NCJ Number
117065
Date Published
1987
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The improvement in a school's climate is discussed in terms of the need for a comprehensive plan for assessing climate and the importance of focusing on the interaction between satisfaction and productivity for everyone in the school.
Abstract
School climate reflects more than staff morale, so efforts to improve it must also focus on more than improving staff morale and productivity. A comprehensive plan for auditing climate should consist of a series of separate but related plans. The steps used to assess an individual school's climate can also be used to assess individual classrooms, a teaching team in an elementary school, a department in a secondary school, or an entire school district. The process should start with developing a definition of school climate and identifying the major audiences interested in knowing about the outcomes of the school environment. The planning steps should include establishing purpose, formulating indicators, preparing a status report, identifying objectives, and developing a plan. These steps should be used for each of the two climate dimensions of satisfaction and productivity and for each of the audiences: students, faculty and staff, and patrons. Planners should also be guided by the principals established in the research conducted since the mid-1970's. This research has shown that schools must honor the expectations that the home holds for the student, that the focus should be on improving school conditions rather than on blaming the home or the community for poor performance, that the classroom is the most appropriate unit for analysis of student outcomes, and that the principal's leadership is crucial. Sample plan, figures, and 21 references.