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Author: fndigi

School Climate Increasingly Recognized as Essential Factor for Student Success

School Climate is the way the school environment functions to nurture students’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. When a school community has a positive climate, it will experience a stronger sense of community, higher student and family engagement, and greater student academic achievement. Increasingly, schools across the country are coming to understand that for students to excel academically, they must […]

Pursuing Social and Emotional Development Through a Racial Equity Lens

​The Aspen Institute Education & Society Program released a new brief – Pursuing Social and Emotional Development Through a Racial Equity Lens: A Call to Action​. Developed with input from a broad cross-section of education practitioners and scholars, this framework is intended to help policymakers, practitioners and communities as they work to integrate the culturally […]

Connecting Communities of Courage: Building Inclusive, Safe and Engaged Schools

October 27th, 2017, a one-day event that brought together a diverse community of 200 stakeholders at the national, state, and local level – community action organizations and youth leaders, schools, prosocial organizations, policymakers, researchers, and funders – to collaboratively address the critical needs of P-12 schools, develop cross-sector connections, and build more inclusive, safe, and […]

The 2019 School Climate Institute

In August 2019, NSCC held the 19th annual School Climate Institute, where teachers, counselors, policy-makers, and students gathered to advance their school climate improvement efforts by exploring the best practices and common challenges that were detailed in our 2018 report, Creating Communities of Courage: Lessons from the Field. Over the two day institute, attendees participated […]

National School Climate Center Joins Ramapo for Children

For Immediate Release Contact: Michera Brooks, Chief of Staff: mbrooks@ramapoforchildren.org, 917-232-0426 National School Climate Center Joins Ramapo for Children September 5, 2019 (NEW YORK CITY) Ramapo for Children (“Ramapo”) and the National School Climate Center (“NSCC”), two leading nonprofits that work with schools, districts and states to create strong school communities, announced that NSCC will […]

Call for Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the U.S. Released February 28, 2018

​An interdisciplinary group of 19 school violence experts developed a joint statement endorsed by NSCC, which outlines a public health approach to protect students and adults from gun violence. This statement identifies an 8-point plan involving three levels of prevention, including a recommendation for a national requirement that all schools assess school climate and maintain […]

New Brief Links School Climate and SEL

​For a long time, social emotional learning and school climate have been seen as two separate fields, but now researchers and practitioners recognize that both benefit each other and are necessary to building healthy schools. School Climate and Social Emotional Learning: The Integration of Two Approaches issue brief, created by The Pennsylvania State University with […]

ESSA Accountability Plans Offer K-12 Companies Key Primers on State Needs

​​All states and the District of Columbia have now submitted their accountability plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act—though not all have received approval from the U.S. Department of Education. Those policy blueprints offer K-12 providers specifics on the states’ emerging demands for products and services—demands that companies must be ready to meet. Keep reading

Shenandoah Valley student speaks of school climate initiative

​​“School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. It is based on people’s experiences of school and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures,” according to the state Department of Education website. Keep reading

An overlooked part of fixing school discipline policies: reducing fear

Ramapo Trainer Hannah Miller published an article in Chalkbeat New York on zero tolerance policies in schools! Hannah talks about seeing zero tolerance implemented on the ground and argues for viewing difficult behaviors as a form of communication, instead of uniformly penalizing students.   “Last month, I walked into a public high school in the […]

De-escalating Conflict in the Classroom

Ramapo Senior Program Officer Rachel Lissy recently wrote an article for Special Education Advisor on de-escalating conflict in the classroom.   “Conflict is a necessary part of life. It inevitably occurs in classrooms where groups of individuals, with varied needs and experiences, pursue shared and individual goals. Successful classrooms are not ‘conflict free zones,’ nor […]

On Transforming Zero Tolerance

By Rachel Lissy, Senior Program Officer The federal government recently issued a report critiquing zero tolerance policies in schools around the country. Senior Program Officer Rachel Lissy wrote the piece below in response to a New York Times article outlining this development. Two weeks ago, the Obama administration issued guidelines calling for an end to […]

