School Climate and Culture vis-à-vis Student Learning: Keys to Collaborative Problem Solving and Responsibility

The purpose of School Climate and Culture vis-à-vis Student Learning is to describe a reform that improves test scores, reduces dropouts and decreases bullying behavior. There are six areas that must be improved in order to accomplish this purpose. These six areas are the following: discipline, basic needs of humans, culture and climate, control, parent and community involvement, and levels of openness and trust. Discipline is one of the main problems in classrooms across the US. The authors describe a comprehensive school reform approach that addresses the six areas and reduces resistance to school reform. Creating a “high-performing” school is an organizational approach to school reform that creates a distinctly different school culture and climate than can be found in existing schools. The authors detail a vision and mission for a comprehensive school reform that involves all stakeholders and leads to high performance.