"Effective school climates reflect routines and practices that strengthen students’ goals for learning and provide multiple opportunities for students to make decisions about their schooling"
A key component of school climate concerns the relationships
that exist among students and adults, as well as the relationships among
schools, families, and their communities.
Between teachers and students
The relationships between teachers and students are the most
important to achievement. They should be warm and caring and meet students’
personal and developmental needs. Teachers’ actions must show their high
expectations for their students and their confidence that their students will
be successful. Classroom climates can be irrevocably harmed if teachers behave in
derogatory or punitive ways.
Among students
Three aspects of peer
relationships are present in schools with positive climates:
- Each student has at least three friends who provide safe harbors in difficult times
- Students are able to resolve everyday conflicts in productive and prosocial ways that do not interrupt friendships or disrupt classmates’ interactions
- Students feel safe and protected from peer aggression, intimidation, and bullying.
These characteristics may be difficult to observe directly
because high quality peer interactions can include jostling and rough talk.
Adults may be unfamiliar with the tenor, conventions, and boundaries that mark
students’ interactions with one another, and they may not be able to
distinguish between student conflict and student friendships. But most students
are adept judges of the social culture, and collectively, they can reliably
assess the school’s peer climate.
Among adults at school
In most respects, teachers need the same things from their
colleagues that students require from their classmates: a few good friends at
work, trust that minor conflicts over resources or practices will be resolved
productively and respectfully, and safety from social aggression and
victimization. Strong collegial relationships multiply the supports teachers
have to strengthen their instructional strategies: colleagues bounce ideas off
of one another, share their successes, step in to help solve challenging
problems, and foster conditions for successful teaching.
Among schools and families
In schools with strong school climates, teachers’
relationships with their students’ families are usually familiar and
comfortable. Families and schools hold common expectations and values for
students’ learning and development, which prevents misunderstanding between
school and family life. Students should not be required to negotiate
disagreements between their parents and teachers. When families visit the
school on a daily basis, the community’s culture becomes familiar and
welcoming.
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