The Alliance Way

Despite heightened attention to the problem, bullying remains a scourge in U.S. schools, linked to a myriad of negative outcomes including substance abuse, suicides, and school shootings. As a young high school teacher, Tina Owen-Moore saw the damage being done by bullying first-hand and despaired. A former victim of bullying herself, Owen-Moore did what she could to help students see the harm and prevent it. But in 2005, when she and her fellow Milwaukee teachers were offered the opportunity to start new schools, Owen-Moore "knew what she had to do" - create a school in which bullying was not the norm. In The Alliance Way, Owen-Moore details the beliefs and practices that have made the Alliance School of Milwaukee a focus of national attention as a safe, student-centered and academically challenging school. The book illustrates how creating a safe and inclusive environment goes beyond a programming approach that targets bullying to a more holistic one where building relationships, restorative practices, and planning to prevent harm take center-stage.--