Climate refers to the atmosphere in an organization. Climate affects the morale, productivity, and satisfaction of all persons involved in the Denver Public Schools. Student achievement, closing the gap and setting high standards for all students are central priorities of the District and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Having quality teachers in every classroom is what matters most to achieving the goals of the District. The creation of the Task Force on School and District Climate acknowledges the important link between student achievement, the District’s ability to attract and retain quality employees, and school and district climate. Educational research, as well as local observations, supports this connection.

This report, the first of the Task Force on School and District Climate, focuses on two key areas: (1) recommendations to restore the DPS atmosphere of professional pride, trust and respect, and (2) identification of key leadership characteristics that enhance the recruitment and retention of employees. Most of the issues related to climate revolve around five essential factors: respect, responsiveness, recognition, relationships, and rites and responsibilities.

According to the research on school climate, chief among the climate factors is school leadership. The Task Force identifies the characteristics of a school leader that will attract and retain quality teachers. It is recommended that these attributes will be adopted as standards when the District recruits principals, It is also recommended that these attributes be included in principal evaluations and serve as the basis for staff development support efforts.

School climate will be only as good as the overall climate exemplified by the District leadership. How are teachers treated when they are hired? How are they treated when they call Human Resources or Payroll with a question? How does the District utilize their experience and knowledge? By communicating the cultural values and reinforcing the behavioral signals that support a positive climate, the District leadership possesses the broadest opportunity to influence and enhance school climate and employee morale.

The Task Force concludes that improving school and District climate will require a commitment to one over-riding principle: "Climate is the responsibility of all." This report provides the first steps toward a focus on that principle.

Climate refers to the atmosphere in an organization. Climate affects the morale, productivity, and satisfaction of persons involved in the organization. It reflects how staff, students and the community feel about a school and/or the District - whether it is a positive place to work and learn or one that is full of problems.

Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teacher Association have convened the Task Force on School and District Climate to address issues impacting climate. The Task Force is charged with making in-depth recommendations to both the Superintendent and Association President concerning a number of factors identified through research in the District as contributors to good school and District Climate (see Appendix A). Through research and deliberation, the Task Force has determined that its first report would focus on two key areas:

The 2002 Ciruli Study concludes that Denver Public Schools’ teachers love teaching children. The District’s diverse and sometimes challenging students can be an attraction for idealistic new and veteran teachers. However, the study also illustrates that these same teachers are concerned about aspects of the District and school climate that often hinder good teaching and employee morale.

A poor work environment is found by the Ciruli Study to be the major cause of recruitment and retention problems in the District. Teachers identify a "good" principal as critically important to a good work environment. Additionally, there is consensus that a main source of teacher frustration is with the District’s central administration.

The spring 2002 Agreement between the Denver Public School District and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association reflects their collective core beliefs and values. Both parties recognize that a positive school climate and good teacher morale are major factors in the District’s ability to attract and retain quality employees. Furthermore, since quality teachers are essential to the progress of student improvement, these factors also contribute to higher student achievement. "The research has found a distinct link between positive school climate and high staff productivity and student achievement." (Gonder, P. and Hymes, D. 1994)

Article 29 of the Agreement recognizes that it is the "shared responsibility of the District and the Association to work together to enhance morale and construct a positive school climate that supports improved job satisfaction and employee retention in the Denver Public Schools."

The Task Force has been convened to analyze the factors that influence and impact school climate and teacher morale, and to develop plans of action to improve District and school climate. This Task Force is comprised of ten members that represent the Denver Public Schools community including parents, interested citizens, teachers, and administrators. (See Appendix B).

The Task Force has met on a regular basis since October 2002. Ms. Ann Hall Bailey and Ms. Kim Ursetta serve as the Task Force co-chairs and are responsible for conducting the meetings. The Task Force has reviewed articles, empirical and quantitative studies, and books, including the survey and focus group data collected by Ciruli and Associates, data from the District School Satisfaction Surveys; and data collected by the Association during school site visits, to arrive at its recommendations. (See Bibliography) The Task Force has continued to hold discussions about the collected material to reach a consensus opinion. Data has also been collected from principals regarding teacher rewards and recognition. After collecting and assessing data and information, the Task Force has created three working groups: (1) to address recommendations for improving school climate and teacher morale at the school building level; (2) to address recommendations for central administration; and (3) to address recommendations for principal leadership attributes.

