The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) 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 three such programs.

Safe Supportive Schools
With a U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students Safe and Supportive Schools grant, DPI is implementing a 4-year project to improve conditions for learning in 14 school districts. The districts will be selected on the basis of high numbers and/or rates of disruptive drug- and violence-related behavior at school. DPI is conducting a needs assessment that will include an analysis of data related to incidents of student misbehavior, student self-reported risk behaviors related to drug use and violence, and student engagement and school environments in all schools with any grades 9–12. Using this data, DPI will generate school safety scores that will be used to select schools in which to implement new or expanded evidence-based interventions.

Building State Capacity for Preventing Youth Substance Use and Violence Prevention
With a U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students Building State Capacity grant, DPI is working to increase the capacity of K-12 educators to implement evidence- based drug and violence prevention programs, maintaining resources that support school-based drug and violence programs; maintain resources to support school-based drug and violence prevention programs; and coordinate state and regional activities to support professional development.

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. Wisconsin has several Safe School Healthy Students grantee sites.

 

Wisconsin collects school climate data via two data collections. Biannually, Wisconsin surveys high school students for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) 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.  And then, annually, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction reports incident data through the Individual Student Enrollment System and the School Performance Report System.

On a biannual basis, Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin and the United States.