building a positive school climate
BUILDING A POSITIVE
SCHOOL CLIMATE
THE REAL WORK OF THE SCHOOL
SAFETY TEAM
Copyright FEA 2013
Goals
WALT understand the role of the School
Safety Team (SST)
WALT define school climate
WALT utilize the key conversations of the
SST to foster school climate improvement
WALT explore the use of data to drive decisions
WALT create a team action plan
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NORMS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Start and end on time.
State the objective and stay focused.
Actively listen and participate.
Voice and respond to concerns positively and non-judgmentally.
Address violations of the norms.
The L.W. Case
“Bullying and peer harassment is a function of school climate.”
“The responsibility of school systems to eliminate discrimination and protect students from harm compels school districts to adopt a school-wide, comprehensive approach to eradicate bullying and peer harassment.”
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Bullying Commission Report
The Bottom Line:
“Strengthening school culture and climate is the single best way to reduce HIB in schools”
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The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights
Establishes a School Safety Team to :
“Develop, foster, and maintain a positive
school climate by focusing on the on-going,
systemic process and practices in the school and to address school climate issues
such as harassment, intimidation, or bullying.”
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Did Your School Safety Team Make the
Grade?
CORE ELEMENT 1: HIB Programs/Approaches
CORE ELEMENT 4: Curriculum and Instruction
CORE ELEMNT 3: Training
Core ELEMENT 5: HIB Personnel
Appoint a facilitator and a reporter
1.
15 minutes: Read each statement. Mark – Yes, No, TSD
2.
5 minutes:
Discuss as a group
What aspects of the SST’s job were not clear to you last year? What is one aspect your team needs to address as you go forward?
Be ready to share a few big ideas from your group.
Act. 1 NJDOE
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The CAR
Connected Action
Roadmap:
An Aligned and
Coherent Process For
School Improvement
Professional
Learning
Community
(PLC)
Standards and Student
Learning
Objectives
Student
Learning
Formative &
Summative
Assessments
Effective
Instruction
Culture: Communication of Connections and High Expectations
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© CAR
A Definition of a PLC
Educators committed to working together using processes of inquiry, problem-solving and
reflection upon their practice become a professional learning community. A professional learning community is a team or group of teams working interdependently to achieve a common goal for which members hold themselves mutually accountable. (DuFour 2006)
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SCHOOL SAFETY (Climate) TEAM
Operate as a PLC using climate data
Focus on creation of a positive climate
Work with the anti-bullying specialist
Provide leadership that supports a positive school climate
Work collaboratively with other SSTs and the district anti-bullying coordinator to build a district-wide approach to climate improvement
Copyright FEA 2013
The CAR
Connected Action
Roadmap:
An Aligned and
Coherent Process For
School Improvement
Professional
Learning
Community
(PLC)
Standards and Student
Learning
Objectives
Student
Learning
Formative &
Summative
Assessments
Effective
Instruction
Culture: Communication of Connections and High Expectations
Copyright FEA 2013
© CAR
School Climate - Relationships
Student to Student
Student to Adult
Adult to Student
Adult to Adult
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CLIMATE FOR STUDENTS
o
A physical environment that is welcoming and conducive to learning
A social environment that promotes communication and interaction
An affective environment that promotes a sense of belonging and self-esteem
An academic environment that promotes learning and self-fulfillment
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CLIMATE FOR ADULTS
Should it be any different?
• A physical environment that is welcoming and conducive to learning
• A social environment that promotes communication and interaction
• An affective environment that promotes a sense of belonging and self-esteem
• An academic environment that promotes learning and self-fulfillment
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You Can’t Tackle Climate without a
COMMON DEFINITION
What are the components of school climate?
What are the indicators of a positive school climate for each component?
National School Climate – 12 Dimensions
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ACTIVITY
Defining School Climate
Appoint a Facilitator, Timekeeper and Recorder
10 minutes: Review the 2 definitions of school climate. As you read the indicators of each domain, underline the key words and phrases that you feel are essential to a positive school climate.
5 minutes: As a group decide components or domains you will use in your definition of climate.
10 minutes: As a group define what your indicators of success will be for each domain in your definition.
PLC Conversation #1
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ACTIVITY 2 - EXAMPLE
Components
Social-Emotional
Indicators
Clear expectations for behavior
Consistent school and classroom rules and consequences
Conflict resolution taught and practiced
Mutual respect is evident in all relationships – student to student, adult to student, student to adult and adult to adult
Tolerance and respect for diversity
Students and staff value collaboration
Safe from emotional harm of verbal abuse, teasing and exclusion
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Components
Physical
Morale
Staff
ACTIVITY 2 - EXAMPLE
Indicators
Cleanliness, safe from physical harm, adequate space, welcoming
Strong sense of belonging, high rates of participation in activities, share ownership
Shared decision making, collegial and collaborative approach to working and learning together, strong focus on student learning ,
PLC time
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TURN AND TALK
What is 1 thing you’ve learned so far?
How will this knowledge impact your practice?
What is 1 question that you have?
Br
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CONVERSATION 2:
What is your current reality?
REFLECTION:
What do you already have in place?
What programs, approaches and/or initiatives are already in place to deal with varying components of school climate?
2 minutes: Jot your own list
5 minutes: Share and create one list for your school
Use provided blank sheet for Activity 3- Reflection.
