Mission Possible: A Strong School Climate in 2020
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The notion of a campus is being redefined daily this year, creating a challenge – and opportunity – to expand how to build a strong school climate. Stephen Sawchuk’s recent article “5 Ways Principals Can Establish a Strong School Climate” in Education Week shares tried and true climate building practices along with creative new ideas. All five strategies are coupled with interviews and examples from principals from around the country.
Visibility, communication, and seeking parental input: One principal calls her approach, “KLR, building a ‘known, loved, and respected’ community shared equally by parents and students.”
Data collection with attention to the essentials: Re-tool school climate surveys to capture how students, parents, and teachers are feeling about relationships, academics, and engagement. Schools might also consider a new baseline with these redesigned surveys since both the questions and their context have changed dramatically.
Build into the schedule a time for students to check-in emotionally: One school holds a 15-minute time every day for their virtual "community meeting.”
“Meet families where they are:” We have had a glimpse into our students’ and their families’ home lives in ways we never have before. This reality has opened the door for “seeking innovative ways to make it easier for working families to connect to their schools.”
Distribute leadership among staff and students: There are numerous advantages to distributing leadership, not the least of which is sharing the implementation of new policies with others. Moreover, students are an untapped resource for such tasks as administering the school climate survey.
Whether a campus is physical, virtual, or a hybrid, students and staff need to remain connected for many reasons, but most all, to “send the message [students] can still learn, even in the most crazy of circumstances.”
Sawchuk, S. (2020, October 19). 5 Ways Principals Can Establish a Strong School Climate. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/10/14/5-ways-principals-can-establish-a-strong.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2