As schools grappled with the challenges posed by remote learning, hybrid models, and physical distancing protocols, we learned that fostering a sense of community and connectedness was key to making sure students and schools accomplished their goals with some sense of normalcy. The essence of school climate lies in the quality of relationships and sense of belonging within the school community, which are all enhanced with a focus on social emotional skills. A crucial aspect of this work is understanding the relationship between school climate and social-emotional learning (SEL). Given that restorative approaches emphasize improving in-school relationships and overall school climate, survey measures that capture student, teacher, and parent perceptions of school safety and climate are essential for measuring the impact of restorative approaches. Tier 1 practices are intended for all students and include social and emotional skill development and informal restorative practices for community and relationship building.
In this study, the multistage approach, although not new (e.g. Velayutham et al., 2011), allowed translation validity to be established. The total variance accounted for the eight scales of the upper primary version was 68.05% for the actual responses and 69.12% for the preferred responses. The total variance accounted for the eight scales of the upper primary version was 68.05% for the actual responses and 69.12% for the preferred responses.Table 5 Factor loadings for actual and preferred forms of WHITS-PFull size table First, the loading for the actual responses for this item met the criteria and, second, the factor loadings for the preferred responses did not load at 0.4 or more or any other scale. The results, reported in the Table https://www.nysed.gov/accountability/evidence-based-interventions 5, indicate that, of the possible 464 loadings (29 items × 8 scales × 2 − actual and preferred responses), one loading (the preferred response to item one for the School Connectedness scale) did not meet the criteria.
School Climate Improvement: A Data-Driven Strategy That Supports Individual and Organizational Health
Oakland has also implemented a Peer Restorative Justice Program, which trains several hundred student leaders each year so that they can facilitate restorative circles at their schools. These types of district-level commitments accelerate the use of restorative approaches in schools and provide support to in-school practitioners. This will support schools in determining whether restorative practices are leading to desired changes and guide schools in making course corrections as needed.Augustine, C. It is important that district and school staff understand from the outset that it takes time to develop the buy-in and capacity needed to successfully implement restorative approaches and that results on student outcomes should not be expected prematurely. The promise of restorative practices to transform teacher-student relationships and achieve equity in school discipline.
School leaders can take schoolwide steps to reduce bullying, including cyberbullying, and create a space where students of all backgrounds feel respected and free to be themselves. While no one person can provide all the support kids need, we’ve outlined strategies that can help promote well-being in schools. Some people think of well-being as mental health wellness, or overall happiness, or physical health. Sociology is a fascinating field of study that explores human social behavior, relationships, and institutions. Contrarily, toxic school cultures can bring out the worst in students and school communities.
School-Based Student Behavioural Characteristics
The high expectations scale was the only one for which the preferred responses were lower than the actual responses. Except for the high expectations scale, the range of responses to the preferred version was narrower (with standard deviations ranging from 0.505 to 0.743) than for responses to the actual version (with standard deviations ranging from 0.705 to 0.908). Simple correlations (Pearson’s correlation coefficient) were used to summarise the strength and degree of the relationships.
In push factors, the school is the agent whereby a student is removed from school due to a consequence. However, Doll et al. (2013) identified a different framework for the analysis of factors influencing dropping out of schools. According to Doll et al. (2013), dropping out is the culmination of a much longer process of leaving school, beginning long before the day that a student eventually ceases attendance.
- These evidence-based programs share the goal of helping students succeed academically and socially.
- We first examined unadjusted associations, then adjusted for the main covariates (baseline measures of school size, proportion of free school meals, and IDACI score, and student sex, ethnicity, family affluence score and family structure).
- Further, positive school climates have the potential to improve learning outcomes and academic achievement (Shindler et al., 2016), reduce achievement gaps and increase career prospects for students from less advantaged backgrounds (Berkowtz, 2022; Hopson & Lee, 2011).
- When we look for ways to improve student achievement we often cite school climate as a major factor, but just what is “school climate”?
They invite parents to share what helps at home and then mirror it at school. Family voice is central to student well-being. Progress is checked each week using a simple 0 to 10 scale, so wins are easy to see.