What is School Climate?

Acknowledments and Credits

School Climate Definition

This definition of "school climate" and a "sustainable and positive school climate" emerged from a consensus meeting with members of the National School Climate Council:

  • Victor Battistich, Center for Character & Citizenship, College of Education, University of Missouri, St. Louis
  • William Cirone, County Superintendent, Santa Barbara County Education Office, Santa Barbara, CA  
  • Jonathan Cohen, National School Climate Center, Center for Social and Emotional Education; Teachers College, Columbia University, Co-chair
  • James P. Comer, School Development Program, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
  • Ann Foster, Executive Director, National Network for Educational Renewal
  • Gary Homana, Education Policy & Leadership, College of Education, University of Maryland - College Park
  • William H. Hughes, Superintendent, Greendale School District, Greendale, WI
  • Nicholas Michelli, Doctoral Program in Urban Education, City University of New York
  • Terry Pickeral, National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) at the Education Commission of the States, Co-chair
  • Merle J. Schwartz, Director of Education and Research, Character Education Partnership
  • Margaret Jo Shepherd, Center for Social and Emotional Education; Teachers College, Columbia University

This meeting was organized by the National School Climate Center at the Center for Social and Emotional Education and the National Center for Learning and Citizenship at the Education Commission of the States on April 26 & 27, 2007 and was designed to reach a consensus about how to define school climate as well as how to narrow the gap between school climate research on the one hand and school climate policy, practice guidelines and teacher education on the other hand.

School Climate Frequently Asked Questions

These questions grow out of work published in the following two peer reviewed publications:

Cohen, J. (2006). Social, emotional, ethical and academic education: Creating a climate for learning, participation in democracy and well-being. Harvard Educational Review, Vol. 76, No. 2, Summer, pg 201-237.

Cohen, J,. McCabe, L, Michelli, N.M & Pickeral, T. (in press, July 2007). School Climate: Research, Policy, Teacher Education and Practice. Teachers College Record

This summary grows out of work published in the following two peer reviewed publications:

Cohen, J. (2006). Social, emotional, ethical and academic education: Creating a climate for learning, participation in democracy and well-being. Harvard Educational Review, Vol. 76, No. 2, Summer, pg 201-237.

Cohen, J,. McCabe, L, Mitchelli, N.M & Pickeral, T. (in press, July 2007). School Climate: Research, Policy, Teacher Education and Practice. Teachers College Record

The Dimensions of School Climate

There is not a national consensus about how to label the various dimensions of school climate. This list of ten dimensions grows out a review of the literature (Cohen, 2006, Cohen, McCabe, Michelli & Pickeral, 2007) as well as members of the National School Climate Council:

  • Victor Battistich, Center for Character & Citizenship, College of Education, University of Missouri, St. Louis
  • William Cirone, County Superintendent, Santa Barbara County Education Office, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Jonathan Cohen, National School Climate Center, Center for Social and Emotional Education; Teachers College, Columbia University, Co-chair
  • James P. Comer, School Development Program, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
  • Ann Foster, Executive Director, National Network for Educational Renewal
  • Gary Homana, Education Policy & Leadership, College of Education, University of Maryland - College Park
  • William H. Hughes, Superintendent, Greendale School District, Greendale, WI
  • Nicholas Michelli, Doctoral Program in Urban Education, City University of New York
  • Terry Pickeral, National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) at the Education Commission of the States, Co-chair
  • Merle J. Schwartz, Director of Education and Research, Character Education Partnership
  • Margaret Jo Shepherd, Center for Social and Emotional Education; Teachers College, Columbia University

School Climate Best Practices

To receive a copy of the MMS Education, 2006 report, please write to jonathancohen@csee.net

School Climate Policy

CSEE and the Education Commission of the States carried out this national policy scan. McCabe, L, Cohen, J, & Pickeral, T. (submitted for publication). School climate: On the gap between research and policy.