The National School Climate Center defines school climate as “the quality and character of school life” that is based on the “patterns of students’, parents’, and school personnel’s experiences of school life.”[1] School climate can be influenced by the norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, instructional practices, and organizational structures within a school. Research has found that schools with positive school climates tend to have better test scores and graduation rates; in contrast, schools with negative school climates as a result of unsafe or hostile environments tend to have lower academic performance.[2]
A sustainable, positive school climate supports people feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe. In a positive school climate people are engaged and respected. By contrast, disruptive and aggressive behavior such as threats, bullying, teasing and harassment creates a hostile school environment that interferes with academic performance. A hostile school environment fosters increased absenteeism and truancy because students feel unsafe at school. If a child is not physically and mentally in attendance, learning cannot take place.
Stan Jester
What’s your analysis of this information? What do you notice?
Given the 2016 School Climate Star Ratings, it looks like generally people are content in the Chamblee, Cross Keys, Dunwoody, Druid Hills and Lakeside clusters. I still find it odd that Lakeside HS is the only school in the cluster with a below satisfactory index.
Also, Cross Keys HS knocked their CCRPI scores out of the park. DeKalb 2016 CCRPI Trends
School Climate and CCRPI for all schools by Region
REGION 1
| Cluster | School Name | OSD | Title I | CCRPI | School Climate Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamblee | Ashford Park ES | N | 87.5 | 3 | |
| Chamblee | Huntley Hills ES | Y | 72 | 4 | |
| Chamblee | Montgomery ES | N | 87.3 | 4 | |
| Chamblee | Chamblee MS | N | 85.1 | 4 | |
| Chamblee | Chamblee Charter HS | Y | 87.5 | 4 | |
| Charter | DeKalb PATH | Y | 82.5 | 5 | |
| Charter | Tapestry | N | 57.6 | 4 | |
| Cross Keys | Cary Reynolds ES | Y | 66.5 | 4 | |
| Cross Keys | Dresden ES | Y | 48.8 | 2 | |
| Cross Keys | Montclair ES | Focus | Y | 52 | 3 |
| Cross Keys | Oakcliff ES | Y | 70.2 | 4 | |
| Cross Keys | Woodward ES | Y | 60.3 | 4 | |
| Cross Keys | Sequoyah MS | Y | 64 | 5 | |
| Cross Keys | Cross Keys HS | Priority | Y | 81.9 | 3 |
| Dunwoody | Austin ES | N | 97.1 | 4 | |
| Dunwoody | Chesnut ES | N | 61 | 4 | |
| Dunwoody | Dunwoody ES | N | 91.6 | 4 | |
| Dunwoody | Hightower ES | Y | 66.9 | 3 | |
| Dunwoody | Kingsley ES | Y | 75.6 | 4 | |
| Dunwoody | Vanderlyn ES | N | 93.4 | 4 | |
| Dunwoody | Peachtree MS | N | 78.8 | 4 | |
| Dunwoody | Dunwoody HS | N | 93.4 | 4 | |
| Chamblee | Kittredge Magnet | N | 105.5 | 4 | |
