Download or read book Commentaries on the National School Climate Standards Benchmarks to Promote Effective Teaching Learning and Comprehensive School Improvement School Climate Brief Number 2 written by National School Climate Center (NSCC) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of Americans have a shared vision that K-12 education needs to support children's ability to love, work and participate effectively in a democratic society. The National School Climate Center, a growing number of State Departments of Education and recently, the United States Department of Education believe that when school communities work to measure and improve school climate we mobilize the "whole village" to support the whole child developing these abilities that provide the foundation for school and life success. One of the most important goals that the National School Climate Council suggested in the 2007 "School Climate Challenge" was that the country needs school climate standards. When a State Department of Education develops standards, they are setting a "bar" that all schools need to achieve. In 2009, the Council was asked to develop these standards. The benchmarks provide a framework to begin to define what can be done to support children and adolescents developing in healthy ways and learning. The National School Climate Center has invited a group of building, district, State and national educational leaders to comment on the following five questions: (1) Do we need national school climate standards? Why or why not?; (2) What do you most value and agree with about these standards? Is they're something important that is, in your view, missing?; (3) What do you most dislike and disagree with about these standards?; (4) How could standards like these be used most helpfully to support student learning, positive youth development and the promotion of skills, knowledge and dispositions that support an effective and engaged citizenry?; and (5) What are the most important recommendations you would make to teacher educators, school leaders, teachers/ others who seek to implement the standards? It is the hope that these commentaries spur discussion, reflection and debate. When measuring and working to improve school climate the following can occur: (1) Recognizing the essential social, emotional, ethical and civic as well as intellectual aspects of learning and our school improvement efforts; (2) Supporting shared leadership and learning; (3) Promoting School-Family-Community Partnerships; and (4) Promoting student engagement. We hope that States and Districts will consider adopting or adapting these standards in order to narrow the socially unjust gap between school climate research, policy, practice guidelines and teacher education. Following an Overview by Jonathan Cohen, the following commentaries are included in this report: (1) National School Climate Standards: A Critique (Gene Carter); (2) Can standardizing climate insure safety? (Mary Grenz Jalloh); (3) National school climate commentary (Eileen Santiago & JoAnne Ferrara); (4) School climate standards and dialogue (John Devine); (5) Response to the National School Climate Standards (National Association of School Psychologists); (6) Reaction to National School Climate Standards (Jo Ann Freiberg); (7) National School Climate standards: New Tools for building respectful schools (Bill Preble & Rick Gordon); (8) Feedback on National School Climate Standards (John Eller); (9) Commentary on the National School Climate Standards: Using an Equity Lens to Reconsider the Standards (Randy Ross & Elizabeth A'Vant); (10) Coda: Reflections and next steps (Richard Cardillo, Jonathan Cohen & Terry Pickeral). (Individual papers contain references.).
Download or read book School Climate written by H. Jerome Freiberg and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-08-02 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like a strong foundation in a house, the climate of a school is the foundation that supports the structures of teaching and learning. This book provides a framework for educators to look at school and classroom climates using both informal and formal measures. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of climate and details techniques which may be used by heads or classroom teachers to judge the health of their learning environment. The book sets out to enhance understanding of the components of a healthy learning environment and the tools needed to improve that environment. It also looks at ways to assess the impact of change activities in improving and sustaining educational excellence. The international team of contributors bring perspectives from the school systems in America, UK, Australia and Holland.
Download or read book The School Climate Improvement Process written by National School Climate Center (NSCC) and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Student learning and development are a function of both individual and systemic factors. Individual factors include students' motivation as well as their intellectual and social abilities. Systemic factors include teacher quality, administrative leadership, community engagement, and learning environments. The increasing numbers of children living in poverty and rapidly changing ethnic demographics are critical contextual factors that must be addressed in creating positive school climates for all. The National School Climate Council defines school climate as the quality and character of school life. School climate is a multidimensional concept that reflects the norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, safety, and organizational structures of a school community. School climate improvement is an intentional, strategic, collaborative, transparent, and coordinated effort to strengthen school learning environments. Democratically informed decision-making constitutes an essential foundation for the school climate improvement process. Based on members' collective experience partnering with schools, the Council defines an effective school climate improvement process as one that engages all stakeholders in six essential practices. The six essential practices and glossary of terms are presented in this brief.
