This publication provides an overview of the literature on school safety in the United States, with a focus on equity. Using the framework developed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this publication situates a comprehensive school safety approach as a balance of three key elements: physical safety, school climate, and student behavior,…

Trauma is pervasive in schools and can threaten students, affecting their academic performance and opportunities for lifelong success. Educators must be careful they don't add to a student's trauma. School policies, including academic (e.g., tracking) and behavior (e.g., discipline), can carry implicit bias that can retraumatize a student. A…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are highly prevalent and considered a global public health crisis (Forgash, 2015). ACEs are associated with toxic stress resulting in severe impairment of the cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems (Asmussen et al., 2020). Consequently, the ten categories of ACEs have been linked to multiple risk factors…

This report summarizes activities undertaken by OSPI's Reducing Restraint & Eliminating Isolation (RREI) project during fiscal year 2025, as mandated through 2023's biennial operating budget and 2024's supplemental operating budget. Demonstration projects incorporate "Pilot site" districts that strategically engage in the process of…

Trauma and the exposure of trauma among adolescents can significantly impact a child's ability to find success in the school setting. Trauma-affected students can experience difficulties physically, mentally, emotionally, and developmentally, affecting their academics and behavior. This study explored the perceptions of teachers and the causes and…

This qualitative collective case study sought to explain rural public elementary school teachers' feelings of self-efficacy and burnout when managing student behaviors, their perceptions of student behaviors, why these perceptions exist, and strategies used, if any, that may result in increased feelings of self-efficacy and/or decreased feelings…

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between early exposure to family violence, including domestic violence and child maltreatment, and later involvement in bullying perpetration and peer victimization, as well as the moderating role of school connectedness in this relationship. I conducted a secondary data analysis using data…

In schools, a Code Red alert indicates a potential or immediate threat within a building or on a campus and is the signal for a full-scale lockdown of all classrooms. This book, "Code Red: Conversations and Solutions for an Educational System in Crisis," presents a variety of voices from teachers, administrators, teacher preparation…

The 2022 Legislature directed the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create an advisory workgroup with specific participants to report back on topics related to student isolation and seclusion. This legislative report provides a background on the workgroup, history of isolation and restraint, current practices in the state of…