Culture-Climate Archives - Transforming Education

Apr 21 2021

Keep our children in school and out of the school-to-prison pipeline: A parent’s concern about COVID-era school discipline

By Dr. Adrienne Kennedy and Dr. Jermaine Kennedy|2023-05-09T12:32:14-04:00April 21st, 2021|

As a parent of two African American boys, I am concerned as we begin to navigate our way back into the school building. I am worried that this new era in education could make my children and other BIPOC children vulnerable to disproportionate school discipline, especially exclusionary discipline. Schools are under increased pressure to keep children and teachers safe, and removing a face mask or breathing on someone could spread sickness; this undoubtedly makes for a more tense learning environment. With new rules in place, it concerns me to think that BIPOC may bear the brunt of these new consequences and be subject to exclusionary discipline practices at higher rates than other students.

Apr 7 2021

Lifting up student voice: Tips for collecting & reflecting on student feedback

By Johanna Leslie|2023-05-09T12:32:15-04:00April 7th, 2021|

As schools and districts across the country continue to pivot, adapt, and recalibrate to address the challenges posed by COVID-19, collecting feedback from students is critical. This can be done in both formal and informal ways, ranging from casual conversations with students or advisory groups to administering a school-wide climate survey. To bridge the divide between these formal and informal feedback mechanisms, semi-structured conversations with diverse groups of students can serve as an opportunity to learn more about students’ experiences and dig deeper into opportunities to boost school climate. Student climate data can illuminate key areas of success and opportunities for growth, allowing school leaders to understand, reflect, and act on feedback. Whether virtual, in-person, or hybrid, consider the following tips for planning, running, and reflecting on conversations about students’ experiences and perceptions of school climate.

Sep 21 2020

Forgiveness, Acceptance & Flexibility in the Time of COVID

By Lisa Hanafin|2023-05-09T12:32:23-04:00September 21st, 2020|

Forgiveness, acceptance and flexibility. Three little BIG words I have spent countless hours instilling in six-year-olds over the past 15 years. I never would have imagined simple lessons taught in my first-grade classroom would become so meaningful during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I get to see my mom today! She’s picking me up!” Evan would shout as he entered the classroom. Evan would talk all day about mom and the fun things they have planned to do, only to realize at dismissal as time passes and each friend gets picked up; Evan’s mom is not coming.

Aug 9 2020

Surfacing & Addressing Barriers to Student Learning: 8 Recommendations for Exploring, Discussing, & Acting on School Climate Data

By Transforming Education|2023-05-09T12:32:25-04:00August 9th, 2020|

We are living through an unprecedented moment of challenge and uncertainty as we experience the serious health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and a simultaneous racial reckoning nationwide. In this same moment, we also know more than ever before about learning and human development. Convergent evidence from multiple disciplines has demonstrated that learning and

Feb 18 2020

Creating Routine via Daily Greetings

By Kevin Cormier|2023-05-09T12:32:30-04:00February 18th, 2020|

A few months ago, scrolling through Twitter, I saw a post from former Minnesota Teacher of the Year (and great Twitter follow), Tom Rademacher, highlighting a Facebook post (it’s always a Facebook post!) in which an educator was advocating for a routine for connecting with “difficult” students - that routine is to commit with that student for a 60-second hug.

Oct 29 2019

Utilizing School Counselors to Promote SEL in the Classroom

By April Brunelle|2023-05-09T12:32:32-04:00October 29th, 2019|

Excerpt: There are so many innovative ways that, as a team, [teachers and counselors] can plan how to collaborate. What would this look like? It could look like...a Counselor in your room for one period a day, rotating homerooms throughout the week, solely checking for executive functioning skill development which has been pre-planned into your content curriculum. It could look like a Counselor in the classroom as the teacher is teaching, and if a student has a meltdown or issue, the Counselor can attempt to address it within the classroom, or physically close to the classroom, in order to decrease out of classroom time for students.

Oct 15 2019

Define Respect

By Tasha Jones|2023-05-09T12:32:32-04:00October 15th, 2019|

When we as teachers teach by example, our students become more engaged and can witness the process at work. This simple assignment, meant to stretch my students, also challenged me. I reflected on my practice, and it helped our school level biases. When students have the agency to problem solve, it also opens the doors for us as teachers to lend to the process. When we think about the many ways to impact change in the daily educational experience, we often forget those voices who are being educated. When asked, my students thought critically about change and learned how to advocate in the process. Their voices were valuable in the conversation to improve education, instructional procedures, and operations.

Jun 20 2019

Engaging student voice for a deeper understanding of culture and climate perceptions

By Akira|2023-05-09T12:32:34-04:00June 20th, 2019|

A recent study by Transforming Education, conducted in partnership with NewSchools Venture Fund, suggests that across 18 innovative and diverse charter schools located throughout the country, students report having very different experiences within the same school based on a student survey of the school culture and climate.

Nov 28 2018

The Role of Adults in Facilitating Positive, Prosocial Youth Development

By Akira Gutierrez and Katie Buckley, EdD|2023-05-09T12:32:38-04:00November 28th, 2018|

We recently had the opportunity to attend SRCD’s special topic session: Promoting Character Development Among Diverse Children and Adolescents. The conference touched on many things we, here at TransformEd, believe in deeply and work to integrate not only into our work with educators but also into our own lives, as parents to little ones.

Aug 24 2018

Using Data to Improve Student Learning Environments

By Transforming Education|2023-05-09T12:32:39-04:00August 24th, 2018|

Nowhere is a data-informed approach to social-emotional learning more pronounced than in California’s CORE Districts, which embarked on a groundbreaking effort in 2013 to capture a more holistic vision of student success and school quality. There, eight of the largest districts in the state have incorporated Social-Emotional (SE) and Culture and Climate (CC) survey data into their measurement systems. Research on these measures, led by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), reveals encouraging results: that student self-reporting on these measures is valid and reliable for driving continuous improvement in practice. But what does continuous improvement look like on the ground in these California schools?

Keep our children in school and out of the school-to-prison pipeline: A parent’s concern about COVID-era school discipline

Lifting up student voice: Tips for collecting & reflecting on student feedback

Surfacing & Addressing Barriers to Student Learning: 8 Recommendations for Exploring, Discussing, & Acting on School Climate Data

Utilizing School Counselors to Promote SEL in the Classroom

Define Respect

Engaging student voice for a deeper understanding of culture and climate perceptions

The Role of Adults in Facilitating Positive, Prosocial Youth Development

Using Data to Improve Student Learning Environments

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