School Climate and Survey Results
School climate is a delicate thing. You can feel it when it is right and know when something is off, but it is very difficult to put your finger specifically on the levers to nudge it just a little this way or that. That said, when asked by a new family or visitor what I feel most excited about at the Middle School, I will often say the “culture” or “climate” of our learning community.
Here’s what I mean. In the middle school, students
- Hold doors for each other
- Say “thank you” to the conveyer belt of dishes in the dining hall, because they know there is actually a human being behind the machine making sure things get cleaned
- Ask me whether it is OK to put up posters in the bathrooms with affirming messages
- Give a chorus of “Thank you’s” to teachers at the end of classes
- Want to join the leadership team in huge numbers
- Ask repeatedly if they can host visitors to school
- Offer to clean up even if they did not make the mess
- Check in on a friend who may be feeling down
- Sign up to get extra help from teachers as needed
- Take the extra time to be sure that their best work has been submitted
- Plan a special surprise send off for Mrs. Zolla who is expecting twins
Individually, each action is thoughtful; collectively, it is the Middle School climate.
Unquestionably, we are not a perfect place. How could we be? Every day we bring together 250 oh so very human adults and young people and literally have thousands of interactions, sometimes under stressful circumstances—teacher to student and student to student. I’m sure that every day there are actions and responses that could be more genuine, generous, and kind, but also, taken collectively, there is a lot to commend and celebrate about our community.
One of the ways we try to keep an eye on our “climate” as well as discover areas that may need adjusting is to ask our students how things are going through an anonymous survey. We try to do the survey twice a year. Each time we survey, we explore areas involving kindness, academic honesty, inclusivity, homework, and sleep habits.
Kindness and Inclusivity
- 99% of students feel that they always or most often take responsibility for their actions.
- 97% of students feel “definitely or most of the time” supported by their teachers.
- 94% feel confident asking their teachers for guidance and support.
- 92% of students feel “definitely or most of the time” supported by classmates.
- 88% feel that the Middle School is a safe and comfortable place to be themselves.
- 85% feel included by their peers in the Middle School—an excellent number during early adolescence, but not as high as I want it to be!
Homework
- 91% of students do between a half hour of homework each night and 2 hours, with 87% doing an hour and a half or less.
- Each weekend, 90% of students do two hours or less.
Note: This is just about where we want to be. If students use their study hall time wisely, many will be able to get one or two subjects done, leaving between half an hour and an hour and a half of homework to complete in the evening. We see this as a sweet spot that allows students to learn good study habits and not be consumed each evening by an overwhelming amount of work. Our students will still have time to be kids each night.
Sleep Habits
- 31% of student report getting between 9 and 11 hours of sleep each night.
- 37% reported that they receive 7 hours or less.
Note: For students 11-13, the recommended number of hours of sleep ranges from 9-11, with the recommended number for 14-year-olds being closer to 8-10 hours per night. This would mean that over a third of students are getting less sleep than is recommended. Much of the research indicates that a chronic lack of sleep leads to fairly dramatic underperformance academically as well as athletically—something to think about.
Academic Honesty
- 88% say they have never cheated on a quiz or test.
- 10% say that they have done so once or twice a year.
Note: This may be underreporting the amount of cheating that is happening, as it is far lower than what we would expect. Statistically speaking, it is not unusual for Middle School age kids to experiment with lying and cheating. It will continue to be important to help each student think about making the right decision every day.
Summary
This data on the whole reflects what we “feel” when we enter the Middle School—that it is a healthy, caring community. Still, if you are a perfectionist like me, having even one student not feel included or one student make the mistake of trying to get ahead by cheating means that there is more work to be done—more students to support, relationships to nurture, and more skills to teach. In this sense, we will never be “quite done” if our goal is to make CA’s Middle School a great place for kids to learn and grow up.
© 2023 Colorado Academy