| No Cluster | Int’l. Student Center | Y | 27 | 5 |
REGION 2
| Cluster | School Name | OSD | Title I | CCRPI | School Climate Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter | Int’l. Community School | Y | 62.9 | 3 | |
| Charter | Museum School | N | 88.7 | 4 | |
| Druid Hills | Avondale ES | Y | 56.1 | 3 | |
| Druid Hills | Briar Vista ES | Y | 74.8 | 2 | |
| Druid Hills | Fernbank ES | Y | 80.1 | 4 | |
| Druid Hills | Laurel Ridge ES | Y | 89 | 3 | |
| Druid Hills | McLendon ES | Y | 73.8 | 4 | |
| Druid Hills | Druid Hills MS | Y | 73.8 | 4 | |
| Druid Hills | Druid Hills HS | Y | 80.6 | 4 | |
| Lakeside | Briarlake ES | N | 78.5 | 4 | |
| Lakeside | Evansdale ES | Y | 72 | 4 | |
| Lakeside | Hawthorne ES | Y | 69.2 | 5 | |
| Lakeside | Henderson MS | Y | 74.8 | 5 | |
| Lakeside | Oak Grove ES | N | 89.5 | 4 | |
| Lakeside | Pleasantdale ES | Y | 61.3 | 3 | |
| Lakeside | Sagamore Hills ES | N | 77.3 | 4 | |
| Lakeside | Henderson Mill ES | Y | 78.6 | 4 | |
| Lakeside | Lakeside HS | Y | 80.3 | 2 | |
| No Cluster | DeKalb ES of the Arts | Y | 84.1 | 3 | |
| No Cluster | Robert Shaw | Y | 78.7 | 4 | |
| No Cluster | DeKalb School of the Arts | N | 100.4 | 3 | |
| Tucker | Brockett ES | Y | 80.2 | 2 | |
| Tucker | Idlewood ES | Y | 61.4 | 2 | |
| Tucker | Livsey ES | Y | 75.8 | 3 | |
| Tucker | Midvale ES | Y | 63.3 | 3 | |
| Tucker | Smoke Rise ES | Focus | Y | 59.3 | 2 |
| Tucker | Tucker MS | Y | 71.2 | 4 | |
| Tucker | Tucker HS | Y | 78.4 | 3 |
REGION 3
| Cluster | School Name | OSD | Title I | CCRPI | School Climate Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter | DeKalb Academy of Tech | N | 61.8 | 3 | |
| Clarkston | Allgood ES | Focus | Y | 61.2 | 3 |
| Clarkston | Dunaire ES | Y | 48.8 | 2 | |
| Clarkston | Indian Creek ES | Y | 70.3 | 4 | |
| Clarkston | Jolly ES | Y | 56.5 | 2 | |
| Clarkston | Freedom MS | Focus & OSD | Y | 61.4 | 3 |
| Clarkston | Clarkston HS | Priority | Y | 70.9 | 3 |
| No Cluster | Wynbrooke ES | Y | 74.4 | 2 | |
| No Cluster | The Champion Middle | Y | 70.1 | 5 | |
| No Cluster | Dekalb Early College | Y | 106.5 | 5 | |
| Redan | Eldridge L. Miller ES | Focus | Y | 57.6 | 2 |
| Redan | Redan ES | Y | 46.7 | 3 | |
| Redan | Shadow Rock ES | Y | 51.7 | 2 | |
| Redan | Redan MS | Y | 63.9 | 2 | |
| Redan | Redan HS | Priority | Y | 72 | 2 |
| Stephenson | Pine Ridge ES | Y | 57.4 | 2 | |
| Stephenson | Princeton ES | Focus | Y | 61.5 | 2 |
| Stephenson | Rock Chapel ES | Y | 59.6 | 2 | |
| Stephenson | Stephenson MS | Y | 63.8 | 3 | |
| Stephenson | Stephenson HS | Y | 78.2 | 3 | |
| Stone Mountain | Hambrick ES | Y | 57.3 | 3 | |
| Stone Mountain | Rockbridge ES | Y | 55.5 | 2 | |
| Stone Mountain | Stone Mill ES | Y | 65.1 | 2 | |
| Stone Mountain | Stone Mountain ES | Y | 45.2 | 2 | |
| Stone Mountain | Stone Mountain MS | Y | 60 | 4 | |
| Stone Mountain | Stone Mountain HS | OSD | Y | 69.4 | 1 |
