11 tips on creating a positive school climate

Moreover, the lack of significant effects of individual assets in the model suggests that improving school climate means to support well-being experience and, indirectly school engagement, irrespective to learning abilities and personality traits. The main result is that school climate has been confirmed as an important factor to be considered to improve engagement in school activities, but it is effective only when its influence can modify the well-being experience of the students. Moreover, the quality of the school climate perceived by the students was found to influence engagement in school activities, as well. The quality and character of school and classroom life for students, teachers and administrators. Subtle factors, such as shifts in student–teacher relationships or peer relationships, can easily influence adolescents’ perceptions of their schools. “Assessing school climate involves understanding how students, families, and staff feel about the current state and what areas they think need improvement.”

Data-Driven Decisions

When a student feels threatened, he or she may respond to a seemingly innocuous interaction with a disproportionately negative response. This fear of being judged in terms of a group-based stereotype induces stress that impairs working memory and focus, leading to poorer performance on school tasks.Schmader, T., & Johns, M. Teachers in personalized settings report a greater sense of efficacy, while parents report feeling more comfortable reaching out to the school for assistance.Eccles, J. Personalizing the educational setting so that children can be well-known and supported is one of the most powerful levers to change the trajectories for children’s lives. Effective teachers draw those connections, create engaging tasks, watch and guide children’s efforts, and offer constructive feedback with opportunities to practice and revise work.

Research objective 2: differences across schools

This conceptualization has implications for research, stressing the importance of the relationship between school environment and student health and well-being. School has been recognized as one of the most important developmental context, where students can acquire skills and competencies supporting their successful adaptation (Hamilton and Hamilton, 2009). School climate can be studied at the group level, by aggregating the data collection of the different actors (students, teachers, managers, parents) involved in the school context (Cornell et al., 2016). At the school level, a negative school climate (i.e., bullying or poor relationships between pupils and teachers) may trigger drop-out. Leaving school before completing high school education is often the outcome of problems that can be related to little support in school context or to health, personal, or emotional difficulties young people face. In recent years, there is a growing interest in educational policies and research promoting student engagement at school in order to contrast the students’ passivity and the dropout rate (Archambault et al., 2009).

Two recent reports from the National School Climate Center (NSCC) offer some real-world examples from schools and insight from thought leaders to support and drive school climate improvements. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is more than just a curricular add-on–it’s an integral part of helping students learn empathy for their peers and create safe spaces for everyone to learn. It’s beneficial for educators to understand their students’ diverse learning needs and design classrooms where everyone can easily access material and interact with their peers.

• Stress is a normal part of healthy development, but excessive stress in any of these contexts—at home, at school, or in other aspects of the community—can undermine learning and development and have profound effects on children’s well-being.
• Based on this, a decision was made to utilise what appeared to be a three-point scale of almost never, sometimes, and almost always, and include two additional points, one between almost never and sometimes and one between sometimes and almost always.
• Educational organizations, such as professional associations, non-profits, and research institutions, often provide valuable resources and insights into best practices for school culture and climate improvement.
• Small group interventions include factors that impede student achievements, such as poor attendance and behavioral issues.

Additionally, school protocols outlining rules and expectations for behavior should be established in writing and made available to everyone. https://www.nysed.gov/accountability/evidence-based-interventions Take the first step by learning the basics through our “Improving School Culture and Climate” Workshop. Get the latest school safety findings and NCSS updates sent directly to your inbox. School climate refers to the quality and characteristics of school life. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Future research perspectives could focus on the use of psycho-educational intervention protocols, not only in the school context but also in the wider community context.

However, this theorisation of positive school climate generating mental health benefits is not currently supported by empirical evidence. These are theorised to enable each student develop the emotional and social skills and the positive relationships need to help build and protect their mental health. We found associations between student-level reports of positive school climate at baseline, and reduced conduct and emotional problems and better mental wellbeing at 3-year follow-up adjusting for various potential confounders. We tracked students in 20 English secondary schools from near the end of the first year of secondary school (age 11/12) over 3 years using reliable measures of school climate and mental health. However, there is less evidence for associations between schools’ overall school climate and the mental health of their students. To provide students with tangible support, schools have been investing in mental health initiatives.