E Tsang, Director of Operations, National School Climate Center

E Tsang

Director of Operations

As the Director of Operations for NSCC, E Tsang helps make the finances, HR, and organizational functions of NSCC run smoothly.
Adam St. Bernard Jacobs(he/him), Co-Executive Director, National School Climate Center

Adam St. Bernard Jacobs (he/him)

Co-Executive Director

Adam is a peace educator and nonprofit leader. Adam was previously the organization’s Director of Development. Prior to joining NSCC, Adam was the co-founder and Executive Director of Kids Creative, an arts education organization in NYC. He was also a member of the team that founded a community elementary school in The Bronx. He has worked on issues of equity, anti-racism, arts education, and conflict resolution. He has written articles and led workshops in conflict resolution and the arts, giving talks and workshops at Columbia University, The Peace and Justice Studies Conference, Gettysburg College, and The University of Istanbul, among others. Adam has an undergraduate degree in International Politics, a Masters degree in Peace Education, and a Certificate in Senior Nonprofit Leadership, all from Columbia University, as well as an undergraduate degree in Rabbinic Law from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He was also Mr. Clown, a lead performer in the internationally acclaimed rock group for kids, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band, and was a regular on Nick Jr. and Chuck E Cheese TV. He is raising 2 fantastic children with his life partner, Tabitha.
Kori Hamilton Biagas, Director of Education, National School Climate Center

Kori Hamilton Biagas

Director of Education

Kori is an educator, connector, truth seeker, master facilitator, and the founder of Just Educators. Kori has nearly 20 years of experience in strategic planning, policy analysis and development, instruction, coaching, and technical assistance. As an Equity Specialist for the Region IV and Region IX equity assistance centers, Kori managed large-scale, racial equity driven school district transformation efforts, led district and state leaders through policy analysis, coached state leaders through school climate transformation initiatives, and provided equity-focused professional learning opportunities at all levels of education. Kori specializes in addressing and resolving inequitable policies, practices, and processes in organizations related to racial equity and social justice.
Christian Villenas, Ph.D, Co-Executive Director, National School Climate Center

Christian Villenas, Ph.D

Co-Executive Director

A sociologist by training and an applied education researcher by practice, Christian’s work examines how educational institutions shape opportunity, belonging, exclusion, and student experience. At NSCC, he helps guide the organization’s research, measurement, evaluation, partnerships, and strategic growth, with a focus on making evidence usable for schools, districts, and education partners. Before joining NSCC, Dr. Villenas held research and policy roles at GLSEN, Advocates for Children of New York, the New York City Charter School Center, the NAEP Education Statistics Services Institute, and the American Institutes for Research. Across more than two decades, his work has focused on school climate, social disparities in education, disability studies, LGBTQ student experiences, college access, education policy, program evaluation, and statistical analysis. He holds a BS from New York University, an MS from The New School, and a PhD in Sociology from Johns Hopkins University.
Amanda Weitzel, Director of School Partnerships, National School Climate Center

Amanda Weitzel

Director of School Partnerships

For over a decade at NSCC, Amanda has partnered with schools and districts across the country to support the implementation of school climate surveys and the strategic use of data to drive meaningful improvement. With a background in data analysis, customer success, and partner support, Amanda specializes in helping educators move beyond data collection to uncover actionable insights that strengthen school communities. Her work sits at the intersection of research, data, and practice, guiding school and district leaders in translating survey results into informed decisions that support student success, staff well-being, and positive learning environments. Amanda is passionate about empowering educators with the tools, knowledge, and confidence needed to create safe, supportive, and engaging schools where all students can thrive.
Samantha Elleman, Associate Director of Research, National School Climate Center

Samantha Elleman

Associate Director of Research

Samantha’s primary research topics span school climate, social inclusion, and school climate improvement. Prior to joining the National School Climate Center, Samantha worked as Assistant Teacher and Research Assistant at the Barnard Toddler Center. Her research interests include early childhood education, childhood trauma and protective factors, social-emotional education, and mental wellness in schools. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Barnard College and a Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.