If you're like me, you sometimes read study results and wonder to yourself how much money and time the university or institute invested in researching what seems like a foregone conclusion. Do we really need scientific studies to confirm that swallowing magnets is bad for us, that bees are attracted to apples, that cramming doesn't work, or that exercising more and eating less can lead to weight loss? As my grandson tells me, often enough, "Duh!"
That's the case in a study I read today which seems like it arrived at one of those 'duh' conclusions... but yet one so obviously ignored by many school communities. Here are the findings I'm referring to: 'Teachers' school culture, working conditions, and job satisfaction have an impact on student learning.' The study was done by Susan Johnson and Matthew Kraft of Harvard Graduate School of Education and John Papay of Brown University; and, in all honesty, their study goes deeper that I have heretofor given them credit.
I wouldn't have been able to tell you, for example, that teachers' school culture and working conditions are more important factors in student achievement in reading and math than the students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, which, as the authors of the study state, 'suggests that much of the apparent effect of student demographics really translates into differences in their schools’ teachers' work environments.' Change the school environment; change the result.
This is a perfect segue into mentioning to you our 'Safe Schools Planning Committees' and an upcoming opportunity for you to participate in an online survey and provide information about your child(ren)'s school climate. Our 2nd, 4th, and 6th grade students and our teachers will have the same opportunity to take the survey that we'll offer to parents. The surveys will be one step in each school's study of its school climate. The following steps will be: recognizing strengths and weaknesses in the school's climate, writing goals with timelines and accountability measures, and post-assessing to see if progress has been made.
The Administrative Team, i.e. the principals, Colleen Murray, Kai Graves and I, realize that positive school climate, of course, impacts student achievement. And we also recognize why. In schools with positive culture:
- Teachers collaborate and work together to ensure the curriculum and instructional strategies are first-rate; every teacher working together is always more productive than any one teacher working alone.
- Teachers and their principal collaborate about problems and issues, showing mutual trust and support, leading to a more meaningful commitment to students.
- An orderly, respectful, safe environment takes emphasis off of negative behaviors and restores attention to academics.
- Teachers have the time they need for instruction, both in the core acadmic areas and the social/affective domains, which allows them to take advantage of 'teachable moments'.
- Students feel safe to take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, be themselves, which leads to deeper, less rote, learning.
- Families become involved.
Thus, we hope that when the on-line survey becomes available to you, you will take advantage of that opportunity to tell us what you think. The links to the survey will be available right on the district's and schools' webpages. If you would like to learn more anout the Safe Schools Plan, you can check out the template the schools will be completing this year on the webpage, in the "Policy" section.
