National School Climate Center

The National School Climate Center (NSCC) is an incredibly important national organization that has changed the conversations and actions in K-12 school climate reform. The International Institute for Restorative Practices has partnered with NSCC for the past five-years on breaking the silos in K-12 education. With a solid corp of leaders and state of the art educational resources, NSCC is the gold standard on school climate change in my 30 plus years of nonprofit professional experience.

In fact, NSCC comprehensive school climate assessment platform, which includes educational resources, easy to use instruments, and effective coaching, are unique feature to their suite of services. In addition, the NSCC team, are thought leaders and experts in the field of education and excellent partners. NSCC has a reputation among schools districts of being the "go-to" organization on school climate and culture and often receive outstanding marks. Quality service, trustworthy team, and a well-managed organization, places NSCC top on my list among nonprofits.

I have had the opportunity to work with the NSCC twice in the last four years. The first, I was asked to be part of a pilot program through the Minnesota Department of Education in which I was training as a School Climate Leader. During that year I was able to work side by side with the staff at NSCC and found them to be knowledgeable, honest, trustworthy and empathetic. They were able to help all of us in the co-hort become better representatives for students.

The second time I have worked with them was during this last school year. Our district was working on a new strategic plan, and were struggling to find the right measurements for social/ emotional learning, particularly for students, parents and staff. I suggested we look at NSCC and the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory. We used the CSCI with all buildings last spring and look to do so again this year. It is a wealth of data that will help us move forward in these important areas. Once again, the staff was amazing to work with on this project. I cannot recommend them enough.

Well thought out programming and wonderful, kind, intelligent people run National School Climate Center (NSCC). As an educator, I appreciate their support and helpful ideas.

NSCC stays true to their mission. They are an excellent resource for educational institutions. It is reassuring to know there is an organization to reach out to that will keep our school's best interest at heart.

Dear Professor Jonathan Cohen. My name is Telma Vinha and I am coordinator of the research group at the State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, BRAZIL - (GEPEM - Group of Studies and Researches in Moral Education) in which we study ethical coexistence in school and school climate. Our research group is made up of researchers from the largest Brazilian universities, who work together on programs aimed at improving the quality of the school climate in public schools. We have used a lot your studies and all production of National School Climate Center (NSCC), the National School Climate Council. It is excellent references for us. On behalf of our group I thank you so much for your time, attention, for sharing many valuable articles for our studies and for putting us in contact with expressive researchers in the field.

The NSCC and especially Jonathan Cohen have been very helpful for French public policies in education. Working since a long time (1991!) on school climate I found new arguments to persuade the French Ministry of Education to address the issue of violence in schools in terms of school climate. As member of the scientific committee of several conferences, as scientist and as trainer, Jonathan has been a great help for the change in education in France. Great values, great professionalism: a remarkable inspiration for policy makers as well as for the teachers and principals.

The National School Climate Center has played a central national and international role in promoting positive school climate in schools across the globe. I've worked with Jonathan Cohen the director of the Center in France, California, Israel, Peru, Chile and at major conferences on bullying, social and emotional learning, and climate. The work of the center has integrated these issues into policy, new ideas for empirical studies, and linking thought leaders from disparate silo'd disciplines to work together. Now the Every Student Succeeds Act is the law of the land the NSCC work is needed more than ever. The states are struggling in defining and measuring climate and NSCC will be helpful in this process. Their work contributes to making schools more caring, supportive, with less victimization, and higher academic outcomes. I will continue working with NSCC to make sure all students have a positive supportive school climate that unleashes their optimal potential onto the world.

My experience with NSCC is that it is a professionally run, service-oriented organization that cares deeply about (and advocates for) social and emotional (as opposed to merely academic) development and education. Their anti-bullying work, in particular, stands out. I highly recommend working with this organization.

Our first connection with NSCC came about when we chose them to be part of a founding group to address the problems of bias based bullying in this country. The Harvey L. Miller Family Foundation (HLMFF) has been involved in this arena since the early 2000’s when we helped create, and subsequently supported, an anti-bias program with the Anti -Defamation League (ADL) in New York. With numerous anti-bully “programs” nationwide, The HLMFF wanted to support a comprehensive, collaborative approach that would provide a framework for schools to draw on the best of what works. We sought partners that had subject expertise, relationships with schools, willingness to collaborate, and the technology capacity to link schools and districts across the country.
We chose NSCC out of New York and Prevent School Violence Illinois (PSVI) to work together and develop a program that drew on both of their strengths. NSCC had already begun to develop an online networking platform for educational leaders to share best practices, and they were able to work with PSVI to create a “blended model” to address bullying. They did accomplish their goal. In May, 2014, a three year pilot started with five diverse schools throughout Illinois. Over those three years, NSCC’s expertise and knowledge of the bullying problems in middle schools became crystal clear. They were very thorough and thoughtful in their approach, they were hard working, and diligent in their applications. The program was, by all measures, a success.
And now it was time to move forward. With the concept of eventual nation-wide anti bullying programs, The HLMFF asked NSCC to partner with an organization that could help us replicate in any state. We supported their work to develop a complete play book, an extensive database/networking platform, organization, and solid, research-based concepts to move the initiative onto the national stage. They chose “Facing History and Ourselves” as their national partner. This coming school year will begin a second cohort of five Illinois schools, armed with the experience of the first cohort, the hard work and collective effort of NSCC and Facing History, and the financial support of The HLMFF.
We look forward to great success because of the hard work and planning of NSCC. When this second cohort is complete three years from now, we will be ready to go nationwide—with a fully developed, implementable, practical, and successful anti-bullying program----actually a new way of life for middle schoolers.
My admiration and respect goes out to Jonathan Cohen and the entire NSCC staff for their dedication, hard work and results.