The Task Force will continue to meet on an ongoing basis to assess other factors identified as contributors to good school and District climate, and to make further recommendations for addressing these factors and tracking the impact of these recommendations.

A fundamental principle of operations in the Denver Public Schools should be: "Climate is the responsibility of all and will be taken seriously by all." Five factors essential to positive school climate are respect, responsiveness, recognition, relationships, and rites and responsibilities.

The Task Force has designed a five-pointed star symbol to symbolize the key factors of school climate and to help all DPS employees remember District expectations. The star’s five points reflect the five key factors of school climate. These factors are illustrated, and the lines that connect each point reflect priorities and strategies needed to positively affect building climate, which should ultimately improve student achievement.

Student academic achievement has been a central focus of the District and the Association and is now linked to the importance of school climate. The "star" graphic provides a great symbol for all to reference as to the contribution that school climate makes toward academic achievement.

"Academic achievement of students was significantly higher in the schools where teachers recorded the highest levels of professional treatment than in schools where teachers recorded the lowest levels of professional treatment for three of the fours years studied." (Chapman, J.B.1998)

The District Leadership, most commonly referenced as the Board of Education, Superintendent and Central Administrators, possesses the broadest opportunity to influence and affect a positive impact on school culture and employee morale within the District. The District Leadership sets the District-wide mission, goals and priorities. They develop and manage the process of monitoring and evaluating the work activities within the District.

The District Leadership also translates and aligns the existing set of core cultural values within DPS. Through this process, they shape the work environment and provide direction to what DPS values, what it expects from its employees and its vision for the future. They are responsible for communicating and reinforcing behavioral signals consistent with those values and creating a sense of belonging within DPS.

The effort of enhancing morale and school climate is more than revisiting and editing the current DPS vision/mission statement. It is not about creating a new one. It is about identifying and tapping into the sense of purpose and core values which bring employees back to DPS everyday to meet the challenge of educating the children of Denver. They have been doing it for over 100 years.

To have a District-wide impact on employee morale and school climate, these core values and aspirations have to be translated into tangible and practical programs, activities and mechanisms that contribute to a greater sense of belonging to something special within DPS. According to the authors of the best selling book, "Built to Last-Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" a "vision" is one of the least understood, yet most important, concepts for building a great organization. They write, "A good vision builds on the interplay between…two complementary yin-and-yang forces: it defines ‘what we stand for and why we exist’…and sets forth ‘what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create’ that will require significant change and progress to attain (the envisioned future)."

The successful pursuit of a vision to develop a positive school climate and employee morale within the District will require alignment between our core values and the practical and concrete activities that stimulate progress toward DPS’ envisioned future.

The Task Force believes that core values for a positive school climate are already embedded in the Denver Public Schools system. These core values should be recognized by all parties for their importance in raising student achievement and employee morale. These core values need to be re-activated throughout the District, and all employees should then be held accountable for modeling these core values.

The Task Force offers recommendations to the School Board, Superintendent and Association President in the following four areas:

• DPS Cultural Values
• DPS Behavior Expectations
• DPS Communication Strategies
• DPS Recognition of Teachers, Administrators, and Staff

These values will assist all employees to know not only what is expected of them, but also help to guide the daily activities of everyone. In the last year and a half the District has emphasized its goal of setting high expectations for students, parents, principals and all other staff of the DPS. It has also set as a priority for all employees to be more responsive, user-friendly, and customer-oriented. These are cultural values that the District seeks to reinforce within the DPS culture. Other examples of cultural values and norms might include working collaboratively to develop the best possible learning environment, and commitment to addressing the needs of all students.

This proclamation would include the statement that "improving school climate is a high priority". The Task Force believes that the implementation of District cultural values and behavioral expectations needs input and buy-in from its constituents. "People who feel empowered tend to have higher morale. People are more personally invested in their work with an organization when (1) they have a voice in what happens to them; and (2) their work has meaning and significance in contributing to a higher purpose or goal." (Lumsden, 1998)

These behaviors would be expected of all District employees, and be modeled at all levels by all employees.

