ERIC Number: ED557933
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jan
Pages: 11
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Climate Change Series: Federal, State, and Local Policy Recommendations for Creating a Positive School Climate
Cardichon, Jessica; Roc, Martens
Alliance for Excellent Education
Too frequently, education reform takes a siloed view that focuses on an individual issue instead of a broader and more comprehensive perspective. For example, students' lack of access to challenging and rigorous course work and their lack of access to experienced, engaging, and effective teachers are often discussed as separate issues rather than within the wider context of school climate. School climate--the totality of factors that affect a learning environment--is talked about less often than individual factors, despite research showing that a school's climate, whether positive, negative, or somewhere in between, is connected to the level of students' engagement in their course work and, consequently, to their success. Instead of responding to issues in isolation, school administrators, policymakers, and legislators should examine how these multiple issues fit together and affect schools and districts, as well as the broader education system. Failing to take a more comprehensive approach toward the goals of reforming education and improving school climate will result in limited, if any, success in achieving these goals. This report represents federal, state, and local policy recommendations for creating a positive school environment. Alliance's series of four reports on creating a positive school climate are listed in this report: (1) "Climate Change: Creating an Integrated Framework for Improving School Climate" (Aug, 2013); (2) "Climate Change: Implementing School Discipline Practices that Create a Positive School Climate" (Sep, 2013); (3) "Climate Change: Providing Equitable Access to a Rigorous and Engaging Curriculum" (Nov, 2013); and (4) "Climate Change: Improving School Climate by Supporting Great Teaching" (Sep, 2014). [Contains endnotes.] [Joseph Bishop, director of policy at the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign, contributed to policy recommendations related to well-prepared and effective teaching.]
Descriptors: Educational Environment, Educational Objectives, Discipline, Difficulty Level, Learner Engagement, School Districts, Attendance Patterns, Educational Assessment, Teacher Effectiveness, Instructional Effectiveness, Law Enforcement, Teaching Conditions, Faculty Development
Alliance for Excellent Education. 1201 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 901, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-828-0828; Fax: 202-828-0821; Web site: http://www.all4ed.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Carnegie Corporation of New York; Schott Foundation for Public Education; The Atlantic Philanthropies
Authoring Institution: Alliance for Excellent Education
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A