Arizona is implementing several programs that are designed to help its schools ensure they are safe and supportive, thereby improving student outcomes. Below are descriptions of two such programs.
 

Safe and Supportive Schools
With a U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students Safe and Supportive Schools grant, the Arizona Department of Education is implementing a measurement system that will gather comprehensive data from students, school staff, and families related to school safety, school engagement, and school environment to assess conditions for learning. The goals of the system are to improve conditions for learning by using valid and reliable data to drive research-based prevention and intervention strategies, and to reduce behaviors that present barriers to learning among high-risk students.

Safe Schools/Healthy Students
Since 1999 the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice have collaboratively funded and supported the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative. The SS/HS Initiative is a discretionary grant to implement a coordinated SS/HS comprehensive plan of activities, curricula, programs, and services that focus on creating safe school environments, promoting healthy childhood development, and preventing youth violence and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use, henceforth referred to as the SS/HS comprehensive plan. An eligible applicant is a local educational agency (LEA) or a consortium of LEAs that partner with their local public mental health, law enforcement, and juvenile justice agencies to develop and submit a community-specific SS/HS comprehensive plan that addresses five elements.  Arizona has several 2008 grantee sites.
 

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) collects school climate data via several surveys.  On a biannual basis, as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, ADE surveys high school students regarding violence, suicide, alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, sexual risks, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, body image, diet and physical activity. This survey is used to assess and monitor behaviors that place individuals at increased risk for premature morbidity and mortality.

In addition, on a biannual basis (the years the YRBSS is NOT administered), ADE surveys 8th, 10th and 12th graders with the Arizona Youth Survey.  One component of this survey measures students who felt unsafe at school or on the way to school, were threatened or injured with a weapon at school, were in a physical fight at school, carried a weapon to school or were picked on or bullied at school.

ADE, in collaboration with Arizona educators, recently developed a comprehensive, statewide infrastructure for identifying, capturing, and managing school safety and discipline incident data.

On a biannual basis, Arizona collects data on priority health-risk behaviors and the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Below is data for a selection of YRBSS indicators for Arizona and the United States.