Office of
School Climate and Culture

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is an evidence-based process for ensuring that all students receive the academic and behavioral supports they need. Our office supports MTSS district-wide by:

• Supporting schools in implementing strong supports for students’ behavior and social-emotional development at Tier 1 of the MTSS process
• Providing training and resources to help schools use school climate and disciplinary data effectively to drive continuous improvement

Recess

Pro-social recess at SDP centers equity through providing all students with access to a safe, welcoming, joyful environment that focuses on social belonging and removes barriers to play, particularly for our most marginalized students.

Research demonstrates that, with appropriate structure and support, recess can be a fun, positive time when students can build relationships and develop social-emotional skills, with positive impacts on school climate, social and emotional learning, and academic achievement. However, research also shows that students attending lower-resourced schools receive fewer total minutes of recess per week than students attending more advantaged schools. And, research shows that students in urban environments are less likely to have high-quality recess experiences, characterized by safe play spaces and the supervision of engaged, well-prepared adults.

The Office of School Climate and Culture aims to ensure all K-8 school students and staff experience high quality recess through training, modeling, and strategic planning.

School-Based Youth Court

Youth court is a student-run restorative justice program that gives students who have a poor choice an opportunity to improve their behavior without punitive or exclusionary measures like suspension. Youth Court is run by a group of students that will find a way to help other students become responsible for their behavior and make better choices in the future. The goal of youth court is to help students take responsibility and teach strategies for students to become more successful.

Nineteen schools currently implement schoo-based youth courts. We support them with training and coaching.

Resources

• Video
• FAQ Sheet
• Testimonials and Media Coverage