Harvey L. Miller
President, Harvey L. Miller Family Foundation

When I went to school in the height of the “Me Generation,” vicious bullying was something one just had to endure. “It happens to everybody.” We now see what happens when this type of attitude is allowed to metastasize into society. This is exactly why the mission of the NSCC is so vital. If we are ever going to turn the tide and create a more humanistic society, it must start with educating our children, and I have found that the NSCC is the most committed to and effective at accomplishing this lofty goal.

I have been involved with the NSCC through my brand Boy Meets Girl since 2009 in helping spread the Bully Bust efforts. What the NSCC does is incredible and in the world we live in today is so necessary to help others.

I've written extensively about what makes for an impactful K-12 experience. From my first days of research, it quickly became apparent to me that great schools understand the importance of children's social and emotional development. The challenge for them, and for any school interested in vigorously taking on this aspect of school life, has been finding a program around which they can model their work.
NSCC's model gives them what they need for a fully-integrated effort that can deal with empowering students and building positive character traits, as well as addressing civic responsibility and anti-bullying efforts. Its genius is twofold: It is not a rigid program, but rather a flexible structure that schools can adapt to their individual circumstances, and it is systemic in its vision, recognizing that the only truly successful effort is one that organizes all aspects of school life, including professional development and the conduct of adults, around a consistent message and focus.
Social and emotional development issues cannot be ignored. NSCC is a great partner for structuring how to respond.

I have served on the National School Climate Council for the past 10 years. Through the years I have found the staff to use money appropriately, wisely, and sparingly to further their mission through the service of schools, organizations that support students, and by awakening partners to the value of caring and connected schools. The leadership has integrity and is highly competent. And, the staff, while I do not know them all, have have been professional, timely with requests, and over delivered upon what was asked of them. Yes! A fine nonprofit. I am honored to be affiliated with them.

I work for a technical assistance organization focusing on educational equity. I would like to thank the National School Climate Center for their outstanding advocacy, research and product development. More specifically, their school climate surveys and training! I have been using their researched based school climate survey and survey domains framework for several years now. I like them because they are researched based and meet our criteria. I make it a point to use the NSCC school climate surveys because I know they are the best instruments out there. My job requires me to provide technical assistance to schools with very sensitive discrimination issues and civil rights violations. I purposely seek out the best tools in the field to help address these issues in our nations schools, such as the NSCC and their products.

NSCC's approach towards assessing school climate and working with schools to improve school climate is unparalleled. Its assessment tools and resource center are second to none and the staff is the best in the business. I cannot speak highly enough of the entire organization, from bottom to top.

NSCC has been proactively, effectively and tirelesshelping changing the school learning and climate landscapes. Kudos!

I've worked with countless nonprofits over the years as an organizational development and fund development consultant, including the National School Climate Center (NSCC). NSCC stands out not only because of their expertise, commitment to excellence, research-based approach to school climate improvement, and highly professional staff, but because of NSCC's soul. This is an organization (board, staff, associates, consultants and more) that cares deeply about the youth, families and communities it supports, that walks the talk of continuous quality improvement, and that operates at the highest levels of integrity. NSCC 'wrote the book' on school climate improvement and is making a measurable difference in the lives of children in schools and districts across the county.

Changed my life for the better. I will never forget the skills that were taught to me through NSCC.

NSCC is a terrific organization that deploys resources efficiently and effectively.

extremely thorough, creative, and hard working group. Great ideas- I believe their resource center is a huge step forward. They need to get bigger. They are helping a lot of children but can do even more. I have worked with many charities and this one is the biggest bang for the buck I've ever had.

At a time when testing is driving so much of what happens in schools NSCC is an important part of the equation for any school wanting to improve learning by addressing the whole child. By helping schools integrate social and emotional learning with academic instruction, NSCC helps schools become safer and more engaged learning environments for students. NSCC offers powerful research-based guidelines, programs and services. Teachers, leaders and students will find it an invaluable service and partner in support of whole school change.

We are in our second year of work with the NSCC and have been very impressed by and pleased with their insight and support in examining our school/district climate. In a time of numerous challenges for schools, we look forward to continuing this very important work, and I highly recommend them to any school district looking to promote a positive school climate.

Es una buena escuela.












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I work at a small Charter school in Arizona and we have been served by the NSCC. It has changed the way that we think and the way that we interact with each other and our students. We are very pleased with the information and support that has been provided.

I recommend the National School Climate Center. Jonathan Cohen and his staff are dedicated to learning and working together to improve school climate, rather than just acting in an "expert" role. Our group is working with the NSCC to build regional leadership in school climate improvement.

The National School Climate Center offers a comprehensive approach which can help schools positively address their culture and climate. The sequence of actions that schools can take is well thought out and describes a pathway for improvement that can be easily followed. The materials that NSCC provides are of the highest quality and the Resource Center is certainly worth the cost involved. I highly recommend the National School Climate Center to schools interested in improving their educational and social-emotional environment.

NSCC is a pioneer in the field of supporting school climate improvement and practices. It continues to break new ground by partnering with states and school districts as well as local schools, helping them to build their own capacity to use the best research to form strategic goals that have the power to make school culture and climate prosocial beacons for whole child education.

As president of the Social-Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts, I want to say how collaborative the National School Climate Center has been with our organization and commend them for their involvement in our all-volunteer group. Jonathan Cohen and his staff have repeatedly lent their name and organizational experience to our efforts as they have seen the wisdom in working collectively to advance SEL in our schools. Their work on our Steering Committee and involvement in our 4th Annual Spring SEL Conference at the State House in Boston was capped off by Jonathan Cohen coming to Boston to be one of our breakout session leaders, showing how School Climate and SEL can work together to make school a positive place to spend their day.

