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School Climate & Working Conditions

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Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions

The Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services are administering the 2024 Virginia School Survey of Climate & Working Conditions. Refer to #2023-07 Virginia Education Update 17 August 2023 for more information on survey requirements for the 2023-2024 school year.

Climate and Working Conditions Surveys

2023-2024 Survey Administration

The 2024 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (Virginia School Survey) will be administered in schools beginning January 15, 2024, and ending on March 1, 2024. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) partnered to conduct this administration.

The Virginia School Survey is a tool for division leaders and principals to monitor and ensure all students and staff have access to a healthy and positive environment in which to learn, work, interact, and grow regardless of the educational setting. To support school and division leaders in this survey administration, VDOE and DCJS developed an updated Survey Administration Manual and Read-Aloud Instructions for administering the survey to students needing accommodations. Additionally, VDOE and DCJS produced two information videos for school and division personnel to learn more about what is required during the survey administration. The videos can be found here: 

Review copies of the survey for classroom instructors, staff, and students can be accessed here:

2022-2023 Survey Administration

The 2023 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (Virginia School Survey) will be administered in schools beginning January 9, 2023, and ending on February 24, 2023. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) partnered to conduct this administration. This Virginia Department of Education Report on the 2023 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (PDF) provides a summary of state-level results for survey data collected from classroom instructors and staff in Virginia public elementary and middle schools.

The Virginia School Survey is a tool for division leaders and principals to monitor and ensure all students and staff have access to a healthy and positive environment in which to learn, work, interact, and grow regardless of the educational setting. To support school and division leaders in this survey administration, VDOE and DCJS developed an updated Survey Administration Manual and Read-Aloud Instructions for administering the survey to students needing accommodations. Additionally, VDOE and DCJS produced three information videos for school and division personnel to learn more about what is required during the survey administration. The videos can be found here: 

Review copies of the survey for classroom instructors, staff, and students can be accessed here:

2021-2022 Survey Administration

The 2022 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (Virginia School Survey) was administered in schools beginning January 10, 2022, and ending on March 4, 2022. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) partnered to conduct this administration. This Virginia Department of Education Report on the 2022 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions (PDF) provides a summary of state-level results for survey data collected from classroom instructors and staff in Virginia public high schools.

The Virginia School Survey is a tool for division leaders and principals to monitor and ensure all students and staff have access to a healthy and positive environment in which to learn, work, interact, and grow regardless of the educational setting. To support school and division leaders in this survey administration, VDOE and DCJS developed an updated Survey Administration Manual and Read-Aloud Instructions for administering the survey to students needing accommodations.

VDOE and DCJS conducted three informational videos for school division and school personnel to learn more about what is required during this survey administration. The videos can be found here:

Review copies of the surveys for classroom instructors, staff, and students are available here:

2020-2021 Survey Administration

The 2021 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions was administered to schools beginning January 11, 2021, and ending March 19, 2021 through a partnership between the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).

The Joint Report on the 2021 Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions: State Technical Report (PDF) and an Executive Summary (PDF) was delivered to the Governor and Virginia General Assembly. Supplement 1 (PDF) to the report, which addresses instructional modalities and their impacts on school climate and working conditions, provides additional analyses to complement the final report.

Statewide Snapshot Reports for classroom instructors, staff and students are available through the links below:

2018-2019 Survey Administration

In 2018-2019, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) administered school climate surveys to students in grades 4 and 5 and 9 through 12 and working conditions surveys to any teacher or school staff holding a license from VDOE.

Reports summarizing state results for the school climate survey are available through University of Virginia’s Center on Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness.

School Engagement

The school community is responsible for creating and maintaining a comfortable and orderly physical environment with visionary and supportive leadership that promotes active engagement and communication among and between students, staff, and parents.

  • Connectedness is demonstrated by regular attendance, participation in school activities, open communication with students and families, and school spirit.
  • Facilities are clean, orderly, and have adequate resources.
  • Leadership has a clear vision everyone understands, an open-door policy for all, and supports staff and their development.

Caring Relationships

The school community is responsible for creating a culturally responsive environment that promotes mutually respectful, supportive, ethical and civil relationships among and between students and staff.

  • Respect for diversity is widespread between students and adults, and across the community.
  • Adult social support is evident in the form of high expectations for student’s success, willingness to listen, genuine concern for problems, and in welcoming parent involvement.
  • Student social support can be found in activities that promote positive peer social relationships, including socializing, problem solving, academic help, and welcoming new students.
  • Professional relationships are characterized by working well and learning together.

High Expectations

The school community is responsible for addressing barriers to teaching and learning and for implementing effective teaching practices that promote academic, social, emotional, and civic development of students.

  • Learning support can be seen in teaching practices that provide opportunities to show knowledge, think independently, engage in dialogue and ask questions where academic rigor and high expectations for all are the norm.
  • Social and civic learning are evident in practices that model and teach good citizenship, effective listening, conflict resolution, emotional states, empathy, personal responsibility, and ethics.

Fostering Safety

The school community is responsible for creating an environment where all members are welcomed, supported, and feel safe in school: socially, emotionally, and physically.

Models for Implementation

Other Resources & Publications

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