Download or read book School Climate and the National School Climate Standards written by Patricia A. Ciccone and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Increasingly, more and more areas of educational practice are being guided by sets of national standards for content, leadership, professional ethics, family-school partnerships, and school accreditation, among others. Similarly, there is growing appreciation that standards are needed to effectively measure improvement in school climate. The increased national attention on school climate flags both the need to improve schools using measurable outcomes and the need to prepare all students to address the myriad of challenges they face in the 21st century. Given that all efforts to improve schools, benefit from being based on wellƯ-developed sets of standards and indicators, leaders from across the country collaborated to develop National School Climate Standards. Over a three-Ưyear period this set of five Standards and their indicators and sub-indicators were developed by consensus, and embraced by experts and leaders throughout the country. These are the five standards by which school climate efforts and their outcomes will be measured: (1) The school community has a shared vision and plan for promoting, enhancing and sustaining a positive school climate; (2) The school community sets policies specifically promoting (a) the development and sustainability of social, emotional, ethical, civic and intellectual skills, knowledge, dispositions and engagement, and (b) a comprehensive system to address barriers to learning and teaching and reengage students who have become disengaged; (3) The school community's practices are identified, prioritized and supported to (a) promote the learning and positive social, emotional, ethical and civic development of students, (b) enhance engagement in teaching, learning, and schoolƯ-wide activities; (c) address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage those who have become disengaged; and (d) develop and sustain an appropriate operational infrastructure and capacity building mechanisms for meeting this standard; (4) The school community creates an environment where all members are welcomed, supported, and feel safe in school: socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically; and (5) The school community develops meaningful and engaging practices, activities and norms that promote social and civic responsibilities and a commitment to social justice. Strategies to guide effective practice are also provided.
Download or read book Climate Change Education in Formal Settings K 14 written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-11-02 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems. Each additional ton of greenhouse gases emitted commits us to further change and greater risks. In the judgment of the Committee on America's Climate Choices, the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks of climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt to its impacts. A principal message from the recent National Research Council report, America's Climate Choices, this brief summary of how climate change will shape many aspects of life in the foreseeable future emphasizes the vital importance of preparation for these changes. The report points to the importance of formal and informal education in supporting the public's understanding of those challenges climate change will bring, and in preparing current and future generations to act to limit the magnitude of climate change and respond to those challenges. Recognizing both the urgency and the difficulty of climate change education, the National Research Council, with support from the National Science Foundation, formed the Climate Change Education Roundtable. The roundtable brings together federal agency representatives with diverse experts and practitioners in the physical and natural sciences, social sciences, learning sciences, environmental education, education policy, extension education and outreach, resource management, and public policy to engage in discussion and explore educational strategies for addressing climate change. Two workshops were held to survey the landscape of climate change education. The first explored the goals for climate change education for various target audiences. The second workshop, which is the focus of this summary, was held on August 31 and September 1, 2011, and focused on the teaching and learning of climate change and climate science in formal education settings, from kindergarten through the first two years of college (K-14). This workshop, based on an already articulated need to teach climate change education, provided a forum for discussion of the evidence from research and practice. The goal of this workshop was to raise and explore complex questions around climate change education, and to address the current status of climate change education in grade K-14 of the formal education system by facilitating discussion between expert researchers and practitioners in complementary fields, such as education policy, teacher professional development, learning and cognitive science, K-12 and higher education administration, instructional design, curriculum development, and climate science. Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K-14: A Workshop Summary summarizes the two workshops.
Download or read book Climate Change Education written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-01-12 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global scientific and policy community now unequivocally accepts that human activities cause global climate change. Although information on climate change is readily available, the nation still seems unprepared or unwilling to respond effectively to climate change, due partly to a general lack of public understanding of climate change issues and opportunities for effective responses. The reality of global climate change lends increasing urgency to the need for effective education on earth system science, as well as on the human and behavioral dimensions of climate change, from broad societal action to smart energy choices at the household level. The public's limited understanding of climate change is partly the result of four critical challenges that have slowed development and delivery of effective climate change education. As one response to these challenges, Congress, in its 2009 and 2010 appropriation process, requested that the National Science Foundation (NSF) create a program in climate change education to provide funding to external grantees to improve climate change education in the United States. To support and strengthen these education initiatives, the Board on Science Education of the National Research Council (NRC) created the Climate Change Education Roundtable. The Roundtable convened two workshops. Climate Change Education Goals, Audiences, and Strategies is a summary of the discussions and presentations from the first workshop, held October 21 and 22, 2010. This report focuses on two primary topics: public understanding and decision maker support. It should be viewed as an initial step in examining the research on climate change and applying it in specific policy circumstances.
Download or read book School Climate Research Summary written by Amrit Thapa and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three decades, researchers and educators have increasingly recognized the importance of K-12 school climate. This summary report builds on previous school climate reviews and details how school climate is associated with and/or promotes safety, healthy relationships, engaged learning and teaching and school improvement efforts. In America and around the world, there is growing interest in school climate reform and appreciation that this is a viable, data driven school improvement strategy that promotes safer, more supportive and civil K-12 schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) recommends school climate reform as a data driven strategy that promotes healthy relationships, school connectedness, and dropout prevention. The Institute for Educational Sciences includes school climate as a sound strategy for dropout prevention. The U. S Department of Education (2007) has invested in the Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) grant program to support state-wide school climate measurement and the study of school climate improvement efforts. A growing number of State Departments of Education are focusing on school climate reform as an essential component of school improvement and/or bully prevention. And, a growing number of educational ministries from around the world (e.g. China, France, Israel, Peru, Singapore, Spain) (Cohen, 2012), and the UN Children's Fund are invested in supporting school climate reform efforts. While early educational reformers such as Perry (1908), Dewey (1916), and Durkheim (1961) recognized that the distinctive culture of a school affects the life and learning of its students, the rise of systematic, empirical study of school climate grew out of industrial/organizational research coupled with the observation that school-specific processes accounted for a great deal of variation in student achievement. Ever since, the research in school climate has been growing systematically, and in recent years many countries are showing a keen interest in this area. Literature in this field suggests that there are empirical evidences being documented on various aspects of school climate in several languages. In this review, the authors address five essential areas of focus: (1) Safety (e.g. rules and norms; physical safety; social-emotional safety); (2) Relationships (e.g. respect for diversity; school connectedness/engagement; social support; leadership); (3) Teaching and Learning (e.g. social, emotional, ethical and civic learning; support for academic learning; support for professional relationships); (4) Institutional Environment (e.g. physical surrounding); and (5) School climate, the Processes of School Improvement. Although there is not yet a consensus about which dimensions are essential to measuring school climate validly, the authors believe that empirical reviews such as these may help to refine and focus understanding of the aspects of school climate that can and need to be assessed.
