National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)
The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments provides a range of resources and expertise on emotional and physical safety, bullying, cyberbullying, substance use prevention, crisis response, and building trauma-sensitive schools.
In addition to focusing on the academics, many schools, colleges, and universities across the country are working to create safe and supportive learning environments. Positive school climate and conditions for learning contribute to improved test scores, attendance, grade promotion, and graduation rates. Efforts to improve school climate and safety can help reduce disciplinary incidents and violent behavior.
The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) offers information and technical assistance to states, districts, schools, institutions of higher learning, and communities focused on improving school climate and conditions for learning so that all students have the opportunity to realize academic success. It addresses a range of issues that affect school climate and conditions for learning, including trauma, mental health, bullying, discipline, violence prevention, and human trafficking.
Over the past 11 years, via NCSSLE, AIR experts have assisted districts and schools with implementing targeted programmatic interventions, administering school climate surveys, training to address factors that affect school climate, and provided a range of resources. NCSSLE currently provides a multi-tiered system of support to 54 grantees made up of state and local education agencies across 4 grant programs. In addition, NCSSLE has developed and provided support on numerous high-profile products, including the School Climate Improvement Resource Package, the Trauma Sensitive Schools Training Package, Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations for the 50 States, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Territories, and the U.S. Department of Education’s School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS).
NCSSLE is funded from 2016-2021 by the Office of Safe and Supportive Schools at the U.S. Department of Education. Partners include Center for School Mental Health; Child Trends; Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning; Evaluation Management Training Associates; Futures Without Violence; Macrosys; Sanametrix; Silver Gate Group; and Vision Training Associates.