I have been working closely with the National School Climate Center for over a year. I am the principal of a small charter school in Arizona the NSCC has taken a strong interest in the success of my school through school climate support. Additionally, as a researcher I have been completely supported by Dr. Cohen and his team and has provided the feedback and collaboration necessary for me to support other schools in Arizona to strengthen their positive school climate.

This organization is among the most professional, supportive, and compassionate organizations with which I have worked and their dedication to the cause of improving schools never leaves their vision. Thanks NSCC!!!

The National School Climate Center is tremendous. The organization’s range of programs and services are guided by principles promoting children’s social, emotional, civic and intellectual abilities and dispositions - as well as the commitment to foster collaboration and ongoing communication among teachers, school mental health professional, and parents and students. At the center of the work is the commitment to create positive school climate for learning through safe, supportive and engaged schools, homes and communities. The resources are invaluable and are shared and utilized among my colleagues both here in the College of Education, as well as with our urban school district partners. The work is transformational and should be a part of all departments and colleges across my University - its that important.

The National School Climate Center provides information, strategies, research findings and resources to ensure each student experiences a positive engaging school climate. Too often education leaders and practitioners focus on programs and strategies rather than the context in which implementation will be successful and sustained. Providing safe, nurturing, engaging and equitable school climate positively impacts students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents and community partners. NSCC is the premier "go to" organization to assist all stakeholders to increase their school climate knowledge, skills and dispositions.

Our organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, has worked with both Dr. Richard Cardillo, Education Director, and Dr. Jonathan Cohen, President of NSCC over the past several years to bring awareness to the importance of school climate research and practice in Colorado. Recently, Dr. Cohen presented a successful school year kick-off workshop for the entire Sterling, Colorado school district staff. Working with the superintendent and district leadership, Dr. Cohen led the administrators, teachers and school staff through a guided understanding of setting goals to enhance school climate. We are excited to partner with NSCC to support school climate awareness and practices that enhance the development of safe, healthy schools.

Our school district began the school year with a keynote from the president of the NSCC, who talked about the research behind Social Emotional Learning, and engaged the staff in a commitment to building a system with the standards of SEL at our core . Our staff is enthused and excited to continue working with NSCC and the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation through the years to come. Our principals access resources from the NSCC website and use many of their articles in our discussions about practice with teachers. Jan DeLay, Ph.D, Superintendent, RE-1Valley School District, Sterling, Colorado

The National School Climate Center has been a wonderful partner with Character.org as we both realize the importance of a caring school climate. Their assessment tools are used by many of our members and we appreciate the expertise, research, and care that goes into producing these user-friendly tools. In addition, Director Jonathan Cohen presents practical workshops at the National Forum on Character Education that help educators understand how school climate and character education go hand in hand. The NSCC provides practical tools with a caring heart.

The National School Climate Center is a wonderful resource for schools and school districts. Our school district has used their services to help us assess how our kids feel about our schools. Do they feel comfortable? Do they like coming to school? How can we maximize our resources to make our schools places that students and parents feel welcome? How do we help kids feel like they belong?
This organization is leading the way in terms of research and findings to help schools with this all important aspect of education. The staff I have consulted with are all kind and knowledgeable. They practice what they preach in terms of how to treat people. They are all passionate about their research as well.

The National School Climate Center is an essential non profit body for research and intervention not only at the national level but also the international one since their activities are well known and appreciated worldwide. We appreciate the scientific based and practice based activities, which provide rigorous background and interventions. The NSCC is involved in many activities trying to give the best out of their work and provide sound support to schools and other international organizations too. I do appreciate their sense of sharing and constructive communication as well as their sheer commitment and beliefs in a possible better world.
Pr. Catherine Blaya - Chair of the International Observatory of Violence in Schools.

The National School Climate Center is a national leader in research, policies and professional development for schools. Providing support for districts, principals and teachers regarding the improvement of school climate, NSCC presents best practices in a manner in which educators may implement them systemically and relationally in their districts. Through NSCC, schools build strong learning communities that assess school climate and then assist the schools by providing evidence-based strategies that promote prosocial education.

As a principal of a large middle school I am appreciative of NSCC's collaborative and extensive work in school climate reform. I have attended the Summer Institute for three years and have utilized NSCC's research, Road Map and Practice Briefs in my own work in School Improvement. My students use the NSCC website for Bully Bust ideas making "Upstander" videos and preparing for "No bullying"assemblies and other activities. NSCC has strong outreach and has touched the lives' of millions of people, adults and students, motivating them to be positive citizens, schools, families and communities, that develop meaningful and engaging practices, norms and activities that promote social and civil responsibilities. The National School Climate Standards provide a framework for supporting increased student achievement, enhanced school connectedness, decreased violence and bullying, and positive youth development.

Jonathan Cohen is a master who unifies school personnel, parents and the community to provide high quality positive school climates that produce students who are prepared for the challenges and successes of the 21st century.

Over the years of being a student, a teacher, a school psychologist, a psychoanalyst I have seen the profound effect that a safe and supportive community can have in facilitating the emotional and intellectual development of students. NSCC is dedicated to helping schools strengthen their communities, to become places where maturation and learning can be engaged to the fullest extent, where students feel heard, where students find a tolerance for differences of opinion, where bullying is courageously resisted. NSCC does wonderful work that supports students (as well as teachers and administrators) learning skills and ways of reflecting on their participation which prepares them for leading satisfying lives and contributing to the world. I was thrilled to work for a while with Jon Cohen at the outset of this organization and have enthusiastically applauded it's growth ever since. NSCC does important and excellent work!
Fred Stern

The NSCC has been leading the efforts to improve school climate for a number of years. Their work is research-based, extremely user-friendly for educators and community members to understand, and of critical importance to the development of our youth and to our communities in general. The best adjective I can think of when I consider NSCC is "quality!"