Good communication strategies are necessary to ensure that everyone becomes aware of the District’s values and expectations, and understands the role they play in improving the overall climate (Berman, Louise M. 1987). The communications strategy should include a methodology to capture the "heroic deeds" and organizational exemplars that tell the success stories that go on in DPS everyday. The DPS new employee orientations can provide an additional focus of the District’s cultural values, norms, traditions and envisioned future. The Task Force also recommends that the attributes of an effective principal found in Recommendation #8 be publicized as part of the communications strategy to promote the District’s core values and behavior expectations. There are many avenues of communication in place, such as the Inside DPS, Web Site, Weekly Bulletins, Faculty Meetings, and Department Newsletters.

The District’s recognition programs should be closely linked to its objectives and cultural values. These awards should reinforce and reward those who consistently display these values and contribute to meeting the objectives of the District.

People who are rewarded have better morale and develop the needed motivation to perform at a high level. (Ellenberg, F.C. 1972) People who feel needed, wanted, or appreciated can develop the type of morale that increases their level of performance. (Lumsden, Linda 1998). The District needs to build upon existing models of recognition and reward, such as the Denver Teacher Awards which has been in place in the District since 1957, and the Employee Recognition Pins. Some examples of a recognition system might include monthly letters of commendation, personal letters of "Thank You," Certificates of Achievement, Employee of the Month Parking Space, or Naming of Building(s) with Good Climate. Currently, the awarding of service pins is not consistent and needs to be better monitored and tracked by the District.

This celebration would demonstrate that climate is the professional responsibility of all and is taken seriously by all.

The Ciruli Study findings state that "Teachers (in the District) uniformly believe the principal is the most ‘important’ person at the school. Principals are important in setting expectations for teachers and in boosting morale through positive feedback. The main complaint about less effective principals is that they offer no positive feedback. Whether teachers get along with and/or respect their principal seems key in whether the teacher will stay at the school. This factor overrides other issues, such as teaching environment and whether the school is rated satisfactory or unsatisfactory."

The building principal sets the climate of the school as measured by staff productivity, student productivity, and creative thought. The principal must demonstrate a set of attributes that are a combination of manager and instructional leader. One of the primary responsibilities of the principal is to support and encourage teachers to embrace new and innovative strategies of instruction.

"Administrators can improve school climate and student achievement by understanding their role in the school environment and working to improve them. Successful principals encourage risk-taking and support good tries. When principals back teachers, when they are fair and trust-worthy, and genuinely concerned about teacher growth, teachers go the extra mile." (Winter, Jeffrey S. and Sweeney, James, 1994).

School leaders shape school climate by the things they pay attention to in the day-to-day life of the school. Principals need to be aware of and attend to the factors of respect, responsiveness, recognition, relationships and rites and responsibilities. For example, giving positive feedback to staff promotes an achievement-oriented culture by reinforcing behavior that should be encouraged and focusing on the good things that are happening at school.

The Task Force has identified the following principal attributes that foster positive school climate:

Behavior expectations would be that principals demonstrate these attributes and be held accountable for them through the appraisal process. These attributes are already embedded in the current appraisal form presently being utilized by the District.

The identification of training methods and implementation of successful methods is critical, and resources are needed to ensure continued implementation. It is also crucial for the Superintendent and Area Superintendents to recognize the high priority of this training. Area Superintendents should provide proper support of evaluations of principals, and principals should provide proper support of evaluations of assistant principals.

Economic and non-economic rewards should be identified by Central Administration. Some examples of these rewards could include "Principal of the Year," or honoring buildings each year that demonstrate positive school climate.

These attributes should be demonstrated at all levels of administration. The appraisals of Area Superintendents should reflect their support of principals. Central Administrators should demonstrate support for positive school climate by visitations to all buildings periodically.

Both parties would conduct site visits to individual schools to make school climate presentations. These site visits will be crucial to the successful implementation of the Task Force recommendations. These presentations will allow school staff the opportunity to provide feedback about the recommendations and help to build buy-in at the school sites.

Good communication enhances climate by helping the staff feel they are part of a team. Conversely, employees feel they are not valued if they are "left in the dark" about what is happening in the school or district. (Gonder, P. and Hymes. D. 1994)

At the school site visits, each school will receive a "planning sheet" with a menu of strategies and activities for addressing each of the five key factors.

