Creating a positive school climate: What the reports say
Lessons from the Field
NSCC worked with six school districts–Center City (D.C.) Public Charter Schools (Washington D.C.), Monroe-Woodbury (NY) School District, Parkway (MO) School District, Schuylkill Technology Centers (PA), Simpson County (KY) Schools, and West Sonoma Union County (CA) High Schools–to develop a collection of best practices for creating a positive school climate and safe, engaging school communities.
Read more: 5 ways we develop SEL in our students
The Lessons from the Field report outlines seven key lessons learned from the school districts during this work:
1. Innovative, collaborative leadership galvanizes school community engagement
2. Committed and trusted adults are necessary catalysts for change and central to student success
3. Confronting the challenge of conflict deepens trust among students and teachers
4. Project-based and service learning stimulate greater inclusion & engagement
5. Social-emotional learning integration enhances classroom practice
6. Representation of all student voices is key to striving towards equity
7. Peer-to-peer support structures instill leadership and strengthen student bonds
The report notes several challenges that still exist, such as addressing socio-political issues, leadership turnover, continuing strong SEL instruction in middle and high school, and engaging the school community. The report also provides guidance for research, policy and practice moving forward.
Connecting Communities of Courage
In 2017, NSCC and Facebook for Education convened a first-of-its kind summit that sought to address the mismatch between the needs of school communities and the policies, research, and resources available to build inclusive, safe, and engaging schools.
The Connecting Communities of Courage report identifies four themes that schools should focus on when creating a positive school climate:
1. Mission: Every school should have or develop a mission that is based on consensus among school community stakeholders, shared and promoted widely, and frequently reviewed and enhanced to ensure alignment across the priorities and programs in the school.
2. Wellness: Schools are responsible for the overall wellness of the school community. This requires that each school’s mission must include a focus on social, emotional, mental and physical wellness for all members of the school community, as well as promoting their will and capacity for positive and productive civic engagement.
3. Innovative implementation of best practices: School leadership teams should look first to what research has shown us to be true when selecting individual and whole school improvement strategies; however, they should also use their knowledge of local context to innovate as necessary to achieve their mission.
4. Integration: Schools should integrate best practices in social and emotional learning and school climate improvement with academic content and instruction.
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