The Pennsylvania Department of Education is committed to the goals of knowing all children by name, ensuring that all children graduate from high school ready for post-secondary education or the workforce, and supporting all children to become productive citizens and life-long learners. To achieve these goals, the entire school community must establish a learning environment where each student has access to high academic expectations and feels safe, accepted, and connected to caring adults and peers.
‘School climate’, defined by the National School Climate Center, reflects the character and quality of school life, and includes the norms and expectations of the school organization.
The proposed standards consist of two main sets, School Climate Standards and Student Interpersonal Skills Standards. The first set is focused at the local education agency and school-community level. The second set details key student-focused interpersonal skills that all youth need in order to become successful learners and contributing citizens.
The standards will serve as a complementary framework for the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Standards Aligned System, the Wellness/Resiliency Approach, the Response to Intervention and Instruction requirements, and the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Iinitiative.
These eight draft standards were reviewed by the State Board of Education at the January, 2010 meeting. As part of the regulatory process, the standards will be vetted via state roundtable discussions in June.
Center for Social and Emotional Education
Ohio State Department of Education
Collaborative For Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
Illinois State Board of Education
Chicago Public Schools