I have only recently reviewed the work and leadership of Dr. Jonathan Cohen. However, I am very please with the professionalism of NSCC and the outstanding work being done at the NSCC under Jonathan's direction. The national standards of school climate gives states, LEAs, and schools guidance in moving forward for student success and school improvement. Thanks for your leadership and work on behave of students.

I have followed the work of this organization under the directorship of Dr. Jonathan Cohen for many years. As a school consultant, therapist and pscyhoeduational tester, I have relied on the organization's work in my meetings with many parents, students, school administrators and teachers to help them deal with a variety of social-emotional issues, especially those involving bullying. I know firsthand of many teachers and administrators who have benefited from the summer workshops they have sponsored. I have especially appreciated their efforts to make our schools become safe, reliable and exciting places to learn for our children. I recommend this organization to many people in the course of my professional work and feel extremely grateful they are available to consult with and offer guidance to all of us who work with children.

NSCC has, for many year now, been doing an outstanding job working with education departments in various states, as well as publicizing, the need for greater sensitivity in regard to social-emotional education in our schools. The work is important. Lately their emphasis has been on bullying and helping kids become more responsible in regard to standing up for others when those "others" are being hurt. The organization deserves the support of all of us.

This is a very important contribution to efforts to improve schools so that they provide a supportive and safe climate and attain higher academic achievements. As an international scholar I am very impressed with the quality of the materials posted and their relevance to a wide range of users, worldwide.
Rami

NSCC is one of the most important national organizations working to improve the quality of children's lives. By focusing on school climate, the organization addresses the most important factor in how children will feel and function in school, including academically. NSCC does foundational, crucial, innovative, influential work. As one concrete example of their exceptional quality, their school climate assessment instrument - CSCI, or Comprehensive School Climate Inventory - is the absolute best of its kind. If every state began using the CSCI (and the other NSCC resources), we'd take a huge step forward in helping schools create settings in which all children could be safe, supportive, engaged and learn!
Stuart Green, Director, NJ Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention/www.njbullying.org.

NSCCis a vibrant Non profit organisation that I respect very deeply. it is up to date, responsive to users and very prompt in how it handles questions. As a Psychiatrist who works with schools, I deeply appreciate NSCC as a continuous resource for the work I do

The National School Climate Center is the cutting edge organization for research and practical application of all things related to school climate reform. It has been my great privilege to work with them on a variety of projects, and they are an enormously energetic, productive and savvy group. As an educator, I greatly appreciate the Road Map and other tools that provide a framework and process for what research-based school climate reform implementation ‘looks like.’ It is the most comprehensive resource to date for schools willing to do the hard work of intentionally creating a school climate that provides an optimal environment for student and staff learning. NSCC’s best practices support student growth and development of the whole child academically, social-emotionally, civically and ethically. With clear and easy to follow modules, the Road Map points out the conversations and processes that will help all schools evaluate, reflect on and plan for their own ongoing growth, change, and effectiveness. It’s great professional development that strengthens the work of the professional learning community and provides effective planning for the ongoing school improvement process. I recommend it to schools and districts everywhere!

The National School Climate Center does critical work in changing the public perception about the nature of bullying and what we can do about it. They have been instrumental in creating the public awareness fo upstander vs. bystander behavior, and the role institutions can take in changing the culture of bullying to one of awareness and support. Our learning and practical work witht he institute resulted in our urban middle school drastically transforming our culture around bullying.

As an educator, I appreciate and applaud that NSCC provides an essential component in the education of all children to be well, able, and contributing members of our society. NSCC is unique in its strength of understanding the dynamics of students and school as well as in its systematic and comprehensive approach to the developing and growing student.
The positive school climate that NSCC promotes - "the school's affective atmosphere that represents what the school believes...what is humane and caring." - is at the cutting edge in our nations educational challenge.
I can not speak too highly of this non-profit organization.

I first encountered the National School Climate Center when asked to present a workshop at their annual institute. I was sufficiently intrigued to stay for the full event, and am glad I did. Their thoughtful, experience-based, and practical advice helps educators at all levels from the classroom to the central administration align their mission and their practices around character development. It was a privilege to work with them, and I look forward to future collaboration.

As I document the lives and learning of youth for the nonprofit What Kids Can Do and others, my work often calls on the theoretical and practical contributions made by Jonathan Cohen and the National School Climate Center. Especially as the press for meaningful academic work in our classrooms increases, educators have an enormous responsibility to understand the social and emotional foundations of learning and to use that knowledge to develop student motivation and engagement. Combining insight and guidance in its materials and programs, NSCC leads the field in this regard.

As a researcher and scholar on school and youth violence, I believe that the National School Climate Center has not only enhanced the theoretical dialogue about school-related violence but, more importantly, has contributed in innumerable practical ways to assess and strategically enhance a school's social-emotional climate, including but not limited to the development of psychometrically sound and usable (i.e., reasonably short) instruments to assess school climate from the perspective of students, staff, parents, and more recently, from community residents. Moreover, the Center has developed practical guidance in interpreting the data derived from these instruments and facilitated strategic planning sessions for the school community to take the lead in identifying priorities and improving those aspects of school school climate that need to improve. School climate, in my opinion and the opinion of many scholars in the field is the key to understand and improve the school experience for all, resulting in the long-run in reducing bullying, harassment, and other forms of school aggression and in improving the overall experience and relationships within the school.

For more than a decade, the National School Climate Center has worked with the academic community - teachers, administrators, school-based mental health professionals, students and parents - to provide advocacy, policy, research and measurement tools which improve the climate for learning and help children realize their fullest potential. I'm extremely proud to to be affiliated with NSCC.

