Setting the Climate: A Year of Growth Begins
School climate describes the full environment both experienced and influenced by staff members, parents, and students every day. It shapes how students and staff experience school, how safe and welcome people feel, and how schools build trust with families. Knowing the current climate can help staff members and leaders act with intent to shape the future of their school’s climate and culture.
Join Dr. Kate Popham and Lauren Gonzalez of the Sogolytics Managed Research Team for the first session in a yearlong professional development series. They’ll share what the latest school climate data tells teachers and staff members as they start the school year and offer practical ways leaders can start listening to their communities to gauge the climates within their own schools.
Free to watch. Confirmation sent to your inbox.
Check your inbox for the joining details. We will see you on June 17.
Your speakers
Two people who have lived the problem.
Dr. Kate Popham is the Director of Sogolytics’ Managed Research Team. She works with K-12 leaders to turn research and community feedback into practical actions that strengthen school culture.
Lauren Gonzalez is a Lead Consultant on Sogolytics’ Managed Research Team. She leads research that helps organizations understand what their communities actually think and turn those insights into practical decisions.
School climate describes the full environment both experienced and influenced by staff members, parents, and students every day It includes teaching and learning, relationships, safety, leadership, family involvement, and interactions with teachers and staff.
This session kicks off our yearlong professional development series on influencing school climate. Kate and Lauren will introduce the seven dimensions of school climate and four priorities uncovered by the 2025-2026 State of School Climate benchmark report.
You'll learn:
- What school climate includes and why it is more than one program or score
- How the seven dimensions help you understand the school experience
- Four priorities leaders can use to focus their attention
- Practical ways to hear your community, with or without a survey
You’ll leave with a practical way to start seeing school climate through the experiences of the people you serve.
Together we’ll explore how to:
- Recognize the gap between the school you intend to provide and the one people experience
- Hear from students, staff, and families, even without your own survey data
- Use simple feedback methods to understand what people are actually experiencing
- Close the loop by sharing what you heard and what changed
This session is designed for:
Whether you’re leading a district, school, or leadership team, this session will give you a practical framework for understanding school climate and taking the first step.
HEAR FROM THE TEAM
Before you watch
Why school climate matters
School climate is not one program, policy, or survey score. It is what people experience every day, and those experiences can look very different depending on who you ask. This session introduces one question to carry through the year: Where is the gap between the school we intend to provide and the one people experience?
Watch this on demand session to explore the latest benchmark data, the seven dimensions of school climate, four priorities for action, and practical ways to hear your community.
Watch the RecordingWhat Catherine & Lauren cover: How listening to teachers, staff, students, and families can shape a stronger school climate.
