Improving School Climate

George G. Bear, PhD, is a professor of school psychology at the University of Delaware. He has published over 100 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals, and 8 books. As a member of four editorial boards of leading journals in school psychology, he has frequently reviewed articles on school climate. He worked as a school psychologist and school administrator and continues to serve as a consultant to the state’s School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports and school climate initiatives, including Delaware’s School Climate Transformation Grant.

• 1. School Climate: An Albatross, Unicorn, or Phoenix?; 2. Promoting Positive Teacher-Student Relationships; 3. Promoting Positive Student-Student Relationships; 4. Developing Social-Emotional Competencies and Self-Discipline Co-authored with Angela Stoltys; 5. Teacher–Centered Strategies for Preventing Behavior Problems; 6. Correcting Problem Behavior; 7. Fostering Student Engagement; 8. Preventing and Reducing Bullying; 9. School Safety: What Works and What Doesn’t; 10. Assessing School Climate and Linking Results to Effective Practices

Ambitious in scope yet always accessible, this compelling new resource offers an array of high quality strategies and is a terrific guide for practitioners, school leaders, and policy makers who want to understand and advance key elements of school climate using the most effective strategies. Improving School Climate provides extensive, practical recommendations at the end of each chapter… evidence-based and practical, it is the ideal combination for any educator!Linda Dusenbury, PhD, CASEL consulting senior scientist and director of the Collaborating States InitiativeIn this persuasive, practically written volume, Dr. Bear gives school administers, teachers, and practitioners a framework for understanding the multiple dimensions of school climate and the impact each has on preventing and impacting a host of student academic and behavioral health outcomes. Each chapter provides a clear conceptual understanding of the topic and identifies practical recommendations or strategies for improving those factors that contribute most to school climate and to individual student success. Dr. Bear’s work is guided by a theoretical framework and is supported by empirical evidence which serves to answer questions of "why" the recommended strategies are effective and why an integration of assessment measures and evidence-based practices can sustain a positive and effective school climate for even the toughest schools.Rhonda J. Armistead, MS, NCSP; lead school psychologist (retired), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North CarolinaDr. Bear provides a theoretically grounded, balanced, comprehensive school climate framework that integrates themes central to school improvement: safety, bullying prevention, student self-discipline, and fostering SEL skills. A unique contribution is a thorough description of the Delaware Assessments, a suite of climate, safety, and SEL assessments that are linked with a comprehensive set of practical classroom and schoolwide prevention, intervention strategies. This volume is an essential resource for all educators who are invested in creating campus conditions that foster the competence and thriving development of all students. – Mike Furlong, PhD, distinguished professor emeritus and research professor, University of California Santa Barbara"This book is an essential resource for school leaders and educators working to link assessment of school climate to practical and effective school-wide interventions. Dr. Bear masterfully reviews literature and provides practical suggestions while also synthesizing over fifteen years of his scholarship that has had a lasting impact in Delaware schools."Sara Whitcomb, PhD; associate professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst