School Climate: What does it look like? Dr. Summer Whitmore | swhitm1@lsu.edu

What is School Climate ? The sum of the values, cultures, safety practices, and organizational structures within a school that cause it to function and react in particular ways. School climate refers mostly to the school's effects on students, whereas school culture refers more to the way teachers and other staff members work together.

What is School Climate? Beliefs Values Traditions Behavioral Patterns Safety Practices Climate Environment The Way Things Are Done

must be: safe and productive create a climate with a high expectancy of student success be motivating and engaging for students

Toxic School Climate View students as the problem rather than as their valued clients. Believe they are doing the best they can and do not search out new ideas. Frequently share stories and historical perspectives on the school that are often negative, discouraging, and demoralizing. Complain, criticize, and distrust any new ideas, approaches, or suggestions for improvement raised by planning committees. Rarely share ideas, materials, or solutions to classroom problems. Have few ceremonies or school traditions that celebrate what is good and hopeful about their place of work.

Three Components of School Climate Engagement: Includes relationships, respect for diversity, and school participation. Safety: Includes emotional safety, physical safety, and reduction of substance use. Environment: Includes the physical, academic, and disciplinary environments and wellness.

An Engaging Climate

An Engaging Climate Engagement is defined as strong relationships between students, teachers, families, and schools, and strong connections between schools and the broader community. Student connectedness or bonding

Student Engagement Students demonstrate behavioral engagement through actions such as good attendance, following rules, completing assignments and coming to class prepared, and participating in class and in school activities. Students are emotionally engaged when they like school, and are interested and identify with school. Students are cognitively engaged when they exert extra effort to do well in school, when they self-regulate, have high academic self-concept, and set goals for their academic success.

Engaging Climate: What does it look like? Student participation in: class, completion of coursework, and participation in extra-curricular activities Leads to strong, proven links to attendance, test scores, and graduation

Faculty Engagement A climate of support, respect, cycle of feedback Identification & commitment to common learning standards Common lessons and assessments Capacity of staff & increased teacher efficacy Caring and positive relationships among staff and student Higher quality of student learning

Faculty Engagement: What does it look like? Focus on collaboration & communication Talking about practice Observing each other Working on curriculum Teaching each other

Family Engagement Education is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders Family involvement is a key factor in students’ improved learning “Authentic partnerships” – significant engagement of families, schools, and communities Partnerships need to be culturally relevant

Family Engagement: What does it look like? Communicating—regular and meaningful two-way Student learning—assisting student learning Volunteering—supporting & assisting students & schools School decision making & advocacy Collaborating—using community resources

Family Engagement: What does it look like? Share daily learning targets Communicate positives each day Involve families in the RTI process Establish trusting relationships Identify and encourage parent leaders

Family Engagement: Communication Listening to the public & creating dialogue Ensuring two-way communication Building partnerships to promote the well-being of students Providing multiple means for communicating with stakeholders, e.g., newsletters, home visits, electronic communications

Safe & Supportive Climate

Safe & Supportive Climate Effects of a Supportive Climate Safe & Supportive Climate School safety is defined as schools and school-related activities where students are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and substance use. School climate improvement efforts promote emotional safety.

Safe & Supportive Climate Effects of a Supportive Climate Safe & Supportive Climate When students experience a safe and supportive climate: They have an increased sense of bonding to school and caring about their educational experience. They are more likely to stay in school and achieve academically. They are less likely to be involved in bullying and other antisocial behaviors.

Safe & Supportive Climate: What does it look like? Effects of a Supportive Climate Safe & Supportive Climate: What does it look like? Help students understand effort-based ability Provide time & opportunity for students to achieve Attend to students’ interests, problems, accomplishments Communicate caring & build rapport with students Use culturally responsive pedagogy

Safe & Supportive Climate: What does it look like? Effects of a Supportive Climate Safe & Supportive Climate: What does it look like? Reasonable expectations for behavior Consistent & fair application of rules & regulations Caring responsive relationships among adults & students Warm, inviting classrooms—teachers as “warm demanders”—high standards with sufficient support Communicate high expectations Attends to students’ interests, problems, accomplishments

Safe & Supportive Climate: What does it look like? Effects of a Supportive Climate Safe & Supportive Climate: What does it look like? Effective classroom management strategies include: Teaching & reinforcing positive behaviors & skills Appropriate physical layout Specific, clear classroom routines & procedures Explain, rehearse, reinforce classroom routines Planned transitions between activities Consistent standards across the school

School Climate: Environment

School Climate: Environment A school environment is broadly characterized by its facilities, classrooms, school-based health supports, and disciplinary policies and practices.  It sets the stage for the external factors that affect students.

School Climate: Environment Physical environment is related to both student achievement and student behavior. Clean, safe, and secure facilities are essential to successful educational programs. Physical environment is related to teachers’ levels of absenteeism, effort, effectiveness in the classroom, morale, and job satisfaction.

School Climate: Environment Attain staff buy-in Structure the student day Teach preventative management strategies Reinforce of pro-social behavior Role-model of all desired behaviors Integrate a Code of Conduct into daily instruction

Environment: Room Arrangement Make sure all students can see and hear clearly (and teachers can see them clearly) Arrangement is determined by learning activity (lecture, class discussion, small group work, etc.) Allow room and easy access for proximity control Think through class procedures and learning activities and arrange the room in the best possible way

Environment: What does it look like? Morning line-up Homeroom/announcements Classroom instruction Restroom breaks Library/computer lab Hallway movements (to and from other areas) Assemblies Cafeteria Resource classes Lunchroom Lunch recess Indoor recess Office referrals Detentions Dismissal (walkers, bus room, etc.)

Environment: What does it look like? Standing in line: Practice makes perfect Stand behind the next student Bodies, heads, eyes, face forward Keep in personal space No talking

Environment: What does it look like? Walking in the hallway: No student talking, only teacher voice for directions Keep to the right in halls and on stairs Do not disrupt instruction in other classrooms Keep hands off student work on walls Consider it a challenge to be the best managed class in the school while moving in lines

How Will We Assess School Climate? Climate surveys Reduced conflicts Decreases in absentee rate Increases in informal positive socialization A sense of community is evident 8

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