REGION 4
| Cluster | School Name | OSD | Title I | CCRPI | School Climate Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter | DeKalb Preparatory | Y | 61.5 | 2 | |
| Charter | Leadership Prep | Y | 69.1 | 2 | |
| Charter | Destiny | Priority | Y | 48.4 | 3 |
| Lithonia | Stoneview ES | Focus | Y | 45.8 | 1 |
| Lithonia | Lithonia MS | Focus | Y | 47.1 | 1 |
| Lithonia | Lithonia HS | Y | 61.9 | 2 | |
| Miller Grove | Panola Way ES | Y | 42.5 | 1 | |
| Miller Grove | Woodridge ES | Y | 65 | 2 | |
| Miller Grove | Miller Grove MS | Y | 55.6 | 1 | |
| Miller Grove | Miller Grove HS | Y | 71.8 | 2 | |
| MLK | Browns Mill ES | Focus | Y | 51.8 | 3 |
| MLK | Fairington ES | Y | 45.9 | 3 | |
| MLK | Flat Rock ES | Y | 55.3 | 2 | |
| MLK | Murphy Candler ES | Y | 52.1 | 3 | |
| MLK | Salem MS | Y | 55.3 | 2 | |
| MLK | MLK, Jr. HS | Y | 62.9 | 1 | |
| No Cluster | Edward L. Bouie, Sr. ES | Y | 75.5 | 3 | |
| No Cluster | Marbut ES | Y | 71.8 | 3 | |
| No Cluster | Narvie Harris ES | Y | 72.7 | 3 | |
| No Cluster | Arabia Mountain HS | Y | 93.2 | 4 | |
| SW DeKalb | Bob Mathis ES | Focus | Y | 60.5 | 2 |
| SW DeKalb | Chapel Hill ES | Y | 50 | 2 | |
| SW DeKalb | Rainbow ES | Y | 61.2 | 2 | |
| SW DeKalb | Chapel Hill MS | Y | 65.2 | 3 | |
| SWDeKalb | Southwest DeKalb HS | Y | 76.9 | 3 |
REGION 5
| Cluster | School Name | OSD | Title I | CCRPI | School Climate Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Grove | Cedar Grove ES | Y | 60.5 | 2 | |
| Cedar Grove | Oakview Elementary | Y | 47.7 | 1 | |
| Cedar Grove | Cedar Grove MS | OSD | Y | 51.7 | 3 |
| Cedar Grove | Cedar Grove HS | Y | 78.4 | 3 | |
| Columbia | Columbia ES | Y | 53 | 3 | |
| Columbia | Snapfinger ES | Focus | Y | 50.4 | 2 |
| Columbia | Toney ES | Priority | Y | 54.3 | 3 |
| Columbia | Columbia MS | Focus | Y | 59.9 | 1 |
| Columbia | Columbia HS | Priority | Y | 64.7 | 1 |
| McNair | Clifton ES | Focus | Y | 58.6 | 3 |
| McNair | Flat Shoals ES | Y | 47.5 | 2 | |
| McNair | Kelley Lake ES | Focus | Y | 68.1 | 4 |
| McNair | Meadowview ES | Focus | Y | 41.5 | 2 |
| McNair | McNair Discovery | Focus | Y | 53.6 | 2 |
| McNair | McNair MS | OSD | Y | 52 | 3 |
| McNair | McNair HS | Priority | Y | 58.2 | 1 |
| No Cluster | Wadsworth Magnet | Y | 99.6 | 3 | |
| No Cluster | DeKalb Alternative | Y | 42.4 | 1 | |
| No Cluster | Elizabeth Andrews HS | Y | 56.5 | 4 | |
| Towers | Canby Lane ES | Focus | Y | 57.1 | 2 |
| Towers | Rowland ES | Y | 54.9 | 2 | |
| Towers | Bethune MS | Focus | Y | 54.9 | 2 |
| Towers | Towers HS | Priority | Y | 57.2 | 1 |
| Charter | GLOBE | 84.1 | 4 | ||
| Towers | Peachcrest ES | 44.1 | 2 |
[2] Thapa, Amrit, Jonathan Cohen, Shawn Guffey, and Ann Higgins-D’Alessandro. 2013. “A Review of School Climate Research.” Review of Educational Research 83(3): 357-385.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”