Behavior issues drop at 6 schools CPS | Huberman cites 'culture of calm,'

[mucifer]

May 27, 2010

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter

Reports of serious student behavior problems have dropped 77 percent at six targeted schools -- and Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman on Wednesday credited his $60 million anti-violence initiative.

Other CPS officials attributed the improvement to everything from the "Hawthorne effect'' -- the tendency of people to work harder merely because they are being studied -- to increased conversations about safety.

Huberman last year won national attention and $60 million in federal stimulus dollars over two years for his unique anti-violence plan, one grounded heavily on data.

The effort included identifying the 1,700 high school students most likely to be shot in the next two years, based on their similarities to prior Chicago Public School shooting victims; bankrolling school-devised "culture of calm'' plans in 38 troubled high schools; and establishing "safe passage'' routes at 12 high schools in high-crime areas. ...snip

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/2323122,CST-NWS-calm27.article

This is good news Chicago needs help in this area.