School Climate and PBIS
School climate refers to the quality and character of school life.
Also called education climate, school climate is how the school experience “feels” related to safety, teaching and learning, interpersonal relationships, and the physical building.
A positive school climate improves academic performance, attendance, social emotional learning, and life skills of children and youth. A positive school environment also has been shown to increase teacher retention, lower dropout rates, decrease incidences of violence, reduce the need for out-of-school suspensions, and increase student achievement.
Learn more here about positive behavior support and how it can be initiated in your local school to alter the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ into a ‘school-to-opportunity.
Interested in School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) for your Georgia school? See links to resources at right.
Georgia Resources
- Georgia Department of Education – Interested in PBIS Implementation?
- Georgia Department of Education – Overview of PBIS
- PBIS Staff Training Power Point, developed by Muscogee County School District (Georgia) Includes 2 videos: (1) 6-minute video of a teacher demonstrating he can get to class on time in under 5 minutes; he stops at his locker, talks with a teacher, says hi to friends, all while crawling; and (2) Best evidence-based practices for behavioral support (Univ. of Connecticut)
Federal Resources
- Supportive School Discipline Webinar – January 2014
- Guidance on School Discipline
- US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights
- US Department of Justice
Videos on PBIS
Video 1 of 5: Why Positive Learning Climates Matter
Created by Metro Regional Education Service Agency, Bright From the Start:
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), and the Georgia
Department of Education; produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting; and funded by a grant from the David, Helen, and Marian Woodward Fund—Atlanta.

Related Resources and Links