NATIONAL SCHOOL CLIMATE STANDARDS and IMPROVING PRACTICE Jo Ann Freiberg, Ph.D. Member, National School Climate Council Education Consultant, CT State.

NATIONAL SCHOOL CLIMATE STANDARDS

andIMPROVING PRACTICE

Jo Ann Freiberg, Ph.D. Member, National

School Climate CouncilEducation Consultant,

CT State Department of Education

January 29, 2013, Hartford Marriott Farmington

Fixing the

Problem

BullyingPrevention

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Creating the

Climate

ImprovingSchool Climate

Pivotal Shift

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Why “School Climate” ?

• Issues with nomenclature• “Character/Moral Education”• “Values Clarification”• “Citizenship” and “Religious Education”• “Bullying Prevention”• “Service Learning”

• Politically correct: everyone is supportive• No one questions the “content” of lessons• Not a separate subject - integrated into all

subject matter•

School Climate Conflict Resolution• School Climate Discipline Climate• Focus on Climate > Intervening with Bullying

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Why NOT Look Through The Lens of “Bullying Prevention?”

• “Bullying” is a TOXIC School Concept: A True Conversation Closer

• Everything is labeled “bullying,” and when everything is “bullying,” nothing is “bullying”… It’s BULLIMANIA!!! • No school wants to have any of it (bullying)• No parent/guardian will admit their child is one (bully)• No child will own up to being one (bully)• Everyone avoids these terms except the Target’s family (“My

child has been bullied,” or “I’ve been bullied”)

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Making Schools Safer by Passing State Anti-Bullying Laws: Reactive vs. Preventive7

Missouri’s Law originally only pertained to “Cyber-Bullying”CT and WY: Only two states that combine (the problem of) Bullying and (the solution of creating positive) School Climate in the same legislation

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A Call To Action: Improving School Climate

Improving school climate is among the most effective ways of improving the lives of youth, preventing violence

and creating physically, emotionally and intellectually safe, supportive and

positive learning environments

School Climate: Understandings, Research, Policy & Practice: Key Dimensions

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National School Climate Standards: Finalized March 2010

“There is growing appreciation that school climate – the quality and character of school life1 – fosters children’s development, learning and achievement. School climate is based on the patterns of people’s experiences of school life; it reflects the norms, goals values, interpersonal relationships, teaching, learning and leadership practices, and organizational structures that comprise school life.”

1This definition of school climate was consensually developed by members of the National School Climate Council (2007). The terms “school climate”, “school culture” and “learning environment have been used in overlapping but sometimes quite different ways in the educational literature. Here, we use the terms interchangeably.

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National School Climate Standards

Present a vision and framework for a positive and sustainable school climate. They compliment national standards for Content, Leadership and Professional Development and the Parent Teacher Association’s National Standards for Family School Partnership Standards

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National School Climate Standards: Endorsements

• American School Health Assoc.• ASCD (Assoc. for Supervision &

Curriculum Development)• Character Educ. Partnership• Nat’l Network of Educ. Renewal• Nat’l School Boards Assoc.• Public Education Network• School Mental Health Project• Search Institute• FairTest• Nat’l Assoc. of School Psych.• American School Counselors

Assoc.

• Committee for Children• Pacer Center• Teaching Tolerance• Nat’l Rural Educ.

Association• Nat’l Org. for Youth Safety• National PTA• CT Juvenile Justice Alliance• Futures without Violence• iKeep Safe (Internet Keep

Safe Coalition)• Nat’l Cntr. for Student

Engagement

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Standard One

The school community has a shared vision and plan for promoting, enhancing and

sustaining a positive school climate.

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Standard One: Indicators

1.1 School policies and practices support school, family, youth and community members working together to establish a safe and productive learning community.

1.2 Schools gather accurate and reliable data about school climate from students, school personnel and parents/guardians for continuous improvement and share it regularly with the school community.

1.3 Capacity building is developed over time to enable all school community members to meet school climate standards.

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Standard Two

The school community sets policies specifically promoting (a) the

development and sustainability of social, emotional, ethical, civic and

intellectual skills, knowledge, dispositions and engagement,

and (b) a comprehensive system to address barriers to learning

and teaching and reengage students who have become disengaged.

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Standard Two Indicators

2.1 Policies and mission and vision statements that promote social, emotional, ethical and civic, as well as intellectual, skills and dispositions are developed and institutionalized.

2.2 Policies and mission and vision statements are developed and institutionalized that promote a comprehensive system to address barriers to learning and teaching and reengage students who have become disengaged.

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Standard Two Indicators

2.3 Policies promote use and monitoring of natural and informal opportunities (e.g., recreational and extracurricular aspects of classroom and school life, formulation of codes of conduct and fair enforcement of rules, mentoring, and informal interactions among and with students) to ensure they support the helpful norms of learning and teaching that foster mutual respect and caring; engagement; safety and well being; civil, pro social, responsible behavior; and a psychological sense of community.

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Standard Two Indicators

2.4 Policies ensure the operational and capacity building mechanisms (including staff and student development) related to this standard are fully integrated into a school’s infrastructure and are effectively implemented and sustained.

