Connect for Respect (C4R) is National PTA’s initiative to help students, parents and educators to create school climates full of safe and supportive peer relationships.
Research shows that one of the most effective ways to prevent bullying behavior is to create a positive school climate. School climate encompasses everything that contributes to a student’s experience with a school—from the physical building to policies, staff and peer culture.
Positive school climates exist in schools where students, families and educators all work collaboratively to build a culture of respect.
The C4R Toolkit
Get started. Walk through a step-by-step process for engaging students, parents and educators in Connect for Respect while learning about all of the tools National PTA and its partners have available for you.
Build a team. Invite students, teachers, community members and parents to work together in improving school climate. Give students a leadership role.
- Sample Morning Announcements to Recruit Students
- Template Parent Letter
- Sample Social Media Messaging
Assess the current school climate. Take inventory of the current challenges and strengths of your school climate and chart your progress.
Engage the school community in dialogue. Bring students, parents and school leaders together for a productive discussion and brainstorm on ways to overcome weaknesses found in assessment.
- Sample Agenda for C4R Forum
- Template C4R Forum Invititation to Families
- Sample Social Media Messaging
Develop an action plan. Create a plan that educates and empowers students, families and the broader school community around bullying prevention and safe school environments.
Educate and empower students, families and the community. Sustain your efforts over time by convening a C4R team that works on this issue throughout the school year.
Educational Poster (En Español)
Learn More
Find out how bullying and school climate are related to students’ mental health at the American Psychological Association.
Explore current school climate research and assessment tools at the National Center for School Climate.
Utilize Welcoming Schools resources to address gender stereotyping and family diversity in K-5 schools.
Watch the recorded webinar Supporting LGBTQ Students in Bullying Prevention, presented by National PTA and The Human Rights Campaign Welcoming Schools program.
View sample “quick start guides” to get students engaged in campaigns promoting inclusivity and respect at Not in Our School.
Locate and join community events in support National Bullying Prevention Month at Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center.
Keep up with a central hub of federal resources and numerous partner at StopBullying.gov.
Download the free app, KnowBullying, from SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) for tips on how to talk to your children about bullying.