Over the last few decades there has been an explosion of research that has confirmed what good teachers have always known. Children who are frightened or ashamed (or hungry or hurt) aren't as likely to learn whatever it is we hope to teach them be that poetry, history or algebra. I have known Jonathan Cohen for over 20 years and greatly admire what he and others have created in NSCC. It is an organization dedicated to providing teachers, schools and educational leaders with the tools, resources, research data and other support to help us all make schools work for all children.

Jon Cohen's edited volumes introduced and persuaded many educators, including myself, to the field of social, emotional and character education. I have since become an avid reader of Jon Cohen's scholarly articles and his work in defining, assessing and improving school climate.

NSCC and Jon Cohen have been building the capacity of the schools to establish and maintain positive school climates through their work creating and conducting assessment and professional development. At the 2014 NSCC Summer Institute I had the pleasure of presenting to staff from public, charter, and private schools. The quality of the work of NSCC is nationally recognized and valued by educators working in all types of school configurations. This speaks to the importance of NSCC's mission and the professionalism of their staff.

I have consulted and collaborated with Jonathan Cohen and NSCC over the last 10 yrs. Most recently we co-authored with Amrit Thapa, NSCC, and Shawn Guffey, Fordham University, a paper on the core dimensions of school climate in Review of Educational Research, 2013 which is one of their top 5 most cited papers.
Currently a student of mine is working at NSCC on one of their projects, conducting research and writing state reports on school climate and enhancing school safety. I have had other students also work with them.

The NSCC staff is very bright, professional, and wonderful to work with. They are open, interested in new ideas, and very productive.

The most impressive thing about NSCC is that as an institute it is self-reflective, always engaged in improving its services, its school improvement protocol, and its measures of school climate to better serve schools, districts, and state education departments. I rank it as the top among institutes offering school improvement prac tices and evaluative research in school climate.
Ann Higgins-D'Alessandro PhD
Professor of Psychology
Fordham University
Educational Consultant and Evaluator

Jon Cohen and his team at NSCC are the prime organization for research, promotion, and advocacy for developing positive school climates in the nation's schools. They are exemplary in their research methods and provide both outstanding reports and presentations. It has been a pleasure interacting with NSCC over the past few years.

As a professional colleague with the team at NSSC, I have had the opportunity to benefit from dialogue and collaboration with Jon Cohen and others over the course of the last few years. The carefulness and research-based approach taken by NSSC is of the highest quality. NSSC staff demonstrates authentic passion to advance best practices for students and adults to create positive and productive school environments. This is an exemplary agency to supply resources to educators and concerned citizens for the important work of school improvement.

I have become familiar with Jonathan and his staff's work over the past several years as an advocate for promoting pro-social behavior in schools in Colorado. I have found the NSCC staff to be professional, responsive and competent. It is clear they put children's welfare above all else but are also sensitive to the inner workings of schools so that their tools, processes and guidance is adapted to each setting. There are many assessment tools being used in schools but few are valid and reliable. Even fewer leadership in districts/schools accurately interpret the data and develop an action plan to respond to what the data is telling them. The NSCC provides this very much needed comprehensive facilitation.

For the past two-plus years, I have been in conversation and collaboration with the NSCC and its staff to explore the nexus between civic learning and school climate reform. I've benefited immensely from attending the annual summer institutes, along with the resources offered by the NSCC web site. I look forward to finding ways for the NSCC to help us strengthen schools' civic learning programs in the Chicagoland area through comprehensive school climate reform.

As the former superintendent of the state technical school system in CT and now as superintendent of Westbrook, CT public schools, my work to promote and sustain positive school climates has only been possible through the shared efforts of the NSCC. I can say most emphatically, that unlike many organizations that promote themselves, the NSCC has student benefit at its core and the cadre of professionals who offer their services are totally dedicated to serving the needs of the school community. It is rare in this world to find an entity like NSCC which is dedicated to offering resources and opportunities for the taking. The NSCC is a must in any work to truly impact schools and communities, children and adults, in pursuit of the tools necessary to be successful in the improving the quality and character of the school experience.

I have been aware of the work of NSCC for over a dozen years. I have seen presentations,attended the institute and used their climate inventory with our schools in Plainview-Old Bethpage, New York.They have great resources online and their Comprehensive School Climate Inventory provides a wealth of data for diagnosis and prescription. I highly recommend their services.

The team we work with at NSCC is so delightfully involved in the project we are working on together, both intellectually and functionally. They are eager to learn, show respect for the expertise of the client, yet are so well prepared and researched that they add a level of insight and innovation to the thinking that is exceptional. They are responsive and professional and fun. What more could you ask for?!

I have been learning from and working for the NSCC for the past two years and they have the most comprehensive resources on school climate out there. Some organizations want to make money off of schools but NSCC really wants to help schools improve their school climate.

I have worked with the National School Climate Center (NSCC), Jonathan Cohen, and several of NSCC's staff for the past few years on a number initiatives ranging from training and technical assistance to research and evaluation. First and foremost, it is obvious that the NSCC's staff care about students and improving their school contexts and environments. Second, they offer first class services and are experts in the field of school climate improvement. The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory is a high quality tool and the report is very comprehensive and yet easy to use in supporting school climate improvement. Finally, I have attended NSCC's annual School Climate Institute twice and highly recommend it for school improvement teams.

The NSCC has a wealth of resources, which I have found extremely useful in developing presentations to my local school board, informing the planning and implementation of our District's S.U.M.M.I.T. grant (which seeks to better coordinate district and community mental health resources) and in developing school climate standards for Pennsylvania's state Board of Education.

