California Safe and Supportive Schools

School Climate and Academic Performance Across California High Schools

Belonging and Connectedness

California S3 Statewide Evaluation Results

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In October 2010, California became one of eleven states selected by the U.S. Department of Education to receive a four‐year Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) grant. The grant supported statewide measurement of conditions for learning (known also as school climate), as well as targeted programmatic interventions to improve those conditions in comprehensive high schools (grades 9-12) with the greatest need. In particular, this initiative was designed to help address disruptive behaviors in school—such as bullying, harassment and violence, and substance use on campus—and promote safe, caring, engaging, and healthy school environments that foster learning and well-being among both students and staff. The California Department of Education selected 58 high schools to participate in the grant.

These annual reports provide insights into the activities and impacts of the grant, with data from the existing California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey (CalSCHLS) system, a team-developed School Climate Index (SCI), and a formative evaluation model which included evaluation site visits to every school in the spring of 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Programs and Strategies Selected by California S3 Grantee High Schools

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The California Department of Education (CDE) was one of eleven state education agencies that received four-year grants from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010-11 to participate in a Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Initiative. CDE funded 58 high schools to be part of this effort based on need, as identified by California Healthy Kids Survey data. The project framework provides a model for districts in developing and implementing their Local Control and Accountability Plans. The goals for the California S3 program were to:

  • Improve conditions for learning, including school climate and safety, in high schools with the greatest need.
  • Integrate school climate reform into schoolwide academic improvement efforts.
  • Build local district and school capacity to implement data-driven school improvements.
  • Establish a comprehensive and sustainable model for school climate improvement to guide school and district efforts.

This matrix shows the school climate improvement strategies that each S3 grantee selected to implement as part of their improvement efforts.

A Climate for Academic Success: How School Climate Distinguishes Schools That Are Beating the Achievement Odds (Report Summary)

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A growing body of research suggests that school climate may be an important variable in explaining why some schools are more successful than others. The study featured in this report contributes to this research by exploring the climate of a handful of secondary schools that have had extraordinary success compared to that of other schools, including those that consistently underperform.

School success is often defined in absolute terms, such as average standardized test scores; however, such criteria are known to be strongly correlated with the socioeconomic characteristics of a school’s student body. The fact that a largely affluent student body is linked to school success offers little useful direction for those trying to improve achievement in struggling schools with low-income student populations.

To address this limitation, this study’s design and methodology take student characteristics into account: a successful school is defined as one whose test scores are better than would be predicted based on its student characteristics. Using this definition, the study investigates how two factors—school climate and school personnel resources—differed among three groups of California secondary schools.

In addition to the Report Summary, a Full Report and an updated list of California Beating-The-Odds Schools are also available.

Mindfulness-Based Practices for Schools

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Mindfulness practices cultivate attention to one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and how they affect one’s actions. Mindfulness is a promising approach to teaching educators and students self-awareness and self-regulation skills associated with success in school and through adulthood. It can be taught as standalone strategies for teachers’ own benefit and/or for use with students, and can be integrated into existing school structures and routines.

Research has linked mindfulness-based practices with outcomes indicative of a positive school climate and academic improvement, including:

  • Cultivation of compassion and empathy
  • Increased well-being, positive emotion, popularity, and friendship
  • Improved self-regulation
  • Reduced test anxiety
  • Increased student focus and concentration on cognitive tasks in the classroom
  • Improvement in reading competence

This brief describes the benefits of mindfulness for teachers and students, and shares ideas for integrating mindfulness throughout the school day, identifying evidence-based mindfulness programs to match strengths and needs, helping educators implement mindfulness programs and practices, and providing intensive supports for students facing additional challenges.