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DISJOINTED PROGRAMS: A Major
Barrier to School Climate Improvement
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the goal of the program, approach or initiative? What need is it addressing?
Is it achieving that goal and effectively addressing the need? What data supports our answer?
Decide to keep, modify or abandon
If you keep - clarify the purpose and the connection to an overall school climate improvement plan
Focus on PROCESS, not Programs
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The Three Levels of Text Protocol
1. Read the article
2. Underline two passages that you feel are important and have implications for your work
3. Follow the protocol for individual sharing and group response
4. Note-taker will share common themes with entire group
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WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENTS?
The law mandates year-round anti-bullying instruction appropriate to each grade.
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© New Jersey State Bar Foundation, 2011
Social and Emotional Learning and
Character Development
Evidence-based SEL programs have many significant positive effects, including improving students’ achievement test scores by 11 to
17 percentile points
(Payton et al.,2008)
Social -emotional learning participants, demonstrated significantly improved social and emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance as reflected by an 11 percentile point gain in achievement
(Durlak,
Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011)
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Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional
Learning (CASEL)
CONVERSATION 3: What do we want students to know, understand and do?
What do we want students to know, understand and be able to do in terms of social and emotional learning and character development?
Identify SLOs related to SEL and CD.
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Sample SLOs based on NJ Bar
Foundation Curriculum
WALT understand the difference between bullying and normal conflict
WALT identify aggressive, passive and assertive behavior
WALT use appropriate I Messages
* WALT identify our feelings
WALT identify the difference between telling and tattling (ratting and reporting)
WALT demonstrate good bystander behavior
(www.njsbf.org)
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EXAMPLE SLOs: NJ BAR FOUNDATION
WALT solve normal conflict independently
* WALT cool off
* WALT actively listen
* WALT brainstorm solutions
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EFFECTIVE SEL Programs
All staff members are trained.
Skills are taught consistently by all staff creating a common language related to expectations for behavior
Skills are connected to the student code of conduct and discussions related to discipline
Instruction is integrated into the curriculum across grade levels and content areas
Skills are assessed to determine program effectiveness
Parents are trained
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The word of the week is…
Identify Core Values and Make Them
Part of the Mission
Teach Character in Context
Provide opportunities for students to demonstrate character traits (Situations involving conflict, relate traits to behavior norms, service learning)
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Don’t Forget to Celebrate
Celebrations Build Community
Make Respect Week Meaningful
Consider a school-wide theme
Plan meaningful celebrations
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A Climate for Adult Learning
Civil
Congenial
Collegial
Expect. of Educators
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REFLECTION
Think about the adult to adult relationships in your school
Identify strengths
Identify areas of concern
What are possible causes for areas of concern?
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Conversations 4 and 5
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT REALITY?
Looking at Data:
1. School Climate Surveys
(NJDOE+)
2. Attendance data
3. Grade distributions
4. Disciplinary referrals
5. Bullying reports
6. I&RS referrals
7. Other data?
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CONVERSATION 6:
Analyzing Data
Examine the data
Identify patterns
Identify areas of strength
Identify areas of concern
Brainstorm possible reasons for results
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Activity: Analyzing Data
10 minutes: Examine the summary data for one domain. Note areas of strength and areas of concern.
2 minutes: What other data might you collect to “dig deeper” into responses?
Be ready to share one finding and one other data source you might use.
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REFLECTION: Where are we now?
Appoint a Facilitator, a Timekeeper and a
Note-Taker
15 minutes: Read each element, discuss and circle the level that best describes your school at the present time.
5 minutes: Prioritize the top 3 areas that you believe need to be addressed.
5 minutes: For each priority need, review the descriptors and determine what needs to be done to move your school to the next level.
5 minutes: Identify current areas of strength.
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CONVERSATION 7:
Develop an Action Plan
Prioritize the areas of concern
What areas of strength can be leveraged?
Create a plan to address areas of concern that includes the specific goal, the people responsible, a timeline, assessment tools and an intended outcome
Anticipate roadblocks and be proactive
Focus on clarity around the evidence of success
See sample in packet.
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CREATE and Sustain a
MEANINGFUL VISION
Develop a school mission that truly supports the highest level of academic and social and emotional learning for both students and adults
Hold each other accountable for behaving in ways that support that mission
Leadership matters
Remember the climate got that way because of inattention to climate – It will take 3-5 years for systemic change – STICK WITH
IT!!!
Mission before/after
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THE SPIRIT OF THE ABR
COMPLIANCE AND PRACTICE
COMPLIANCE with the ABR must include on-going assessment and continuous improvement of the systemic PRACTICES and PROCESSES that support a positive school climate.
Assess
Implement
School
Climate
Analyze
Plan
Copyright FEA 2013
The CAR
Connected Action
Roadmap:
An Aligned and
Coherent Process For
School Improvement
Professional
Learning
Community
(PLC)
Standards and Student
Learning
Objectives
Student
Learning
Formative &
Summative
Assessments
Effective
Instruction
Culture: Communication of Connections and High Expectations
Copyright FEA 2013
© CAR
Sum It Up
3-2-1
What are 3 big take-aways from this session?
What are 2 ways this information will impact your practice?
What is 1 question you still have?
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