School Climate


Book Description

Like a strong foundation in a house, the climate of a school is the foundation that supports the structures of teaching and learning. This book provides a framework for educators to look at school and classroom climates using both informal and formal measures. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of climate and details techniques which may be used by heads or classroom teachers to judge the health of their learning environment. The book sets out to enhance understanding of the components of a healthy learning environment and the tools needed to improve that environment. It also looks at ways to assess the impact of change activities in improving and sustaining educational excellence. The international team of contributors bring perspectives from the school systems in America, UK, Australia and Holland.







The Psychology of School Climate


Book Description

Many people have become impatient with school reform and school improvement efforts that fail to include school climate. The importance of a positive school climate is emerging in current research, not only as an essential component of school reform and school improvement, but also as a necessary framework for maintaining excellent schools and providing healthy and safe schools for all students. Research strongly suggests that educators and policy makers have a lot to learn about the importance of school climate for school safety and academic success. With the growing body of research regarding school climate, it is important to study the research and understand how the psychology of school climate and how the elements of school climate can be viewed from a population-based perspective, as well as understanding the impact of school climate on individual students. This review of school climate research includes hundreds of articles and research papers of different perspectives from around the world in numerous cultures. School climate is becoming a science of education and psychology that must be studied further in order to understand the dynamic nature of learning environments, to identify elements that support or threaten the learning environment, and to learn how to improve the conditions for learning in all schools.




School Climate


Book Description

Build a positive school climate to impact students, teachers, and the community! Is improving school climate on your to-do list? Do you think about it as a top-down directive or as a dialogue to build equity within the school? A healthy school environment should never be seen as an option, but instead supported as a must-have. Peter DeWitt offers leaders practical high impact strategies to improve school climate, deepen involvement in student learning, and engage a broader family network. In addition to international vignettes focused on community stakeholders and research-based practices, this book features tools such as · a leadership growth cycle to help leaders build their self-efficacy · a teacher observation cycle centered on building collective efficacy · an early warning system to identify potential at-risk students · action steps following each chapter to apply to your own setting · discussion questions for use in team environments Establishing a supportive and inclusive school climate where professionals can take risks to improve the lives of students is vital to maximize learning in any school community.




School Climate Change


Book Description

Students and educators today face obstacles to student achievement, well-being, and success that are above and beyond traditional instructional and assessment concerns. From low school morale to bullying to shootings, school climate has become a national and global concern. Research overwhelmingly indicates that a positive school climate promotes cooperative learning, group cohesion, respect, and mutual trust—all of which have in turn been shown to improve the learning environment. In short, a positive school climate is directly related to improved academic achievement at all levels of schooling. In this ASCD Arias book, Peter DeWitt and Sean Slade explain the most important aspects of school climate and how we can make positive changes in our schools. Readers will learn * How to engage students and school stakeholders. * How to empower staff and students and foster autonomy so people take ownership of their ideas and the learning process. * How to promote inclusivity and equity throughout the school. * How to create a welcoming, cooperative, and safe school environment that nurtures students’ social-emotional needs.










Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development


Book Description

This reference work breaks new ground as an electronic resource. Utterly comprehensive, it serves as a repository of knowledge in the field as well as a frequently updated conduit of new material long before it finds its way into standard textbooks.




The Impact of School Culture and Climate on Student Achievement at the Elementary and Secondary School Level


Book Description

School climate and culture, and its relevance to student achievement has traditionally been a topic of discussion among educators. There have been many research studies dedicated to determining if a school's culture and climate had an effect on student achievement. This study sought to determine if teachers' perceptions of school culture and climate had an impact on student achievement at the elementary and secondary level. In 1963, Halpin and Croft began their research on the organizational climate of schools and suggested that further research be conducted based on their findings. This research sought to determine if there was a relationship between teachers' perceptions of school culture and climate and students' marking period/trimester 1 grades, teachers' perceptions of school culture and climate and students' Start Strong scores, and teachers' perceptions of school culture and climate and school leadership. The New Jersey School Climate Survey was distributed to teachers in four small school districts in Warren County, NJ. Survey data was collected from a total of 62 respondents, and academic data was provided to the researcher on coded spreadsheets. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation tests and independent sample t-tests through the use of the SPSS program in order to determine if any potential relationships existed. The data revealed that teachers' perceptions of school culture and climate did not have an impact on student achievement. Additionally, there were a number of relationships that existed with regard to teachers' perceptions of culture and climate and school leadership. The results indicated that the high school respondents answered less favorably compared to the elementary school respondents on the school leadership survey questions. This study may help school leaders have constructive conversations with their staff with regard to the school's culture and climate.(ProQuest abstract).