School Climate & Academic Achievement: Clips from a Congressional Briefing

Just what is school climate? In short: it's the quality and character of a school, and how safe, supported, connected and healthy students feel.

On June 15, 2010, the National Collaboration for Youth held a briefing on Capitol Hill: School Climate & Academic Achievement: Using Data to Improve Conditions for Learning and Youth Outcomes. Panelists spoke about what school climate is, why it matters and how to use data to improve conditions for learning. Possibly the biggest take-away: a perspective on what happens when administrators intentionally set out to improve school climate.

Following the speakers, participants discussed the practical implications of measuring school climate and implementing improvement plans in coordination with parents, nonprofit organizations and community leaders.

The Obama Administration’s blueprint for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) includes an emphasis on using data to improve students’ safety, health and well-being. States and school districts will need to utilize school climate surveys and assessment tools to inform and guide decisionmaking. 

Watch the video below!

Resources to Learn More:

• National Collaboration for Youth resources on this briefing

• Jon Terry's SparkAction interview on School Connectedness and Climate (YouTube)

• SparkAction's education topic page.