I have worked in the field of education for the past 37 years as a school counselor and a professional developer in the field of school improvement. I have seen first hand what climates are like in schools and work directly with teachers and administrators on improving their schools. Lack of positive school climate and trust among the adults in a building are experiences I have had and as a result my own focus has been on school climate. I was so excited to find the National School Climate Center and Dr. Jonathan Cohen about 3 years ago. The Center is doing such fantastic work teachimg schools the 5 step process for school improvement. It is a systemic change process that takes between 3-5 years at a minimum. They have the expertise, research, personnel and dedication to help any school learn how to improve their climate. I have watched them use deep listening, creative problem solving and collaboration as well as data collection and research to successfully aid schools in their improvement.

i have watched this organization grow and mature over the last five years and seen it's focus refined to reflect one of the most important elements of school improvement--school climate. In these days when parents must be confused by claims about schools and education understanding how the role of school climate in creating an environment where kids are likely to learn is something to be considered carefully. Every parent should encourage the schools their children attend to be concerned about climate--how people treat each other, how learning is supported, spaces that students find safe to learn in--which often means making mistakes at first.

If I had to identify a single element to help us understand the success of schools and make schools better it would be school climate--a concept that brings many complex elements into an understandable form. And, to do school climate improvement successfully there is no better set of educators that I know of than those associated with this Center. In full disclosure, I have advised the group as a volunteer and apply my professional perspective to make this judgment. Every cent funneled through the center has real potential for improving schools for our children. And I especially encourage policy makers at all levels to look at this model as a way to make progress in this area so critical to the future of our nation.

Nick Michelli
Presidential Professor
Ph.D. Program in Urban Education
City University of New york

I was so impressed with NSCC and their work that I dropped off of the Board of another organization and joined this one. This is a rare organization where "the cause" still takes priority over the organization itself. Schools are so focused on just grades these days that they lose the most important element of human relations and mutual empathy, things that actually correlate better with success than grades. Bully prevention is one element but this is more -- a school's entire environment is analyzed and improved using NSCC's services. This helps keep students motivated and happy, helps then connect with school employees, it helps them make friends, and yes, it helps grades and graduation rates. NSCC applies a quantitative customized analytical approach to a qualitative subject, and measures their impact, so it is not "soft". Schools continue to ask for more budget, or make hard decisions on how to cut costs to deal with smaller budgets -- but how do they know they are spending the money in the most effective way? NSCC gives pointers that have measurable impact upon a schools learning environment, while boosting kids' social and emotional well being. Thnis will help focus spending effectiveness. NSCC just needs more people to know about them, their programs and staff, and their deep expertise. Their impact will have a multiplier effect, making the children's lives better, as well as those they touch.

I am an education consultant in an international organization. While choosing an institute to provide us with technical support on implementing the project of social emotional learning (SEL), I have found that NSCC offers a comprehensive and in-depth theoretical framework and a systematic plan for carrying out SEL in primary and secondary schools. More specifically, the theory NSCC presents is of great help for us to promote quality education under the condition of exam-oriented teaching. NSCC also stands out in improving school management and long-term development.

I am a teacher education professional and work extensively with a range of schools serving very diverse populations. When I work with teachers and/or school administrators, questions about school climate are often on the forefront of their minds. I have found that the National School Climate Center is an excellent resource for both theoretical and practical materials. For example, they have an exceptional tool for assessing school climate that helps identify areas of strength and areas of weakness. More importantly, they offer a comprehensive strategy that takes a school step-by-step through a process of school climate improvement. This process has been refined through years of research and practical experience.

I was thrilled to learn about NSCC partnering with the musical WICKED to create the BullyBust program last year. I am a middle school teacher in my 27th year and bullying has escalated in more recent years with cell phones and the internet as a large part of the problem. NSCC worked to help create solutions. I used BullyBust supports with my students and also participated in their essay contest. They gave us a foundation for constructive dialogue and opened a door for students to walk through to create a positive environment as well as to solve their issues that arose in "upstanding" ways. A workshop with the cast and the musical itself drove all the points home. Wonderful people doing wonderful work that continues to grow.
Debra Leporati, Warwick Valley Middle School, Warwick, New York

The NSCC is an important leader and innovator in the fields of school climate, social emotional learning, bully prevention, and civic engagement. At a time when federal educational policy focuses too much on testing, and has disconnected academics from social development, NSCC has been an articulate champion and resource for reconnecting the whole child, supporting teachers, and helping to promote sustainable democratic education. I have enjoyed my time with them, most recently as a partner on projects, and I recommend them to others interested in theory, practice and evaluation. Check out their website for great resources and important background readings.

The NSCC has provided me with so much information to support a safe school climate. Their expertise is amazing and all of their work is done on a research basis. They provide great resources to support programs and activities. Most important the center addresses the issues that often educators are not focused on: social/emotional issues of children that impact learning and being in a safe environment.

Dr. Deborah Hardy

As a researcher examining the effects of school climate on students and teachers, I have often looked to the National School Climate Council to access the most current research conducted across a wide range of disciplines. The NSCC has moved the field forward by synthesizing research-based knowledge and operationalizing the concept of school climate so that it can be more widely studied. In addition, the professional development offered by NSCC provides the unique opportunity for school personnel to develop skills in measuring and enhancing their own climates.

I am amazed at the information offered by the National School Climate Center and am grateful it exists! If a school does not offer a climate of safety, students cannot learn to the best of their abilities. The National School Climate Center addresses a vital rung on the ladder of Maslow's Hierarcy of Needs - the need for safety. Educators and parents can visit this site for research and advice on school climate. Teacher and counselor educators now have a place to direct their students to learn more about the effects of a positive school climate. I will continue to return to this site to learn new information and affirm my commitment to creating and maintaining a safe and positive climate for my school.

