Adolescence:
Change and Continuity
Good Schools
What Makes a Good School?
Susan Manning
"How was school today?" "Oh, fine." "What did you learn?" "Oh, stuff."
Does this dialogue sound familiar to you? Parents want to know if their
children are receiving quality education, but may not know how to find
out. Adolescents may not always provide the answer. So how can concerned
parents know if their child's school is a good one? One way to evaluate
the quality of a school is to analyze the school climate.
School Climate
School climate refers to "the way teachers interact with students, the
way classroom time is used, and the sorts of standards and expectations
teachers hold for their students" (Steinberg, p. 209). These are the factors
that influence the success of a school and its students. Much research
has been conducted in an attempt to pinpoint the specific qualities of
a "good" school. Although the researchers rarely agree, and the results
are generally inconclusive, five basic characteristics stand out as necessary
for a positive school climate (Steinberg, 1993; Entwisle, 1990).
Characteristics of a good school
-
Good schools place a stronger emphasis on academic activities than social
or athletic events. Students, teachers, administrators, and community members
agree that quality education is the top priority.
-
Effective schools employ committed teachers. This commitment is reinforced
by administrators who allow teachers the freedom to organize the class
and plan the lessons as they choose.
-
Successful schools are constantly evaluated by teachers, administrators,
students, and parents. Discussion and dialogue are viewed as opportunities
for improvement, not as threats to power.
-
Good schools are integrated with the community. Parental involvement is
desired and pursued, and connections are formed with local universities
and businesses.
-
Quality schools have good classrooms. More specifically, students are active
participants in the learning process, the classroom structure is organized
but not strict, and creativity and critical thinking are prized over memorization.
These characteristics of school climate are more important to an adolescent's
academic achievement than factors such as age grouping, school size, and
racial composition (Steinberg, 1993).
For more information about school climate and what makes a good school,
check out these sources:
-
Changing Middle Schools. How to Make Schools Work for Young Adolescents,
by Nancy L. Ames, 1994
-
The Way Schools Work: A Sociological Analysis of Education, by Kathleen
Bennett deMarrais and Margaret D. LeCompte, 1995
-
101 Activities for Building More Effective School-Community Involvement,
by Dorothy Rich, 1976
Links
This site was produced by students taking HDFS
433: The Transition to Adulthood and HDFS
239: Adolescent Development at the Pennsylvania State University.
Feedback can be sent to the individual authors or to Nancy
Darling (darling@bard.edu).
Last updated 4/16/01.