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Standard ThreeThe school community’s practices are identified, prioritized and supported to (a) promote the learning and positive

social, emotional, ethical and civic development of students, (b)

enhance engagement in teaching, learning, and school-wide activities; (c) address barriers to learning and

teaching and reengage those who have become disengaged; and (d) develop

and sustain an appropriate operational infrastructure and capacity building mechanisms for

meeting this standard.

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Standard Three Indicators 3.1 Specific practices are designed to enhance

engagement of every student through classroom-based social, emotional, ethical and civic learning and in school-wide activities.

3.2 Teachers and school administrators design specific classroom and school-wide practices to address barriers to learning and teaching and reengage those who have become disengaged.

3.3 School leaders develop and sustain a comprehensive system of learning supports by ensuring an appropriate operational infrastructure that incorporates capacity building mechanisms.

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Standard Four

The school community creates an environment where all members are welcomed,

supported, and feel safe in school: socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically.

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Standard Four Indicators

4.1 School leaders promote comprehensive and evidence-based instructional and school-wide improvement efforts designed to support students, school personnel and community members feeling welcomed, supported and safe in school: socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically.

4.2 Students, their families, school staff and community stakeholders are regularly surveyed and are asked to indicate what the school should do to further enhance a welcoming, supportive and safe environment.

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Standard Four Indicators

4.3 School leaders monitor and evaluate the prevention and intervention strategies designed to support people feeling welcomed, supported and safe and use that data to improve relevant policies, facilities, staff competencies and accountability.

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Standard Five

The school community develops meaningful and engaging

practices, activities and norms that promote social and civic

responsibilities and a commitment to social justice.

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Standard Five Indicators 5.1 Students and staff model culturally responsive and

ethical behavior. This reflects continuous learning that builds knowledge, awareness, skills, and the capacity to identify, understand, and respect the unique beliefs, values, customs, languages, and traditions of all members of the school community.

5.2 Relationships among and between staff and students are mutually, respectful, supportive, ethical and civil.

5.3 Students and staff are actively engaged in celebrating milestones and accomplishments as they work to achieve meaningful school and community life.

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School Climate: Key Dimensions

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School Climate: Understandings, Research, Policy & Practice27

The School Climate Improvement Model: Five-Step Process

The Five Stage Improvement Model: Tasks and Challenges

1) Planning for the next phase of improvement

Creating a representative leadership team Fostering buy in: understandings, vision, vocabulary and engagement! Leadership Commitment & Dedicated Planning TeamMoving from blame/distrust to a more “no fault”/trusting cultureCelebrating success and building on past effortsCommunity Engagement/Outreach

2) School Climate Assessment/EvaluationMeasurement ProcessInterpretation of Results

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Multiple Measures of Data29

The Five Stage Improvement Model: Tasks and Challenges

3) Understanding findings and Action Planning

Understanding and Digging DeeperPrioritizing goals

Researching instructional and/or school wide improvement programmatic effortsAction Planning: Benchmarks & Timelines

4) Implementing the Action Plan: Instructional & School-wide

5) Beginning the cycle anew

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School Climate Improvement Model

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The School Climate Improvement Model: Five-Step Process

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Choosing a

Program

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Hoped

For

Change

Pivotal Shift from…. Compliance

Know Where You Are Based Upon Data

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Setting Concrete Goals &

Determining Strategies &

Choosing Programs

To… School Climate Improvement

School Climate: Understandings, Research, Policy & Practice

Translating the standards into practice efforts

We need:1) School Climate Improvement Model

2) An Implementation Strategy3) Resources, Guidelines, Tools, Programs and

Practices that support the model, the individual context and implementation strategy

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School Climate: Understandings, Research, Policy & Practice

An implementation Strategy

• Assessing readiness: Do you understand the school climate improvement plans and to what extent can and will we make a commitment to it?

• A formative assessment: Where are we now? And, given this developing understanding, what are next steps?

• Roles and responsibilities• Developing plans to build capacity – The

expertise of school personnel and parent leaders from “day one” of the effort

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Next Steps: Vision to Practice Use your Climate Committees…

Self Assess with the Rubric Review and analyze available data

Demographic Student Learning School Processes Perceptual

School Climate Assessment Instrument Use/fill in the Template

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Strategies for Improvement

• Targeted Programs/Approaches• Theory of Action/Logic Model -- What can be

done to address the problem; how should it work in theory; why should it work?• Past Experience• Research

• Strengths to Leverage• What do findings reveal that can be used to

support change?• Initiatives to build on what’s working and

address embedded weaknesses• Lessons learned from strengths that can be

applied to problems

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The “Grid” Translating the standards into practice

efforts We need:1) School Climate Improvement Model2) An Implementation Strategy

3) Resources, Guidelines and Tools that support the model and implementation strategy:

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School Climate: Key Dimensions

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Thank You!

Jo Ann Freiberg, Ph.D., Education Consultant, Connecticut State Department of Education, Member, National School Climate Council

[email protected] (860) 713-6598

National School Climate Center

www.schoolclimate.org

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