School climate and culture are important in the student learning process. Schools that successfully engage students in this process share certain characteristics. Such schools value academic excellence and have high expectations of student achievement. A cooperative environment is fostered in which students feel empowered to excel, and safe from the influence of societal distractions, such as drugs and gangs. Educators must give as much attention to school climate and culture as is given to traditional concerns like curriculum development and teaching methods.
Schools must increasingly serve as safe havens for students, many whom come from dysfunctional families and neighborhoods. Under these circumstances, school climate and culture must be restructured to address a wide range of student needs. Students need to acquire basic academic skills that form the foundation for their acquisition of higher-level skills. Students have a need for security, self-esteem, and belongingness. In addition, schools must instill in students a sense of community and participation that are sorely lacking in today's society. Never before has so much demand been placed on schools, even those that are financially strapped. Yet teachers must ask themselves, if the school does not take responsibility for addressing student needs, who will?
One of the cultural factors that hinders learning and teaching in schools is a climate of competition. Competition in American schools reflects society's value system. Competition involves situations in which success in a task is determined by performing better than one's opponent. Only a limited number can achieve success in such situations, e.g., students who receive good grades or other positive reinforcers. In a competitive environment, students are taught to delight in the failings of others. Emphasis is placed on the outcome of education, not the process.
America has an obsession with competi...