"A kind word is nearly as valuable as hard currency. Teachers are profoundly motivated by the positive and often immediate feedback they receive (or expect to receive) from children, parents, peers and leaders." (Ciruli Study 2002)

"Effective principals give positive reinforcement in several ways. They show appreciation informally through notes and positive comments, both privately and in staff meetings. Formal recognition can come in the form of certificates and awards, and comments on evaluations. Such recognition fosters a positive climate by building morale. Notes of appreciation, verbal praise, and awards demonstrate to staff members that they are important to the success of the school and that their efforts are noticed." (Gonder, P and Hymes, D. 1994)

The work of the Task Force is ongoing. The group will next focus on the following steps as outlined in Article 29 of the Agreement:

The Task Force will also address how to track and document its recommendations once put into place to determine if they are having any impact on school climate and teacher morale. The Task Force has agreed that the collecting and tracking of data to evaluate the changes in school climate and teacher morale are important factors in this process.

Bailey, Ann. "Short Survey on School Climate and Leadership for DPS Principals." 2002.

Berman, Louise M. "The Teacher as Decision Maker". Teacher Renewal: Professional Issues, Personal Choices. New York: Columbia University, 1987.

Black, Susan. "Morale Matters" American School Board Journal. 2001

Blasé, Joseph, and Peggy Kirby. Bringing Out the Best in Teachers: What Effective Principals Do. California: Corwin Press, 1992.

Bulach, C.R., Booth, D. and Pickett, W. "Teachers’ Perceptions of the Extent to Which Principal Practice Effective Supervisory Behaviors". Journal of School Research and Information. 1999.

Bulach, C.R. and Malone, B. "The Relationship of School Climate to the Implementation of School Reform." Journal of School Research and Information. 1994.

Chapman, J.B. "Professional Treatment of Teachers and Student Academic Achievement." Dissertation. Virginia Polytechnical Institute. No date available.

Ciruli Associates. "Recruitment and Retention of New Teachers: Focus Groups and Surveys of Current and Retired Teachers." Denver, Colorado. 2002.

Ciruli Associates. "Survey of DPS Teachers Concerning Recruitment and Retention of New Teachers." Denver, Colorado. 2002.

Collins, J. and Porras, J. Built to Last-Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. 1994

Colorado Department of Education. School Accountability Reports. 2002.

Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Bargaining Survey. 2002.

Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Awareness Cadre Surveys. In press.

Denver Public Schools. School Satisfaction Survey. 2002.

Ellenberg, F.C. "Factors Affecting Teacher Morale". National Association of Secondary School Principal Bulletin. 1972.

Gonder, P. and Hymes, D. Improving School Climate and Culture. Virginia: American Association of School Administrators, 1994.

"Job Satisfaction among America’s Teachers: Effects of Workplace Conditions, Background Characteristics and Teacher Compensation." Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics. 1997.

"Learning: What Makes a Quality School?" NEA Today: Learning. 2000.

Lumsden, Linda. "Teacher Morale". ERIC Digest. 1998: 120.

Sweeney, James. "School Climate: The Key to Excellence". NASSP Bulletin. 1992.

Winter, Jeffrey S. and Sweeney, James. "Improving School Climate: Administrators are Key". NASSP Bulletin. October 1994.

A positive school climate and good teacher morale contribute to higher student achievement. It is the shared responsibility of the District and the Association to work together to enhance morale and construct a positive school climate that supports improved job satisfaction and employee retention in the Denver Public Schools.

The District and the Association will convene a Task Force (see Appendix A) within the District to analyze the factors that influence and impact school climate and teacher morale and their effects on student achievement. The District and the Association have commissioned a comprehensive research study concerning the "Recruiting and Retaining of DPS Teachers." The Task Force shall receive the results of the research study and put forth a plan of action to implement the findings and recommendations within the District.

The Task Force will serve at the direction of the Superintendent and the President of the Association. It will be comprised of a representative body of the Denver Public Schools community including but not limited to parents, teachers, and administrators. Staff support in conducting the Task Force’s activities will be provided by the Department of Human Resources. Additional resource support will be provided by the Association as required and available to ensure the success of the Task Force.

The Task Force will continue to conduct and receive research information to assess, identify and track emerging employee morale and school climate issues. They will report back to the District and the Association on an annual basis pertaining to the District’s overall school climate. The report will provide an update/progress on employee morale and school climate as compared to the baseline findings. The report will also identify interventions that have had a significant impact on the issues. Additionally, the Task Force will identify continuing problem areas that remain to be addressed by the District and report back to the District and the Association on a periodic basis as required.