OXFORD, MS — October 10, 2007 — With the proliferation of school violence across the nation, legislators and school administrators are contemplating massive expenditures in physical security improvements, including the installation of security cameras, metal detectors and the hiring of additional security personnel. And while these types of long-term capital investments may be important components of a comprehensive approach to school safety, a new white paper titled 'A Strategy for Safer Schools' reveals that officials may be overlooking the most important and effective aspect in reducing the likelihood of school violence -- communication. By focusing on and improving the frequency and flow of two-way dialogue between students and faculty, the White Paper suggests, school administrators can foster a safer learning environment more rapidly and at a lower overall cost.
The 'A Strategy for Safer Schools' White Paper concludes that students are the best source of information for what is happening inside schools and school administrators must facilitate two-way dialogue so that students become active participants in making their environment more secure. In fact, the emphasis on physical security improvements are seen by many students as restrictions on their freedom further exacerbating the communication gap between the adults who seek to protect them and the children themselves.
"The overwhelming majority of students want a safe place to learn -- free of bullies and fights and peer pressure -- but if students are to be part of the security solution, school administrators must give adolescents a voice and demonstrate trust," said Carter Myers, President of AnComm, the developer of 'Talk About It'® a leading anonymous online and text based reporting service for schools. "Students have all the information we need to keep them safe, but they need the means to communicate with adults without fear of retribution or embarrassment from peers. The schools that are addressing communication as the 'hub' of their strategy rather than a 'spoke' are seeing more significant improvements in their overall school culture."
In the 'Strategy for Safer Schools' White Paper, school administrators will gain insights into:
- The importance of anonymous communications in fostering a positive, comfortable learning environment and school culture,
- How to break the 'code of silence' -- a pervasive sense among students that telling an adult that they or another student are in pain violates an unwritten, but powerful principle,
- Creating an 'early warning system' to identify 'at-risk' children,
- Giving students an 'icebreaker' to facilitate communication between students and faculty and,
- Using technology to reach today's i-Generation.
Download AnComm's 'A Strategy for Safer Schools' White Paper
To request a complimentary copy of AnComm's 'A Strategy for Safer Schools' White Paper, please visit http://www.ancomm.com/whitepaper.
About AnComm's 'Talk About It®'
Developed by AnComm, 'Talk About It' is the nation's first and only anonymous online and text based reporting and emergency notification service for schools. Easy-to-use and implement, ‘Talk About It®’ is a preventative solution focused on bridging the communication gap between students and faculty to foster a safer, more comfortable learning environment. To learn how your educational institution can benefit from AnComm's ‘Talk About It®’ anonymous online and text based reporting service, call 1 (866) 926-2666 or visit their web site at http://www.ancomm.com. |
