As any visitor to a school can observe, each school has a unique personality or different feel. The feel the visitor experiences is better known as school climate.
School climates range on a conceptual continuum that extends from open to closed climates.
Closed climate schools often contain a poor esprit de corps on the part of the faculty, apathy on the part of the entire organization, poor satisfaction levels, an aloofness, a concentration on lower level academic production, adult-centeredness, and low levels of consideration for individual student needs. On my very first visit to The Oakwood School I was drawn to its open climate. It was immediately apparent that both students and faculty enjoyed each other, felt connected, engaged, and satisfied. This was indeed a school in which people were smiling. I met with many students, including students in the fourth grade.