Since 1989 I have worked with schools to implement quality social emotional learning and character education. From the beginning a key goal was to take time to learn what worked and did not work in program implementation. Consistently, a challenge was clarity and a consensus of what charcter educaiton, social emotional learning and creating a positive school climate was in practice and how did school's assess the effectiveness of implementation. Thanks to the work of the National School Climate Center the education community can access strategies and tools to successfully integrate and sustain quality school climates. In addition, under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan Cohen NSCC has nationally provided collaborative leadership to advance the school climate agenda and campaign

The National School Climate Center, led by Dr. Jonathan Cohen, is focused on how to bring best practices to improve school climate to schools across North America. As a practitioner and sitting superintendent of a high-performing school district in the Milwaukee metro area – Greendale Schools, our students have benefitted from a systematic approach to measure and improve school climate. School climate is a key contributor to higher student achievement and engagement of children and youth with their teachers – so they learn more. The National School Climate Center, supports school districts and state leaders in understanding how to make social, emotional and civic learning a key part of pre K-12 education. The Center highlights the important practice of collaboration in working together in bringing practitioners, researchers and policy advocates alike to the work of focusing all of us on school climate and how to improve student learning in schools. I am proud to be affiliated with the National School Climate Center. Working together, practitioners, researchers and policy makers can link school climate to achievement and how teachers and students work together is highlighted by a number of major research studies that support the value of school faculty working to promote children’s social, emotional, civic and academic skills and dispositions. William H. Hughes, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Greendale School District Greendale, WI 53129 William.hughes@greendale.k12.wi.us www.greendale.k12.wi.us

Dr. Jonathan Cohen's established National School Climate Center is an essential non-profit for educational reform efforts. His research, best-practice efforts, and truly collaborative spirit as a leader in this field have allowed easy access for all educators - practitioners, researchers, policy advocates alike - to what used to be traditional ivory tower intellectualism. The trickle down of theory into practice is a challenge; however, the Center, as a non-profit, is transparent in its efforts to serve educators, parents, school board members - anyone interested in improving their school climate. Access to current research and best-practice is key in this Assessment era - and Dr. Cohen's expertise in School Climate Assessment, leadership, and collaboration in this effort is top notch. I look forward to continuing to learn from and collaborate with the National School Climate Center as school climate efforts increase across the nation.

As anyone who works in and with schools knows, negative school climate harms and positive school climate facilitates the well-being of all involved. The National School Climate Center is focused on ways to abate the negative and engender the positive. It is working with others across the country to make this happen, and it has already played an essential role in developing standards and other resources to stimulate school improvement. And, we echo what others have said about the Center’s leadership being innovative and open to input. NSCC is a welcome and potent addition to the efforts to address barriers to learning and teaching and re-engage disconnected students.

The mission of NSCC is to help students in every classroom across America to dealing with social and emotional issues, but in some sense, the advocacy crossed over the countries and nationalities. BI-TO is a Chinese EQ school for children. In 2009, my colleagues and I looked everywhere for latest information and knowledge to improve the teaching strategy and curricula, NSCC gave it’s hands, Dr. Cohen sent so many comprehensive knowledge to us, helped to improve the school climate and teaching strategy. As Chinese, we appreciate the selfless assistance of NSCC. Dr. Cohen and his staff not only educate the minds and hearts for the children in US, but in the world. We applaud NSCC for his commitment and integrity, and He is a true Great Non-profits!

During two summer institutes organized by Dr. Cohen, our task force learned about programs and procedures for integrating and infusing social and emotional learning throughout the school. Their work and expertise in identifying the critical factors in effective programs was most helpful to us in our work. Rather than promoting a particular approach or curriculum, NSCC (then CSEE)focused on the conditions necessary for social and emotional learning to flourish as well as the process needed to enable social and emotional education to become an integral part of the school culture. Thus, we could create plans tailored to the needs of our particular situation.

NSCC is a leader in applying rigorous science to promoting schools that are healthy for students and for society. Their work on school climate is cutting edge and their focus on advocacy and policy promises to make it more than a think tank, and to impact schools nationally. With few resources they have already made a big splash in educational reform from the national to the state to the local level.

The National School Climate Center is a unique organization. The NSCC’s staff works collaboratively with all who are interested in improving school climate. They provide highly effective tools (such as the School Climate Inventory and the School Climate Challenge White Paper) that are based on the latest research in the field. The NSCC, in collaboration with the National School Climate Council, offers a clear vision of school climate goals over a five year period and proposes concrete steps needed to achieve these goals. Jonathan Cohen, the director, is always open to new ideas and perspectives that may differ from, or even challenge, his own. This is how social justice movements are successful: clear vision and goals, thoughtful planning, collaborative work, and authentic, open-minded leadership.

