroom school settings) expectations for
student behavior.
- Effectively
communicate expectations regarding discipline and student
behavior to everyone in the school community.
- School
leaders and administration must support school staff whenever
they take action that is within school guidelines and/or
policy to respond to student behavior or discipline problems.
- Identify/research
best practices for your (i.e., the teacher’s or the school’s)
particular needs.
Stressor
4: Fear of verbal, emotional or physical intimidation.
- Training/participation
in violence prevention programs.
- Provide
a realistic assessment of risk and facilitate adequate,
accurate communication among school personnel, parents and
others.
- Maintain
school safety and crisis response plans and procedures.
- Create/maintain
partnerships with law enforcement, mental health and other
community-based agencies and personnel.
Section
IV – Recommended Resources
School Violence
Prevention Resources
Resources
for Developing School Policies
Resources
for Building Parental Involvement and Community Partnerships
Classroom
Management/Student Discipline Resources
Resources
for Mental Health Following a Crisis
School
Violence and School Mental Health Information/Technical Assistance
Centers
Relevant
Resources from the NEA Professional Library
References
Project
Advisory Group |
