School Climate Change: How Do I Build a Positive Environment for Learning?
by Peter DeWitt and Sean Slade
Reviewed by Thomas Hansen, Ph.D
DeWitt and Slade give us in this brief ARIAS series book a variety of ways in which schools can be positive environments for learning. They remind us the National School Climate Council recommends the climate include components such as these (p. 2):
- Norms, values and expectations that support people feeling socially, emotionally, and physically safe.
- People are engaged and respected.
- Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits and satisfaction gained from learning.
This very helpful but brief book drives home the point that violence, bullying, harassment, and intimidation have no place in a positive learning environment. Students of all cultures and backgrounds must be made welcome.
Administrators must work hard to make sure all marginalized groups of students are made to feel safe and feel valued in our schools. This attention to the student takes time, and it can be difficult to find that time in this day and age of obsession with test scores and with improvement in the quality
of the instruction.
However, improvement in test scores means little without the safety and comfort of all students, teachers, staff members, parents, visitors, and administrators. Improvement in teaching and learning are indeed important. The authors include three key questions for students and their teachers:
Where am I going? How am I going? …and Where am I going next? (p. 17)
Administrators are the leaders that can help the school climate become more positive. The authors remind us that there are four essential components of a beneficial school climate (p. 14):
- Engagement
- Empowerment and Autonomy
- Inclusivity and Equity
- Environment
They also provide some very good ideas on how to make it clear we are striving for a positive school climate. Some examples are: having a student ambassador; using safe space stickers for students of the LGBT community; and embracing a diverse curriculum.
Many states have adopted various outcomes, standards, and guidelines for how K-12 teachers should act and communicate in the classroom. Illinois (because of 2003 legislation) and other states have adopted social and emotional standards for students also.
The Illinois State Board of Education has proposed 10 Standards for Social and Emotional Learning (Social and Emotional Learning (isbe.net)). At the core of these, students and their teachers acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to:
- recognize and manage their emotions;
- demonstrate caring and concern for others;
- establish positive relationships;
- make responsible decisions; and
- handle challenging situations constructively.
I recommend this book for new administrators and for professional development sessions attended by many types of stakeholders. Including parents, students, and community members in the process of creating a more positive learning environment is important also.
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