Research Supporting AUTHORITATIVE SchooL CLimate

Authoritative Mindset builds connection AND accountability

Authoritative leadership style is an approach where adults build developmental relationships of trust using connection and accountability both in the classroom community and across every level of the school community. Authoritative leadership style (in parenting) was originally coined by Baumrind (1966) and describes a leadership style where the adults have both high expectations (demandingness, structure and firmness) and are considered warm (supportive and responsive). In the last decade, researchers have explored the effects of authoritative leadership in schools. These benefits include:

Higher student engagement and reading achievement

Lee, J. S. (2012). The effects of the teacher–student relationship and academic press on student engagement and academic performance. International Journal of Educational Research, 53, 330–340.

Lower suspension rates

Gregory, A., Cornell, D., & Fan, X. (2011). The relationship of school structure and support to suspension rates for Black and White high school students. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 904–934.

Less peer victimization and less bullying among middle school students

Gregory, A., Cornell, D., Fan, X., Sheras, P., Shih, T. H., & Huang, F. (2010). Authoritative school discipline: High school practices associated with lower bullying and victimization. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 483–496.

Cornell, D., Shukla, K., & Konold, T. (2015). Peer victimization and authoritative school climate: A multilevel approach. Journal of Educational Psychology 107(4), 1186–1201.

Lower levels of student aggression toward teachers

Gregory, A., Cornell, D., & Fan, X. (2012). Teacher safety and authoritative school climate in high schools. American Journal of Education, 118, 401–425.

Less truancy and fewer dropouts than schools using an authoritarian approach

Pellerin, L. A. (2005). Applying Baumrind’s parenting typology to high schools: Toward a middle range theory of authoritative socialization. Social Science Research, 34, 283–303.

The possibility of protection against the risk associated with low income and minority status

Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2014). Youth problem behaviors 8 years after implementing the communities that care prevention system: A community randomized trial. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(2), 122–129.

Immediate Tools for Immediate Impact

SEL Chicago leads with immediately helpful tools for educators, parents and others working with children and young people. These tools can assist with:

Creating authoritative school and classroom climates
Classroom Management that builds community connection and accountability
Building mutually respectful structures for homework, daily routines, and transitions

When we build awareness around child development, how children and adults needs and desires intersect in dissonant ways, and use strategies grounded in brain science that helps us strengthen our relationship, our responses to stressful situations create new opportunities to build connection and accountability.

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Why Humans Do the Things They Do

Human Beings are Complicated

Teaching and leading young human beings as they navigate academics and the work of learning social and emotional skills is challenging. What happens sometimes looks and feels like an endless power struggle.

Principles That Drive Human Behavior

SEL Chicago trainings are informed by the following core principles based on the work of Drs. Alfred Adler, Rudolf Dreikurs, Jane Nelson, Jody McVittie, Ross Greene, Dan Siegel, and Tina Bryson, among others:

We do the best we can with the tools we have.
Learning how to access our tools when we are triggered is an ongoing process.
Children’s behavior is framed from the fundamental human desire for connection and what is possible for their developmental stage.
All human beings seek belonging and significance.
All human beings have their own "private logic" - we perceive events, interpret them and make our own meanings, create beliefs about ourselves and others, and then decide our actions based on these beliefs.
All human beings deserve dignity and respect.
All human beings desire to contribute.
Encouragement is deeply respectful tool that builds relationship. Judgement, blame, shame and punishment are tools that decrease connection.
Mistakes are opportunities to learn, to build skills, to observe which skills need encouragement.
Kind and firm tools are deeply encouraging.

These principles support tools that help adults connect with children in the process of understanding the belief behind misbehavior. Adults modeling and using these tools with fidelity help children learn the valuable life skills of self-regulation, resiliency and empathy.

Tools To DownLoad

How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Use these suggestions to connect with children and answer their questions in this difficult and confusing time.

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Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

These tools have been designed for families to help build the tools of connection and accountability for children during this time of remote learning.

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Supporting Authoritative Classroom Leadership

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Authoritative Classroom Leadership

There are many benefits of building authoritative school communities where adults have both high expectations and are considered warm, accepting and supportive.

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Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Supporting Authoritative Classroom Leadership

This chart helps pinpoint the child's goal based on the adult's feeling about the misbehavior, and provides many proactive and authoritative tools for building connection and accountability.

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Encouraging Statements

Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Parent Training Proposal

Adults can have a difficult time when children are acting from feelings of undue attention, power, revenge, or inadequacy, and others. These are statements to use to help connect with children in moments of upset.

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Parent Training Proposal

Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Parent Training Proposal

Human beings are complicated; teaching and leading young human beings as they navigate academics and the work of learning social and emotional skills is challenging. Learn how to bring this training to your school's parent community.

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Making Agreements and Following Through

It can be a struggle to make agreements with a child and have them successfully follow through on those agreements. Here is a set of hints, tips, and traps to consider when communicating an agreement.

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And what about consequences?

Making Agreements and Following Through

This guide explains the Dreikurs definitions of "natural" and "logical" consequences and daily activities teachers, principals, and administrators can connect with students to repair harm after mistakes.

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Explore Feelings Wheel

Making Agreements and Following Through

Explore Feelings Wheel

Gloria Wilcox's Feelings Wheel helps humans name feelings as a tool of emotional regulation and building developmental relationships. Download the graphic here.

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Research Supporting AUTHORITATIVE SchooL CLimate

Authoritative Mindset builds connection AND accountability

Higher student engagement and reading achievement

Lower suspension rates

Less peer victimization and less bullying among middle school students

Lower levels of student aggression toward teachers

Less truancy and fewer dropouts than schools using an authoritarian approach

The possibility of protection against the risk associated with low income and minority status

Immediate Tools for Immediate Impact

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Why Humans Do the Things They Do

Human Beings are Complicated

Principles That Drive Human Behavior

Tools To DownLoad

How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Authoritative Classroom Leadership

Supporting Remote Learning With Authoritative Leadership

Supporting Authoritative Classroom Leadership

Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Supporting Authoritative Classroom Leadership

Encouraging Statements

Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Parent Training Proposal

Parent Training Proposal

Mistaken Goal Chart from Positive Discipline

Parent Training Proposal

Making Agreements and Following Through

Making Agreements and Following Through

Making Agreements and Following Through

And what about consequences?

Making Agreements and Following Through

Making Agreements and Following Through

Explore Feelings Wheel

Making Agreements and Following Through

Explore Feelings Wheel

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