• Corpus ID: 17260921

Playworks : Supporting Positive School Climate in Low-Income Elementary Schools

@inproceedings{2011PlayworksS,
  title={Playworks : Supporting Positive School Climate in Low-Income Elementary Schools},
  author={},
  year={2011}
}

• Published 2011
• Education

Research has shown that a positive school climate improves social, emotional, and academic outcomes for youth and is influenced by: (1) school structure, policies, and leadership; (2) teaching and learning environments; (3) physical and emotional safety; and (4) positive relationships. Results from the Study of Playworks in Eight Bay Area Schools show that with successful program implementation, Playworks can support an improved school climate. Playworks promoted an organized and structured recess by teaching students a variety of games, tools for conflict resolution, inclusive language and positive messaging, all of which reportedly led to improved student engagement and reductions in conflict at recess. Teachers and principals linked these changes to a physically and emotionally safer recess environment for students. In schools where staff and administrators strongly embraced Playworks and its core values, the program’s strategies for conflict resolution and inclusivity followed students back into the classroom and improved the learning environment. Students reported strong relationships with adults at school, but those who engaged most with the Playworks coach reported a significant increase in feelings of adult care from fall to spring. Strong school leadership and early staff training were key ingredients in promoting teachers’ understanding of and support for the program at recess and in the classroom. However, school and Playworks discipline policies that removed students from recess for misconduct or incomplete schoolwork diluted the program’s potential effects on school climate.