The work to improve school climate is gaining national steam; the proverbial “fly wheel” is finally moving, after generations of advancements in schooling and education in general fueled by sound research. Schools have always focused on building student character and conscience, albeit tempered by changing political interests. There has always been a belief that the more affective and “soft” side of schooling matters, but only recently has there been the research-base to support these beliefs with data. Civic education/civics, character/moral education, anti-bullying programs and so on are finally coming together in what is known as School Climate. There is important justification for having this term represent the final umbrella, because school climate includes both skill development/role modeling AND systems and structures that must align to improve the quality and character of school life. And, it is incontrovertible that having a positive school climate is the foundation of and prerequisite for high quality learning. Establishing and supporting an organization whose role it is to support schools, districts, states and the nation is essential. The National School Climate Center (NSCC) has already shown great leadership in this area and ought to be applauded for raising its visibility and outreach. The NSCC already provides essential and cutting edge information to schools, districts and states with research sharing and best practices. Understanding both what school climate encompasses and what practices ought to be implemented is not yet widely known in a comparable way as say how to teach early literacy or numeracy. If school climate is truly to be improved at any/all levels, then front line educators, policy developers and school administrators must have the ability to locate such cutting-edge information and choose/implement principles, practices and strategies that are recognized as being expert, effective and sustainable over time. The NSCC has as its mission to do just that and I wish to add my strong voice that this organization has the potential to change the lives of children in schools in profound and foundational ways. The vision of NCLB was to accomplish literally that. However, the translation in practice focuses exclusively on narrow aspects of academic achievement. Without comparable attention on the quality of the school climate, academic aceivement and overall student success is compromised. I am a person who has worked in this “field” for my entire professional life of about 35 years and am now at the State Department in Connecticut for the past five (school climate improvement being my exclusive charge). I know first hand how helpful the National School Climate Center has been and will continue be in furthering both the goals of improving school climate and, more importantly, the actual practice of doing so. Over the years, working to improve school climate has been a relatively lonely job, and I know of others similarly educated in the field and as passionate about the work as am I who have experienced the same thing. I cannot do this work alone, and neither can anyone else. We need each other to share and disseminate information and to provide the kind of guidance educators both need and want. No longer can improving school climate be a contextual “check off box.” Improving school climate can no longer be seen as an “add-on.” In order to insure this paradigm shift and help the flywheel move faster, a well-respected National School Climate Center is essential. Such a Center can provide the information and guidance that educators/policy makers require to move theory to practice. Having National School Climate Standards is a huge positive development. These standards will remain hallow until they are fully translated into sound and obtainable practice and once that is done, everything must be shared and communicated widely. The NSCC has the expertise to do this work and as their visibility and resources increase, the work to improve school climate at all levels and in every school district in the country (as well as the subsequent international reach) will continue to be profound.

As my team members and I meet with various stakeholder groups we continue to take Dr. Cohen's message to them to begin to establish a state-wide voice around social emotional education. Dr. Cohen has provided a sound base for our state work through his summer institute and he and his colleagues have been instrumental in helping us move our work forward. We have not found any other site that provides the comprehensive information we need, all in one place, that supports the philosophy and work we are committed to do. I applaud Dr. Cohen and his staff for their commitment, integrity and will to change the lives of our nation's youth and provide them with the safe, healthy caring learning environments they all deserve!

I have been in the field of education for over 35 years in the capacity of teacher, computer coordinator, dean of students, middle school assistant principal, elementary principal, middle school principal, and now as an educational consultant that works with school districts and professional associations. The National School Climate Center is the professional association that has had the greatest impact on my professional career. Many times throughout my career, I had opportunities to reflect on the needs of the students in hope of creating opportunities that would meet their diverse needs. Through reflection and dialogue, I formed a very strong opinion that our system of educating students from K-12 was incomplete. I was confident that educators designed curriculum, classroom activities, and hands-on experiences that challenged, excited, and enriched a student’s mind. However, I felt that what was lacking was the ability to provide students with the necessary tools, strategies, and resources that would allow them to understand their emotions and the emotions of others. I had a vision that if each student would participate in counseling experiences as part of their K-12 education we would have a better and safer society that was grounded in ethics, values and positive attitudes. Unfortunately, I did not have the power or the authority to make such a vision a mandatory component in each child’s education. During the summer of 2001, I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Center’s Summer Institute. The expertise shared by Jonathan Cohen and the presenters at the institute provided me with an incredible professional growth experience that allowed my vision to become a reality. I was grateful that I decided to take this institute for graduate credit because the assignments enabled me to further develop my skills as a reflective practitioner. I reexamined, rethought, and realigned my professional vision and created an action plan that would allow me as the middle school principal to naturally integrate social and emotional literacy into the fabric of our school community. As the principal of a renowned Middle School on Long Island, I believed that an important port of entry was to redesign our Middle School New Teacher Orientation Program. I invited teachers to be part of a steering committee that would redesign the program so that it clearly illustrated the sense of professionalism that existed in the school community. The steering committee worked collaboratively and was able to build bridges among the staff’s past accomplishments, programs that were presently working well, and SEL goals and expectations for new teachers. At the same time, teachers were exposed to what SEL is and why it is necessary. They were invited to pilot and explore SEL in their classrooms and throughout our school. We soon realized that SEL integration was an ongoing process that became our passion. Each year I continued to pursue professional growth opportunities offered through the Center and whenever possible I took staff members to conferences and summer institutes. By participating and presenting at the workshops we continued to strengthen our capacity to be reflective practitioners who were part of a professional learning community that was committed to learning, growing and achieving together. We were passionate about creating an SEL Middle School that would educate hearts and minds. After my retirement from Jericho in July 2006, I continued to pursue my passion for SEL as an educational consultant and faculty member for the Center. In the meantime, the students, staff, and parents at Jericho Middle School are immersed in SEL and the impact on the school’s culture is evident to all who visit the school. I am confident that the National School Climate Center will continue to touch the minds and hearts of many educators in the years to come. These efforts will allow educators to internalize SEL strategies and allow us to understand that . . . “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” – Gandhi Cecile Wren, President Matters of the Mind and Heart

The Center has provided both conceptual and practical leadership in bringing greater understanding to the importance of climate in school reform and student development. The center operates in a genuinely collaborative spirit that invites and capitalizes on best thinking and practice from a variety of educators and experts. Making a positive difference in kid's lives is always at the heart of the Center's agenda.

The National School Climate Center does a fantastic job in educating others on the problem of bullying in schools. Whether it be parents, teachers, children or anyone else in the school, I highly recommend this group. Elizabeth Bennett

The National School Climate Center is an amazing resource for schools, teachers, parents, and students to help create and sustain a healthy school climate. They also work to stop bullying by offering many resources on their Bullybust site.