When education professor Jerome Freiberg wants to size up a school's climate, he heads straight to the common areas: the hallways, the bathrooms, the teacher's workroom, the infamous cafeteria.

All speak volumes. And making even the smallest changes can get big results.

"Much like the air we breathe, school climate is ignored until it becomes foul," said Freiberg, who is a sort of makeover consultant for schools across the country.

As keynoter at a recent "Safe and Caring Schools" conference co-sponsored by New York State United Teachers, Freiberg told the story of a Houston elementary school where classroom behavior seemed under control, but five to seven fights erupted daily after breakfast in the cafeteria.

"After 30 minutes in there, I was ready to fight, too," Freiberg recalled.

What struck the University of Houston professor most was the excruciating noise level: an aide using the public address system to tell kids to sit down; students jostling to find a seat near their friends; adults and kids yelling across the room; students emptying their trays by banging them inside a metal trash can; workers, understandably as unhappy as the kids to be there, banging pots and pans - yelling above the din of the kitchen machinery.

Freiberg worked with the staff and administrators to eliminate several items on a Cafeteria Ambient Noise checklist. The public address system was mothballed. Kitchen machinery noise levels were reduced. Aides received training on ways to interact more positively with children; the most congenial staffer greeted the students and handed out meal tickets at the front of the serving line.

A sponge stick to clean the plates replaced banging them in the metal cans. Students were assigned to regular tables each day and were allowed to talk with a student on either side or directly across from them.

The results were dramatic, Freiberg said. The cafeteria became a pleasant place to eat, with a noise level comparable to a restaurant, not a raceway. The cafeteria workers were amazed at the new peacefulness of their work environment and, not surprisingly, within two weeks the daily fights had stopped. Other strategies might include playing calming music or training several students to act as cafeteria "managers," Freiberg said.

Getting the cafeteria under control is one of many "to-do" items in Freiberg's Consistency Management and Cooperative Discipline program.

Used this year in more than 100 schools, including Houston and Newark, N.J., CMCD is one of several "Programs that Work" listed by the American Federation of Teachers, the union's national affiliate.

"Discipline is more prevention than punitive," Freiberg said at a conference that attracted more than 200 participants to Albany earlier this month. "In our structure, every child knows what to do ... we create an orderly and supportive environment in which all students can participate and learn."

CMCD, which is the only discipline management program to meet Johns Hopkins University standards to demonstrate gains in student achievement, works because it gives more time to learn and teach, Freiberg said. Outside evaluators found a significant reduction in discipline referrals.

CMCD is not a pre-packaged discipline management program. One size does not fit all, Freiberg said. The bottom line is that schools are reorganized so students are partners in the classroom, from creating a classroom constitution to creating student managers for some 50 tasks that teachers usually do themselves.

Student responsibility includes knowing what to do when the teacher is not present, solving disputes, preventing problems, working in groups and applying for classroom jobs.

Such student-centered activities, while common in early elementary classrooms, are rarely found in the upper grades, Freiberg contends. "Too often, classroom management systems built on trust and support in the early grades are replaced with compliance and obedience systems in the latter grades, causing bright-eyed, eager first-graders to become tourists in our schools by third grade.

Accidental tourists

Tourists - about 80 percent of students - pass through without involvement, commitment or belonging, Freiberg said. "We need to turn more of these kids into citizens by creating active classrooms, where cooperation and support are cornerstones.

Democracy plays a strong role before Freiberg will bring his program to a school: 70 percent of the faculty must vote to bring in CMCD. The district must also commit to substantial and ongoing professional development.

School staff attend a weekend and a summer academy to learn the program. After school begins, project staff provide six monthly follow-up sessions. Teams of veteran teachers from participating schools help train new staff.

Strategies that work

Though Freiberg's program is tailored for individual schools, there are a number of cooperative discipline strategies he widely recommends:

• Classroom managers: These positions, which range from passing out papers to assisting the substitute teacher, are posted in the classroom and rotated every four to six weeks. When surveyed, teachers said these one-minute jobs give them on average 30 more minutes of teaching time daily. Students in grades 3-12 complete job applications for them; some teachers conduct interviews.

• Let them take you on a field trip. Don't do all the work yourself: Let the kids help with permission slips, the arrangements, plan lunch and numerous other details. Talk about what they'll see and what they'll do when they get back.

• Establish rules early: Teachers can minimize future discipline problems by spending time during the first days and weeks establishing behavior standards. Freiberg recommends students help develop a classroom creed.

• Model good behavior: Freiberg called it ironic that some teachers yell for quiet behavior. He uses hand signals and a calm, authoritative voice. He suggested teachers occasionally audiotape their classrooms, and discuss "killer statements" by students or teachers, like "That's a dumb question."

• Interior decorating: Check the walls of your school's classrooms and hallways. Don't just display artwork. Make sure academic work is showcased. Display everyone's work, not just the best. It will generate a healthy competition.

• Kids call it 'The Fair Game': To make sure everyone is called on, Freiberg has kids write their names on popsicle sticks and he draws names out of a big cup. To minimize stress, students may pass on a question.

• Music to their ears: Freiberg suggests playing classical music during writing time to signal it is time to think without interruptions. At the end of the day, project schools have students spend 10 minutes writing an "exit ticket" that summarizes what they learned that day.

• Beginning activity: Freiberg suggests having a "get-started" activity -Ęcall it a bell ringer or a focus -posted the same place every day on the board when students enter the classroom. It minimizes chaos and immediately engages students.