When Providing School Climate Data, Researchers and Districts Should Also Provide Supports for Data-Informed Decision Making. Updated

With the passage of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states were required to add a fifth indicator on "School Quality or Student Success" (SQSS) to their school accountability systems. An analysis of submitted ESSA state plans found that 13 states included measures of school climate as their SQSS indicator or incorporated measures of school climate for quality improvement purposes. In addition, three states and the District of Columbia indicated plans to pilot and/or incorporate measures of school climate in the future, signaling a growing recognition of school climate assessment and improvement to support the whole child. As an increasing number of states consider including school climate measurement as an indicator within their ESSA plans, and more districts move toward implementing district-wide school climate surveys, it is critical to equip schools with the tools they need to productively engage with school climate data. This brief presents advice to other researchers or school districts providing school climate data to ensure that schools are best able to use those data.