Elaine Allensworth, University of Chicago, recently argued for the power of school climate information to magnify the experiences of teachers and students and highlight successful learning environments. This is in contrast to traditional measures of school quality such as test scores.
These are crucial for school leaders, who use climate survey data to identify improvement opportunities. Parents are also a key beneficiary of this information.
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School climate data provides insight into the components of a school’s culture, including leadership, teaching rigor, and trust. Families need to be able to access this information, which can sometimes prove difficult. This is why GreatSchools.orgIs it possible to add climate data into our profiles Start with schools in Illinois.
This information will help parents gain a greater understanding of what makes a school special and what happens inside the classrooms. This awareness can strengthen communication between schools and families, instill confidence and advocate for their child’s interests in school leaders, and expand parents’ perspectives on what qualities to look out for in schools to find the best fit.
It is vital that students are supported academically and socially by families in order to recover from the pandemic. After 18 months of disrupted learning, 67%Parents feel closer to their children’s education. Recent Learning Heroes SurveyAlso, a large number of parents, especially Black parents, place safety and security as a top priority. Parents can also rely on school climate data to help plan for improvements.
Illinois is leading the charge in collecting teacher and student perspectives through the 5Essentials Survey. We must listen to their views and recognize that there is no way to go back to a time when parents were less involved with their child’s education. They should be recognized as important recipients of this information and as partners for improvement efforts.
Lorry Henderson, Director Research and Data Partnerships GreatSchools.org
South Loop
