Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D.

1. An effective planning and preparation process for school climate reform: An essential and often forgotten set of tasks and challenges Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D. National School Climate Center: Educating Minds and Hearts Because the Three Rs’ Are Not Enough; Teachers College, Columbia University Louisiana’s Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative – 2:30 to 3:30/Ballroom D Second Annual Louisiana School Climate Institute, Sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Education, June 5, 2013. Shreveport, LA Hilton Hotel and Shreveport Convention Center

2. Goals • To consider the tasks and challenges that shape the process of planning and preparing for the school climate improvement process. • To begin to consider “where is your school now?” and “what are possible next steps that you may want to focus on?” to support an effective, comprehensive and engaged process.

3. The School Climate Improvement Process: Continuous Five Stage, Data-driven Process that Engages the “whole village” to support the “whole child

4. School Climate Improvement Process Stage One Overview • This stage of the school climate improvement process supports your school community in recognizing past successes, current challenges, preparing for the evaluation of your school’s climateand the ways that you can use this data to engage the whole school community to learn and work together. • Stage One tasks and challenges help to actualize the first School Climate Standard (The school has a shared vision and plan for promoting, enhancing, and sustaining a positive school climate) and the fifth Standard, also (Students and staff develop meaningful and engaging practices, activities, and norms that promote social and civic responsibilities and commitment to social justice).

5. School climate: Definitions (cont.) The school climate improvement process:Intentional, strategic, collaborative, transparent and coordinated 1) Collaborative, democratically informed and involving all stakeholders; 2) Psychometrically sound data is used to drive action planning, interventions and program implementation 3) Improvement goals are tailored to the unique needs of students' and the broader school community 4) Capacity building promotes adult learning and PLCs 5) Curriculum, instruction, student supports and interventions are scientifically sound and support prosocial. ecologically informed and strength-based and risk prevention efforts. 6) The improvement process strengthens (a) policies and procedures related to the learning environment, and (b) operational infrastructure to facilitate data collection, effective planning, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability. (The National School Climate Council, 2012)

6. School Climate Improvement Process Stage One: Tasks and Challenges Stage One: Preparation and Planning • Forming a representative SC improvement leadership team and establishing ground rules collaboratively. • Building support and fostering a shared vision (or “Buy In”) for the school climate improvement process. • Establishing a “no fault” framework and promoting a culture of trust. • Ensuring your team has adequate resources to support the process. • Celebrating successes and building on past efforts • Reflecting on Stage One work

7. Considering your school’s readiness to embark on the school climate improvement process • All schools are “ready.” • And, all schools – like all people – evidence a unique history, array of strengths, needs, weaknesses and goals. • Understanding and considering your strengths, needs, weaknesses and goals will support an effective improvement process.

8. The school climate improvement process: Setting the stage for effective learning and co-leadership • What do you imagine you can and need to do that will helpfully set the stage for an engaged process of students, parents/guardians and school personnel learning and working together? • School Climate Improvement Readiness Assessments - A self study tool

9. Tasks and Challenges: Forming a representative leadership team • • School climate reform: Supporting students, parents/guardians, school personnel and ideally, community members learning and working together. • • What are strategies that your school might consider and use to engage students, parents/guardians and even community members who typically do not become a part of school governance? Are there ways that the school might enlist them to be co-leaders here? • • Consider: • Using the Forming a Representative Team protocol • Reflecting on the Creating A School Climate Improvement Leadership Team • Using the Roles, Tasks, and Responsibilities protocol

10. Tasks and Challenges: Developing a shared vision • • Developing a shared vision about what kind of school you want yours to be: Foundational and challenging. • An engagement strategy • The foundation for a gap analysis: • • Where do we want to be? • • Where are we now? • • What can and do we need to focus on to narrow the gap between our vision and current reality? • • Consider using the following protocols/activities to actualize this task: • Reflecting on our Mission and Vision Protocol • Priorities, Values, and Skills Protocol • The Future Vision Protocol • Reflecting on School Climate

11. Tasks and Challenges: Educators learning and working together within a “no fault” framework • • Trust is the glue that holds all school reform efforts together. • • From a culture of blame and distrust to a collaborative problem solving/PLC • • A “no fault” framework: Accepting responsibility and focusing on learning (e.g. from mistakes and otherwise) to support children’s healthy development and capacity to learn. • • Consider these tools to understand “where are you now?” and “possible next steps?” that will support a more trusting/collaborative problem solving adult/educator culture: • Establishing a No-Fault Framework • Information Sheet #6 - No-Fault Frameworks • No-Fault Framework Rubric

12. Tasks and Challenges: Ensuring that your team has adequate resources • • Any and all school reform efforts require resources: Time, funding, personnel/professional commitment. • • What resources do you need to support understanding and realistic plans that will support this process? • Do students, parents/guardians, school personnel and community leaders understand the importance of school climate improvement? • Has a school climate coordinator been designated? • Have funds been allocated for measurement, face-to-face and on-line professional development and related costs? • Will educators be given time and support to learn about whatever aspect of school climate reform and prosocial education that is most meaningful to them? • Are relevant school-home-community partnerships being developed?

13. Tasks and Challenges: Celebrating past and current efforts • • Creating even safer, more supportive, engaging and helpfully challenging schools is – more or less – is a goal for virtually classroom, building and district leaders. • • School climate reform is not a new “flavor of the month” - it is a part of a 100 year (plus!) tradition of educators being attuned to the social, emotional and civic needs of learners and teachers. • • Essential questions: • How do current school climate improvement plans build on past efforts? • How can you recognize and celebrate these past as well as current efforts? • Consider using: • Taking Stock Protocol

14. Tasks and Challenges: Promoting reflection and PLC’s • • Being a reflective learner/teacher is the foundation for virtually all helpful instruction and healthy relationships. • • Essential questions: • How can educators recognize and support reflective capacities within each other and your students? • How can you promote meaningful and helpful Professional Learning Communities (PLC) that support educators learning from one another?

15. Tasks and Challenges: Reflections Reflecting on stage one tasks and challenges: • What do you think is most important about these suggested tasks and challenges? And, why? • What – if anything – is missing here? In other words, are there other tasks that you suggest are important for your school to consider that will support school climate reform in general and your dropout prevention efforts in particular? • On the value of recording our successes and challenges • The “end of stage” assessments: learning now and for the future

16. Resources Policy guidelines/resources: www.schoolclimate.org/climate/policy.php School Climate Guide for District Policymakers and Education Leaders: www.schoolclimate.org/climate/districtguide.php School Climate Resource Center (SCRC): http://scrc.schoolclimate.org/ Practice Briefs: www.schoolclimate.org/publications/practice-briefs.php National School Climate Leadership Certification: www.schoolclimate.org/programs/certification.php

17. Next Steps?

18. Thank you!. Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D. • President, National School Climate Center: Educating Minds and Hearts Because the Three Rs are Not Enough (www.schoolclimate.org;jonathancohen@schoolclimate.org). • Co-chair, National School Climate Council • Adjunct Professor in Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.