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question:Here is a piece of text: The Oregon Education Association released a report Tuesday detailing issues in classrooms that disrupt learning and solutions they pose to fix them. Name calling and profanity. Spitting, kicking and hitting. Ripping books. Brandishing scissors. These are some of the behaviors educators say are increasing in Oregon classrooms. Teachers have voiced concerns to the Oregon Education Association over the past few years about disruptive behaviors that not only affect the student doing those things, but also have lasting effects on their peers and educators. The association released a report Tuesday detailing what they call "a crisis of disruptive learning." The report delves into these behaviors, what might be causing them and what actions the teachers' union recommends schools, districts, state lawmakers and governmental agencies take to help. "Now more than ever, we need funding to make sure students get what they need," said John Larson, high school English teacher and president of the Oregon Education Association. "We also have to realize today ... We have many students with unmet needs," he said. "Housing insecurity, food insecurity, unmet mental-health needs. They have needs in- and outside of school that many of our members are not equipped to deal to with." School district administrators and Oregon Department of Education staff had not seen the report Monday and could not comment in time for publication. "While we have not had the opportunity to review the findings, we are committed to building social and emotional learning in Salem-Keizer Public Schools," said Lillian Govus, director of communications for the district. "By truly understanding what is driving students' behaviors — not just in Salem-Keizer but across the region — we can develop appropriate responses that minimize disruptions and maintain safe educational spaces for our educators and our children," she said. The report was released just two weeks into Oregon's 2019 legislative session. Lawmakers are expected to have a large focus on education, especially since the Joint Committee on Student Success is set to develop a comprehensive budget and policy road map to improve K-12 schools. Colt Gill, director of the Oregon Department of Education, attended the meeting at South Salem High School in November and said there may be legislative opportunities to make these changes happen. Larson said the association will make sure every legislator has a copy of this report. While the association estimates another 4 billion over the current service level is needed per biennium to get pre-K through higher education where they need to be, Larson recognized it has to be a long-term, sustainable investment and it won't happen immediately. The report includes feedback from from hundreds of educators around Oregon. The association, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Education, hosted 14 forums and heard from hundreds of participants online, officials said. "Oregon is filled with quality educators, quality support professionals who care about every student," he said. "But the conditions in our school make it nearly impossible for them to do their jobs successful. "We need to make sure we aren't selling our future short." According to the report, a disruptive learning environment is defined when student behavior significantly interferes with instruction and/or school staff members' ability to maintain a stable classroom or ensure student safety. At times, these behaviors can become dangerous to the student exhibiting them, or the classroom as a whole. The report lists myriad negative behaviors educators see regularly — verbal abuse, person-to-person abuse, weaponizing the classroom and destruction of property. At listening sessions across the state, educators told the association about the "atmosphere of violence that was palpable," of attacks that came regularly and of trauma students experience in that environment. And while these behaviors may not all be new, educators have reported an increase in the severity and frequency in recent years. School districts are not required to keep formal data on incidents like "room clears." A room clear is when students temporarily leave a classroom to reduce the likelihood of injury or trauma as a result of extreme behavior. This typically happens when one student is exhibiting behavior that puts the rest of the class at risk. The association surveyed educators and students across Oregon on these issues. Of the respondents, 32 percent said they were scared for students' safety at school, 25 percent said they were concerned for their own safety and 56 percent said their classroom or their child's classroom had experienced at least one room clear this year. Anecdotally though, many families, administrators and staff have reported to the association that weekly or daily room clears have become commonplace, according to the report. And according to the bi-annual poll called the Oregon Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning survey, educators feel less safe now than they did in 2014, with the percentage of staff who agreed the environment they work in is safe dropping from 92 percent in 2014 to 82 percent in 2018. "There is not a reliable, timely or effective system in place to intervene when there are consistent disruptions," one respondent told the association. "It feels like a Band-Aid approach." These behaviors can affect everyone in the classroom. The student exhibiting the behaviors often lose instructional time and needed supports, and educators said they can experience social isolation and emotional trauma as a result of how peers treat them in the aftermath of the events. The students witnessing or being harmed by the behaviors also lose out on instructional time, when Oregon already has one of the shortest school years in the country. Some of these peers have been physically injured. According to the report, others have a hard time learning even when an event isn't occurring due to the stress or fear that something will. Educators told the association they feel discouraged "that often the only intervention available is for students to be removed from class and 'babysat' in an office, rather than addressing their unmet needs or receive tools to manage their behavior." "Quite honestly, this is a community problem," Larson said. "This is something that we really need to solve together. "Our students are at risk," he said. "We need to make sure they are safe and able to learn." When asked "Why do disrupted learning environments occur?", one participant wrote, "More problems and less support." The association said decades of "chronic and systemic disinvestment in Oregon schools" is perhaps the most influential reason for this, pointing to the fact that, over the last two decades, the Legislature has consistently financed schools at about 21 to 38 percent below what its own research suggested districts needed to be successful. However, the report also lists a number of other contributing factors, including increased class sizes; decreased student support specialists; students with high needs but no resources to support them; a marked decreased in "well-rounded education opportunities" and time for physical activity; a lack of appropriate training for educators and an "unclear implementation of policies regarding restraint and seclusion, k-5 expulsion and suspension" and protocols for disruptions. Not every district is affected by all of these factors, though. For example, large class sizes are a significant issue in districts like Salem-Keizer Public Schools, which recently passed a capital-construction bond and is planning to change boundaries to address overcrowding. However, smaller, rural districts aren't usually battling large classes. Instead, they may