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Positive School Environment Cited as Main Factor in School Safety

Aug 20, 2019 | Blog

Community members in new study question effectiveness of rigid physical security measures in public schools

DENVER РThe Colorado Education Association and Padres & Jóvenes Unidos presented a study today on best practices to improve school climate to legislative members of the bipartisan Colorado School Safety. The findings reflect ongoing community engagement and research from both organizations on how school safety is positively impacted by a welcoming school culture.

“Safety is the overriding concern on the minds of educators every school day and we consider the health and well-being of our students in everything we do for them. Including community and educator voice is critical to getting school safety right and we hope the lessons presented today will give the committee members a community perspective to guide their important work as we all do our best to make the public school the absolute safest place for our kids to learn and thrive,” said CEA President Amie Baca-Oehert, a high school counselor.

The new report School Climate and School Safety: A Community Perspective concludes a positive school environment improves safety and learning in our public schools. CEA and Padres & Jóvenes Unidos presented the community vision for how educators, administrators and policymakers can work together to decrease incidents of school-based violence by following three major recommendations to cultivate a welcoming school culture:

  1. Integrate Schools into the Community
    Schools should be spaces where all members of the school and school community feel welcome.
  2. Focus on Social-Emotional Learning
    At a minimum, increase the number of counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals.
  3. Create Authentic Engagement Between Community and Policymakers
    Policymakers often focus school safety discussions on physical security and making schools into hardened targets, but community members (especially students) said these measures make students feel less safe. This highlights a disconnect between how policymakers view school safety and what community members, students and educators know is best.

School culture is a great concern to Lorena Lim√≥n, a Padres member and parent of five children who described in the study how quickly small issues can escalate into interactions with police enforcing rigid school discipline policies.“The environment in many of our schools is toxic and criminalizes students of color,” she said.

Restorative practices are an effective alternative to police interaction, according to Kathy Zaleski, a teacher in Adams 12.“I use restorative circles in my class that allow students to understand classmates’ perspectives and connect on shared experiences. Teachers using restorative practices often have success improving the classroom climate and ending the toxic culture.”

The report recommendations mirror consensus on the importance of school climate in school security that both CEA and Padres & Jóvenes Unidos have seen over time as they have engaged members and community allies.

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Colorado educators reach into own pockets for classroom expenses

Feb 7, 2018 | Blog

New CEA report reveals its member-educators spend average of $656 per year out-of-pocket to meet student needs

Because Colorado short-changes public education funding by close to a billion dollars per year, the Colorado Education Association wanted to know: How much do educators spend of their own money on their students and classrooms? The answer is shocking.

CEA revealed that the organization surveyed over 2,200 educators from 107 school districts in January and responses concluded that, on average, members spent approximately $656 a year out of their own pockets for students, totaling about $23 million per year. (Note: CEA arrived at $23 million by taking the average of $656 per year multiplied by the number of CEA members.) The money was spent on items, such as books, pencils, tape, glue, binders/folders, snacks, toothpaste and other personal care items, teaching materials, lunch money and field trips. See report here.

“What this report shows is the extraordinary commitment teachers have for their students and the extraordinary deficiency of resources – and how educators are having to fill the gap,” said CEA President Kerrie Dallman.“While corporations are getting millions in tax breaks, educators are spending their limited salary dollars on classroom supplies. Colorado consistently underfunds public education, and this groundbreaking research shows why the state must increase funding for public education.”

Other takeaways from the report included data that reflected disparities in out-of-pocket spending. For example, in some more affluent districts educators reported spending less money in out-of-pocket expenses than educators in districts with fewer resources. The report also shows that those who have eleven or more years in their professions spent more on average than educators early in their careers. However, even educators in their first five years spent over $600 per year out-of-pocket.

About 100 educators gathered in the Colorado State Capitol, Feb. 7, for a Lobby Day to talk to legislators about the severe impacts of underfunding public education and the growing crisis of a shortage of qualified teachers and to present invoices to the General Assembly for the past due amount.

Colorado public schools and students lose revenue every year to tax incentives that support large corporations; over the last 10 years those incentives have added up to over a billion dollars. Four of the five largest companies headquartered in Colorado have received large tax subsidies totaling more than $31 million and Colorado has lost more than $121 million in revenue to subsidies for the oil and gas industry alone.

“This research shows that educators are deeply committed to the success of their students and communities. So much so, that every year they spend money out of their pockets,” Dallman added.“Colorado will not solve its educator shortage crisis until our state fully meets student needs and takes that unfair financial burden off of educators.”

“Teachers teaching teachers” takes flight in Colorado with COpilot

Feb 1, 2017 | Blog

The Colorado Education Association is breaking new ground in continued professional learning with COpilot, an innovative, flexible online learning platform for teachers and education support professionals. The CEA is the first association of educators in the country to launch a statewide, interactive tool delivering peer-to-peer teaching support.

“We designed COpilot to give Colorado teachers a professional edge to help every student thrive,” said CEA President Kerrie Dallman.“Our school districts are badly underfunded and they’re struggling to provide relevant resources to keep their staffs current on the ever-changing world of classroom practice. We’ve stepped up to fill that void with a new way forward that will revolutionize professional development with new opportunities and allow districts to leverage their greatest resource, their people.

“We’re proving with COpilot that the most effective methods to improve teaching do not have to come from an expensive consultant or the latest ‚Äòbig idea in education’ from the corporate world,” Dallman added.“We have phenomenal teaching talent we can tap right here in Colorado. Highly experienced teachers have stepped forward across the state. They are ready to lead and they are taking charge of their profession on COpilot.”

** Listen to Kerrie Dallman’s CEA Leader Podcast on COpilot HERE **

COpilot features courses and lesson plans designed and taught by CEA members, and offers resources and supports all in one convenient place educators can access any time.

** Watch CEA’s COpilot promotional video HERE **

“COpilot gives me a tremendous opportunity to work with fellow educators throughout Colorado and pass on ideas and strategies they can use in the classroom to engage their students,” said Scot Kaye, an 18-year teacher in the Cherry Creek School District. Kaye, a member of Cherry Creek Education Association, has facilitated COpilot courses on the Finnish education system and excessive testing.

“Teaching my own students and watching them grow is very rewarding, but COpilot lifts my teaching to a greater level because I can now positively impact hundreds of teachers and thousands of their students far beyond my classroom,” Kaye explained.“Teachers teaching teachers is the right work for my Association to do and I’m excited to be among the first teachers in the country to share my knowledge with colleagues on such a dynamic learning platform.”

Course facilitators earn money for teaching their courses, and teachers completing courses can earn graduate credit from Adams State University and accrue professional development hours for license renewal.

“I was very impressed by the ease of communicating with the instructor and classmates in COpilot, and the website is phenomenal,” said Lisa Chavez, a third-year teacher in the Lamar RE-2 School District. Chavez, a member of Lamar Education Association, recently completed a COpilot course on intentional interruption and understanding professional development verses professional learning.

“I teach in a small town, and while my district does what it can to help us improve, rural teachers need to take advantage of every opportunity to keep current on the best education practices,” observed Chavez.“The teacher instructors in COpilot live in my world and they’ve given me a greater awareness on how my students learn and what I can do to help them fulfill their potential. Having this wealth of outside expertise literally at my fingertips is a wonderful benefit for me and my students, and I can’t wait to take another course.”

COpilot is available to all educators in Colorado regardless of membership with CEA, though members receive the lowest priced courses. Learn more about COpilot by contacting Casey Kilpatrick, CEA’s director of learning services.