Resources on Climate and Culture

Resources

• Alaska School Climate and Connectedness Survey
  Developed by the Association of Alaska School Boards with the assistance of the American Institutes for Research, the surveys of 5th/6th through 12th grade students and school staff were administered in 150 Alaskan schools in 2007. The surveys garnered responses from over 22,000 students and 3,300 staff on multiple factors relating to school climate and connectedness.
  
• School Boards and School Climate [PDF 199,970kb]
  The presentation "School Boards and School Climate: Where are we now and where do we need to go?" was delivered January 31, 2009 at the NSBA Leadership Conference by Johathan Cohen. Dr. Cohen is president, Center for Social and Emotional Education; adjunct professor in Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University; and co-chair, National School Climate Council.
  
• Climate and Culture [PDF 356,783kb]
  This article from the December 2005 issue of American School Board Journal tells why school boards should pay close attention to the attitudes and expectations of students and staff.
  
• Shaping School District Culture [PDF 332,267kb]
  In this article from The American School Board Journal, two former superintendents discuss the keys to creating a positive school district culture.
  
• Where We Learn School Climate Report [PDF 3,762,430kb]
  NSBA's Council of Urban Boards of Education surveyed more than 32,000 students in 15 urban districts to learn how students perceived their school environment in five areas: school safety; bullying; trust, respect and ethos of caring; racial self-concept; and general concept.
  
• Where We Teach school climate report [PDF 5,115,031kb]
  The Council of Urban Boards of Education's second school climate survey, Where We Teach, surveyed teacher and building principals on eight major themes: safety, professional development, expectations, bullying, professional climate, parental involvement, influence of race, and trust, respect, and ethos of caring.
  
• What We Think school climate survey [PDF 2,823,090kb]
  This is the third school climate survey conducted by NSBA's Council of Urban Boards of Education. With questions that mirror those of the first two surveys, this report shares the perspectives of parents and families on parental involvement; expectations for success; safety; trust, respect, and ethos of caring; bullying; community welfare; and the importance of race.
  
• The Challenge of Assessing School Climate
  An article on using data to measure school climate from the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Educational Leadership.
  
• Board Climate Matters [PDF 298,599kb]
  "The Cultured Club," from the March 2009 issue of American School Board Journal, deals with the internal culture of the school board and how it can be improved to benefit everyone in the district.
  
• Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership
  Reforms that strive for educational excellence will fail unless they are meaningfully linked to a school's unique culture. Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson wrote this seminal book on school culture.
  
• The National School Climate Center
  The mission of the National School Climate Center is to narrow the gap between school climate research and school climate policy, practice guidelines, and teacher education policy.