Beyond Bells & Books: Online Guide to Building Positive School Climate & Culture

In education, creating a positive school environment can help your students thrive. To do this, fostering a good school climate and school culture is important. Together, these two aspects shape the school’s identity and influence every aspect of a student’s educational journey

In fact, a recent study shows that 42% of students are affected by their school culture. Moreover, it can lead to better academic achievement, behavior, attendance, and overall well-being.

This only goes to show that when students feel safe, supported, and empowered, it gives them a sense of belonging and helps them enjoy learning more. 

In this guide, we aim to provide educators with means to assess their current school climate and culture, as well as some strategies to ensure these are both implemented to be beneficial for students.

How To Assess Current Climate and Culture

You can perform a temperature check on your institution’s climate and culture in different ways. Here are some suggestions: 

Perform Surveys

Surveys are a common and effective method for assessing school climate and culture. They can be designed to gather feedback from students, parents, teachers, and staff on various aspects such as safety, inclusivity, relationships, communication, and overall satisfaction. 

You can set up your surveys to include both quantitative questions (e.g., rating scales, multiple-choice questions) and qualitative questions (e.g., open-ended questions, comments) to gather both numerical data and rich, descriptive insights. This way, you can gain a comprehensive view of your stakeholders’ perceptions, experiences, and priorities regarding the school environment.

Here are some examples of questions you can include in surveys to assess school climate and culture:

For Students:

• On a scale of 1 to 5, how safe do you feel at school?
• Do you feel respected and valued by teachers and peers?

For Parents:

• How would you rate the communication between the school and parents regarding your child's progress and school activities?
• Do you feel welcomed and involved in school events and decision-making processes?

Check-in With Faculty and Staff

Engaging faculty and staff in discussions and interviews is another valuable assessment method. They can provide firsthand insights into the daily dynamics, challenges, strengths, and areas for improvement within the school.

Faculty and staff feedback is also essential for understanding the cultural norms, leadership practices, professional relationships, and collaborative efforts that contribute to the overall climate of the school.

You should conduct focus groups or one-on-one interviews with teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff. This will help you uncover valuable qualitative data that can complement any survey findings from parents and students.

At the same time, it is an opportunity to learn how to help dissatisfied teachers to limit unwanted impact on school climate and culture.

Leverage Other Tools and Resources for Assessments

The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) offers a range of tools and resources for assessing and improving school climate and safety. They provide training guides, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and modules.

You can also use the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory and the School Climate Assessment Instrument. Both are examples of structured assessment tools that schools can use to gather data systematically and evaluate multiple dimensions of school climate and culture.

hese tools often cover areas such as safety, relationships, teaching and learning environment, school leadership, and community partnerships, providing a holistic view of the factors that contribute to a positive or challenging school climate.

Analyze Assessment Data for Strengths and Areas for Improvement

Analyzing assessment data is a crucial step in understanding the strengths and areas for improvement in your school’s climate and culture. Here are some key points to consider when analyzing this data:

• Identify Key Metrics: Begin by identifying the key metrics or indicators that are important for assessing your school’s climate and culture. These could include measures related to safety, inclusivity, student engagement, teacher satisfaction, parent involvement, and academic performance. 
• Quantitative Analysis: Utilize quantitative methods to analyze survey data and other quantitative measures. Look for trends, patterns, and correlations in the data that can provide insights into the overall climate and culture of your school. For example, you may analyze survey responses to questions about safety to identify areas where students or staff feel less secure.
• Qualitative Analysis: In addition to quantitative data, incorporate qualitative analysis by reviewing open-ended survey responses, conducting focus groups, or collecting anecdotal evidence. Qualitative data can provide context and deeper understanding of the experiences and perceptions of stakeholders within the school community.
• Compare Data Over Time: If possible, compare assessment data from previous years to track changes and progress in your school's climate and culture. This analysis can help identify areas of improvement or areas where interventions have been successful. Consider using using the best admissions software available to track student data before they join your school, and compare it with data after a year or two.

Strategies for Building Positive School Climate and Culture

By implementing these strategies consistently and collaboratively, schools can cultivate a positive climate and culture that supports the well-being, engagement, and success of all members of the school community.

Let’s discuss each of these strategies for building a positive school climate and culture in more detail:

• Develop an action plan based on assessment findings: After conducting assessments to evaluate your school's climate and culture, it’s essential to develop a comprehensive action plan. This plan should outline specific areas for improvement identified through the assessment data and include strategies, timelines, and responsible parties for implementing changes. For example, it can include adopting an enrollment lottery to improve diversity at your school.
• Set goals and objectives for improvement: Define clear and measurable goals and objectives aligned with enhancing the positive aspects of your school’s climate and addressing areas of improvement. These goals should be realistic, achievable, and reflective of the priorities identified in the assessment process.
• Assign champions to promote inclusivity and diversity: Designate individuals or teams as champions for promoting inclusivity, diversity, and positive school culture. These champions can lead initiatives, organize events, and advocate for policies and practices that foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and families.
• Develop effective communication channels: Establish clear and effective communication channels to keep stakeholders informed, engaged, and involved in school activities, initiatives, and decision-making processes. Use various communication tools, such as newsletters, social media, websites, and parent-teacher conferences, to improve engagement with parents.
• Make students and staff feel safe: Create a safe and supportive environment where students and staff feel physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe. Implement safety protocols, anti-bullying policies, mental health support services, and conflict resolution strategies to address potential challenges and promote well-being.
• Update your curriculum: Ensure that your curriculum reflects the values, diversity, and inclusivity of your school community. Incorporate culturally relevant content, global perspectives, and social-emotional learning opportunities to enhance students' understanding, empathy, and appreciation for different backgrounds and experiences.

Be a Positive School Climate and Culture Champion

Building a positive school climate and culture is a necessity for student success and well-being. By assessing the current climate and culture through methods like surveys, faculty check-ins, and utilizing resources like the NCSSLE, schools can identify strengths and areas for improvement. 

Analyzing assessment data helps in understanding key metrics and trends over time. Moreover, implementing strategies such as developing action plans and updating the curriculum can collectively create a nurturing environment where students, staff, and parents thrive together, contributing to a holistic educational journey.