Reimagining School Climate for a Healthier Tomorrow

It is clear now more than ever that schools are a lifeline for millions of children across the nation. Bernice Garnett, the Adam and Abigail Burack Green and Gold Professor of Education, says schools are the nexus at which education and public health come together. “Schools are a natural setting for public health prevention and promotion, because young people spend so many of their waking hours there,” says Garnett. “Schools are often the hub of a community, from school-based health centers to provision of meals to positive connections with adults and peers.” At a time when students nationwide are physically, emotionally, and socially separated from this safety net, she remains hopeful that schools can provide critical leverage, even outside the traditional academic paradigm, to set children on positive trajectories. She hopes that when students do return to classrooms, they will be met with a more nurturing school environment. With resources from the Burack Professorship, she has brought her transdisciplinary approach into the community by enlisting UVM students and local teachers as partners in research she hopes will change practices on the ground. Her team is evaluating Burlington schools’ implementation of restorative justice practices, which prioritize relationship building, problem solving, and conflict resolution over punishment. This district-wide reform effort aims to reduce punitive disciplinary practices that disproportionately target marginalized communities like students of color or students with disabilities. Rather than doling out exclusionary punishments such as detention and suspension, schools encourage students to take responsibility for their actions and come up with a plan to repair harm. Garnett’s research shows that building this type of inclusive school climate, in which students are embraced rather than pushed away, has positive effects for students and teachers alike. “It really starts with adults changing behavior and their relationship with students. Loneliness, suicidal ideation, anxiety… all of those are related to connection, the need for connection, the need for relationships.”