Maintaining a respectful climate for young children in schools: no trumpet solo

Violence in schools brutalises young children, who themselves perpetrate the culture in later years. An authoritarian response to violence is less effective than approaches which shift school values towards mutual respect and dignity. But how does such a process actually work in real life and real time? In what way does it vary across schools? To what extent does a three-year programme leave lasting effects? What factors affect long term success or failure? This paper addresses these key questions by looking at the experiences of nine elementary schools in Israel with the "Human Dignity" programme of Person to Person: Association for the Advancement of Human Dignity.

Violence in schools brutalises young children, who themselves perpetrate the culture in later years. An authoritarian response to violence is less effective than approaches wh...

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