Download or read book Resources in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 760 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Achievement Gains and Staff Perception of School Climate Research Brief written by Don Morris and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 7 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The importance of the beliefs and attitudes of teachers and building-level administrators in achieving school reform has come to be widely acknowledged. As University of Wisconsin professor Kent Peterson put it: "You can implement a good-quality improvement plan and knowledgeable, data-driven decision making, but if the [staff] doesn't believe that things can be improved, it's not going to implement [changes] with the same depth or energy or commitment" (Stover, 2005, p. 31). The most common way of tapping into those beliefs and attitudes has traditionally been the school climate survey. The Miami-Dade County Public School District (M-DCPS) has conducted school climate surveys of staff, parents, and students since the early 1990s. In recent years, elements of these surveys have come into extensive use by the district's schools as a factor in their school improvement plans. The use of the survey results for purposes of school improvement has motivated this inquiry into discussing the relationship between M-DCPS staff survey results and student achievement, as measured by the percent of students, by school, making learning gains in reading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). (Contains 2 tables and 2 notes.).
Download or read book Handbook for Conducting School Climate Improvement Projects written by Eugene R. Howard and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses practical ways to improve a school's climate by increasing both productivity and satisfaction concurrently. Chapter 1, "Defining School Climate," identifies the overarching goals of school climate improvement, the basic human needs that school climate must address, the factors that make up a school's climate and determine its quality, and the elements to a school's operation that contribute to positive climate. Chapter 2 outlines an eight-step process for implementing school improvement, while chapters 3 through 7 discuss each of these eight steps in detail: (1) appointing a school improvement management team or steering committee; (2) collecting baseline data; (3) raising the awareness level of faculty, students, and parents; (4) assessing the school climate; (5) identifying improvement priorities and developing action plans; (6) organizing task forces to accomplish the tasks identified in the action plans; (7) coordinating the work of the task forces; and (8) evaluating the overall effects of the climate improvement effort. The final chapter, "Why Do It?," provides anecdotal testimony as to the success of climate improvement projects in various schools. Appended are the following instruments: an instrument for rating school climate; the CFK, Ltd., School Climate Profile; two "mini-audits" designed to assist school officials in identifying climate improvement priorities and assessing the process and material determinants of a school; and a brainstorming and prioritizing activity instruction sheet. (TE)
Download or read book Achieving High Educational Standards for All written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-05-11 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume summarizes a range of scientific perspectives on the important goal of achieving high educational standards for all students. Based on a conference held at the request of the U.S. Department of Education, it addresses three questions: What progress has been made in advancing the education of minority and disadvantaged students since the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision nearly 50 years ago? What does research say about the reasons of successes and failures? What are some of the strategies and practices that hold the promise of producing continued improvements? The volume draws on the conclusions of a number of important recent NRC reports, including How People Learn, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Eager to Learn, and From Neurons to Neighborhoods, among others. It includes an overview of the conference presentations and discussions, the perspectives of the two co-moderators, and a set of background papers on more detailed issues.
Download or read book British Education Index written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 990 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Application for Grants Under the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching written by and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States written by United States. Congress. House and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some vols. include supplemental journals of "such proceedings of the sessions, as, during the time they were depending, were ordered to be kept secret, and respecting which the injunction of secrecy was afterwards taken off by the order of the House."
Download or read book Monthly Catalogue United States Public Documents written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 1100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 1096 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Developing a Positive School Climate Newsletter written by Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decades of research support the role of a positive school climate on teaching and learning. This newsletter takes a look at the topic of school climate and sets out to determine: (1) What is school climate? (2) How can schools assess their school climate? (3) What are some practical examples of how schools are assessing school climate? and (4) What resources are available to support schools interested in improving or enhancing their school climate? Creating a positive school climate takes the work and commitment of the entire school community. Using survey data as well as detailed, disaggregated discipline and attendance records can help to hone in on issues. When examining the data, it is important to foster and maintain an atmosphere of open communication in which everyone is valued and decisions are made collaboratively. A positive school climate can be viewed as the foundation of safety, pride, respect, trust, and motivation on which a school can build the structure of high academic achievement for all students. [This document was produced by The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, administered by Learning Point Associates.].