be facing increased percentages of students who are living in poverty and experiencing homelessness or food insecurity. And even within one school and one classroom, every student will have their own background and experiences. "It's different for every, single child," Larson said, adding that's why the state needs more professional development to help better prepare staff. He said additional adults in the classroom and, in some cases, improved curriculum are also needed. Larson said the goal is to get the resources so each school can look at its population and ask what students need to get the best education possible. The Oregon Education Association's report includes recommendations that are meant to address the short- and long-term needs in classrooms statewide. Three key ideas were prioritized — increasing onsite student supports with a focus on mental health, reducing class size and caseloads, and fully funding targeted professional development and ongoing supports for implementation. Each recommendation includes steps for schools, districts and the state to take. For onsite supports, the association recommends more mental health counselors, school psychologists, social workers, school nurses, speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists and other mental health and trauma experts. Concerning class size, the state's most recent class size report by the Oregon Department of Education documented 579 classes with 56 or more students. Additionally, almost half of classes are 35 to 51 percent larger than research recommends, according to the department's report. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has recommended paying for additional staff in order to reduce class sizes, especially in K-3 classes, where students are not only learning academic basics, but social norms and appropriate behaviors as well. And for professional development, the association recommends ongoing training and support for staff to "fully transfer new knowledge into practice." "We have inadequate training for new curriculum," one teacher told the association. "Teachers in my school are expected to be doing restorative practices/circles regularly in our classrooms; however, not one hour of training has been given so that teachers do this in a truly inclusive and helpful way." The association recommends staff getting thorough and consistent training on models of trauma-informed practices, social and emotional learning programs and positive behavior programs, to name a few. Though the report focuses on those three key recommendations, it also includes a number of other ideas that would reportedly help improve safety in schools. Family wraparound services, increased physical movement and clarified protocols for physical intervention and restraint of students are just a few. For more information, go to https://www.oregoned.org/ or contact the Oregon Education Association at 503-684-3300. Based on the text material above, generate the response to the following quesion or instruction: What are the three key recommendations included in the report to improve safety in schools?
answer:The three key recommendations included in the report to improve safety in schools are: increasing onsite student supports with a focus on mental health, reducing class size and caseloads, and fully funding targeted professional development and ongoing supports for implementation.
question:Can you provide me with more information on the types of disruptive behaviors that are increasing in Oregon classrooms?
answer:According to the report from the Oregon Education Association, some of the disruptive behaviors educators say are increasing in Oregon classrooms include name-calling and profanity, spitting, kicking and hitting, ripping books, and brandishing scissors. The report delves into these behaviors, what might be causing them, and what actions the teachers' union recommends schools, districts, state lawmakers, and governmental agencies take to help.
question:How can schools support students in developing their personal leadership skills through community engagement opportunities?
answer:There are several ways that schools can support students in developing their personal leadership skills through community engagement opportunities: 1. Provide opportunities for community service: Schools should encourage students to get involved in community service projects that align with their interests and skills. These community engagement opportunities could include volunteering at a food bank, participating in a neighborhood cleanup, or working at a local charity. 2. Recognize students for their efforts: Schools should acknowledge and celebrate students who demonstrate strong leadership skills in their community service work. This recognition can motivate other students to get involved and help create a culture of service and leadership within the school. 3. Offer leadership training: Schools can offer leadership training programs that teach students essential skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. This training can help students become more effective leaders in their community engagement activities. 4. Foster partnerships with community organizations: Schools can partner with local community organizations to provide meaningful opportunities for students to get involved in community service projects. These partnerships can also help students connect with community leaders and gain valuable experience and skills. 5. Incorporate community engagement into the curriculum: Schools can integrate community engagement opportunities into their curriculum, providing students with hands-on learning experiences that allow them to apply what they learned in the classroom to real-world situations. This can help students develop leadership skills while also enriching their educational experience.
question:Can you provide some examples of schools that have successfully implemented community engagement opportunities to promote personal leadership skills?
answer:There are several examples of schools that have successfully implemented community engagement opportunities to promote personal leadership skills. Here are a few examples: 1. Aspire Public Schools: Aspire Public Schools is an organization that operates 40 public charter schools in California and Tennessee. Aspire schools promote community engagement opportunities that help students develop leadership skills. For example, several Aspire schools host community fairs, where students lead activities and engage with members of the community. 2. Northfield High School: Northfield High School in Denver, Colorado, offers a service learning program that provides students with the opportunity to engage in community service projects. The program is designed to help develop students' leadership skills while also promoting community engagement. 3. The Hospital School at Boston Children's Hospital: The Hospital School at Boston Children's Hospital provides education and support for students who are hospitalized for an extended period. The school encourages community engagement opportunities for its students by partnering with local organizations, such as food banks and animal shelters. 4. Charlestown High School: Charlestown High School in Boston, Massachusetts, offers a program called the "Community Service Corps," which provides students with community engagement opportunities that help them develop leadership skills. Students participate in service projects such as cleaning up local parks and supporting local food banks. 5. Pellissippi State Community College: Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee, offers a leadership program that combines classroom instruction with community engagement activities. Students participate in projects such as volunteering at homeless shelters and working with local nonprofits to develop leadership skills.