Promoting a Positive School Climate and Social, Emotional, Ethical and Civic Learning
Measuring and improving school climate is a process that supports social, emotional, ethical and civic education (also known as social and emotional learning and character education): the foundation for school—and life—success.
School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. It is based on patterns of school life experiences and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching, learning and leadership practices, and organizational structures. As such, it recognizes the two essential processes that research and best practices from a number of overlapping but historically disparate but overlapping traditions (character education, school reform, social emotional learning, community schooling, pro-social education, risk prevention and health/mental health promotion) have indicated that there are two core processes that educators, parents/guardians, students and community leaders need to focus on to support K-12 students developing the skills, knowledge and dispositions that provide the foundation for school success and the ability to love, work and become an engaged and effective citizen:
- Instruction: Intentionally promoting students – and their own – social, emotional, ethical and civic capacities and dispositions; and,
- School wide improvement efforts: Educators, parents/guardians and students learning and working together to create a climate for learning (positive school climate; supportive learning environments).
This section of our web site provides a range of resources for members of your school communitywho are committed to supporting student learning and positive youth development. Here you will find a range of information, guidelines and tools to support your school community promoting a positive and sustained school climate in general and with regard to the four essential aspects of school climate: safety, teaching and learning, relationships and the environment. Although this section is geared to educators, it is also relevant to parents and guardians as well as community leaders.
Multimedia — Listen to Stanford University education professor Linda Darling-Hammond talk about the instructional and systemic aspects of social, emotional, ethical and civic as well as intellectual education – 8 min 48 sec Click here.
Multimedia — Listen to Neuroscientist Richard Davidson present his research on how social and emotional learning can affect the brain – 20 min 6 sec. Click here.
