2.2 Expectations

School leaders and classroom teachers establish a culture of high expectations with high support. Emphasis is on doing things “with” students and community members, not “to” or “for”. Educators support high standards and expectations for both learning and behavior in the school and classroom community. They offer high levels of support to create positive change.

Everyone in the school community has the expectation that school systems will address misbehavior in a constructive way. The school builds systems that address misbehavior and harm in a way that strengthens relationships and focuses on the harm done rather than only on rule-breaking:

• Schools establish policies to provide a safe place for learning. Real safety however comes from fostering and maintaining caring relationships.
• Misbehavior is recognized as an offense against people and relationships, not just a violation of rules.
• Policies need to address the root causes of discipline concerns rather than only the symptoms. The causes of misbehavior may be multiple and should be addressed by all members of the school community equally asserting high levels of expectation within a supportive environment.
• The person(s) harmed is the center of the primary relationship that needs to be addressed. Secondary relationships that may have been impacted might include other students, teachers, parents, the administration, and the surrounding community.

These steps are visible and known to all, creating the expectations of fairness, justice, obligation and restoration.