New Orleans — June 7, 2016 — In a new study, more than 90 percent of K-12 administrators and teachers surveyed believe that addressing student behavior and the underlying social and emotional needs is a critical step in promoting student success. Yet, few have systems in place to consistently collect behavior data, and use it as evidence to support decisions. These findings and more are detailed in a new report, “The State of Climate & Culture Initiatives in America’s Schools,” prepared by YouGov, a global market research and data company, on behalf of Kickboard.

The report is based on YouGov’s survey of 2,500 teachers, school administrators and district administrators who weighed in on the role of climate and culture initiatives, and the opportunities and challenges they face in creating environments that foster student success.

In the study, more than 90 percent of educators agree that behavioral issues impede learning and that academic interventions cannot be successful if behavioral issues are not addressed. However, only one-third of teachers are recording positive or disruptive behaviors for all students, or analyzing these data.

Further, while 74 percent of teachers and administrators say that addressing the needs of students whose academic challenges are rooted in social/emotional issues should be a top priority in their school, only 56 percent say it actually is. One reason for this disconnect is that educators don’t have easy access to streamlined, comprehensive information they can use to drive decisions. In fact, teachers and administrators say that inconsistency in the types of behaviors being tracked, monitored and recorded is the main challenge to implementing a successful climate and culture program.

“The report clearly shows that educators want climate and culture initiatives that provide efficient, systematic ways for them to be more proactive in anticipating and addressing student needs. This is now even more important because the Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states incorporate at least one non-academic factor — such as school climate and safety — into their accountability systems,” said Kickboard CEO Jennifer Medbery. “Our goal with this research paper is to shine a light on these issues and start a conversation among all K-12 education stakeholders about how to create and implement climate and culture initiatives based on consistent data collection and analysis, to drive school improvement and promote student success.”

For a copy of the report, visit https://www.kickboardforschools.com/blog/post/new-research-school-culture-across-america

About Kickboard

Kickboard is the maker of the Kickboard school culture system, a configurable, web-based platform used by K-12 educators to improve school culture through positive behavior reinforcement, intervention management, classroom management, and district-wide school culture analysis. This unique combination of features allows schools and districts to directly impact student achievement, attendance, discipline, and more. For information, visit https://www.kickboardforschools.com.

# # #

Contact:

[email protected]

314-965-1776