School Climate Measure Research Articles

Teacher: But Not Student Rating of the Pedagogic and Social Climate in School Predicts Adolescents\u2019 Academic Aspirations

BackgroundHigh academic aspirations relate to higher achievement and better mental health, but less is known about how these aspirations are formed in relation to the educational context.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the relationship between overall school climate, with particular concern for the dimensions of school level expectations and support as rated by both teachers and students and adolescent academic aspirations.MethodsMultilevel logistic models for repeated measures were used in order to investigate the relationship between measures of school climate and adolescents’ academic aspirations. Three annual waves of questionnaire data were used to obtain aggregated teacher- and student-rating of school climate, including specific dimensions of teacher expectations and support.ResultsPositive teacher-rated overall school climate was associated with an increased odds of adolescents aiming at a university education rather than at a lower one (adjusted OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.14–1.63 for the intermediate tertile; OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.14–1.70 for the highest tertile). A similar trend was found for the teacher-rated measures of expectations and student focus, but not for any of the student-rated school climate measures.ConclusionA positive school climate rated by teachers appears to predict adolescents’ university aspirations. Future research should clarify which aspects of the school climate may influence adolescent academic aspirations from the students’ perspective.

Immigration Arrests and Educational Impacts: Linking ICE Arrests to Declines in Achievement, Attendance, and School Climate and Safety in California

With increased tensions and political rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement in the United States, schools are facing greater challenges in ensuring support for their students of immigrant and Latinx origin. This study examined the associations between county-level immigration arrests and academic achievement, absenteeism, and measures of school climate and safety for students in the California CORE districts. Using ordinary least squares regression analyses with year, grade, school, and student fixed effects, we found that immigration arrests corresponded to declines in academic achievement, attendance, and various measures of school climate and safety for Latinx students and Latinx students who were English learners. We also find small declines in measures of school climate and safety for students who ever received special education services via an Individualized Education Program. Associations were strongest for arrests that occurred during the Trump administration compared with those that occurred during the second term of the Obama administration. Policy implications are discussed.

A Confirmatory Item Factor Analysis of A School Climate Measure for Adolescents with and without Disabilities

ABSTRACT In this study (n = 5037) we further investigated the construct validity of the Georgia Brief School Climate Inventory (GBS). Despite containing ordinal items (e.g., ordered-responses), the GBS has only been examined using linear approaches. To fill this void, we employed confirmatory item factor analysis (IFA) to examine the factor structure because the observed data are polytomous. Using response data from adolescents with (n = 784) and without (n = 4253) disabilities in urban and suburban high schools, we tested for measurement invariance by estimating a series of multiple-group IFA models and examined the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. The study findings promote the use of non-linear methods for analyzing ordered response data and further support the importance of prioritizing students with disabilities in school climate studies.

Examining Measurement Invariance of a School Climate Survey Across Race and Ethnicity

Positive school climate is a key determinant factor of students’ psychological well-being, safety, and academic achievement. Although researchers have examined the validity of school climate measures, there is a dearth of research investigating differences in student perceptions of school climate across race and ethnicity. This study evaluated the factor stability of a widely used school climate survey using factor analyses and measurement invariance techniques across racial/ethnic groups. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis indicated a five-factor structure for a school climate survey, and weak measurement invariance was found across Hispanic, Black, and White student groups (ΔCFI = .008). According to paired t tests, significant differences were found among racial/ethnic respondent groups across two factors: teacher and school effectiveness and sense of belonging and care. Validated school climate measures that are culturally and racially responsive to students’ experiences allow for accurate interpretations of school climate data. Discussion and implications are provided.

Measuring School Climate: A Systematic Review of Initial Development and Validation Studies

A systematic search was conducted to identify measures of school climate developed and reported between 1993 to 2017. We coded data related to participant and setting characteristics, qualities of measures, amounts of validity evidence, and degrees of reliability estimates. Results indicated 9 school climate measures featuring disparate representation of academic atmosphere, community, safety, and institutional structures. Quality of validity and reliability evidence were wide-ranging with distinctive tiers emerging for consideration by school counselors and professional counselors working in schools.

The multidimensional school climate questionnaire (MSCQ) parent-version: Factorial structure and measurement invariance

ABSTRACT The current study aimed to test the factorial structure and psychometric properties of a parent version of the Multidimensional School Climate Questionnaire (MSCQ), a multi-informant and multidimensional measure of school climate recently developed and validated in Italian for a student version, by also providing evidence of measurement invariance between students and parents. Participants were 320 parents, mostly mothers, and 339 students enrolled in four middle schools in Northern Italy. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed a good fit for the expected six-dimension model (Student Support, Home-school Relations, Student Relations, Student-Teacher Relations, Educational Climate, Justice). All factors were positively correlated with each other and reported good Cronbach’s alphas and composite reliability scores (ω). Full configural and metric and partial scalar invariance were achieved between parents and students. These findings confirm that the parent version of the MSCQ is a psychometrically sound measure to assess multidimensional perceptions of school climate. Lastly, limitations and practical implications are discussed.

Positive Impacts of a Sport Intervention on Male Students of Color and School Climate

ABSTRACT A positive school climate is strongly associated with enhanced student outcomes. With the disengagement of Black and Latinx youth living in poverty being at an all-time high, participation in sport-based youth development (SBYD) programs may enhance school climate, while capitalizing on existing interests. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a SBYD intervention on male students of color and school climate. Method: Using a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design, 32 male students of color (11 Black, 13 Latinx, 8 two or more races) participated in an SBYD intervention, twice a week for a total of 20 weeks (Ages 10–14, M = 11.46). School climate data were gathered at the beginning and the end of the school year. Student, teacher, and administrator focus groups and interviews were also conducted at the end of the year. Results: A statistically significant interaction was found between students who participated in the intervention and those who did not participate in the intervention, on school climate measures F(1,74) = 15.00, p < .01, partial η2 = .17. Overall school climate scores were statistically significantly greater in the intervention group (F(1,74) = 19.22, p < .01, partial η2 = .20) at the end of the year. Focus group data also revealed themes of improved school connectedness, peer support, the acquisition of social/civic skills, and school engagement. Conclusions: A SBYD intervention may be a viable strategy to engage disconnected students and increase school climate perceptions, particularly among male students of color living in poverty.

Priming the Leadership Pipeline: School Performance and Climate Under an Urban School Leadership Residency Program

Purpose: This study examines school climate and student achievement trends under an ambitious school leadership residency program in an urban school district. The 2-year leadership residencies were intensive, combining at least 370 hours of professional development with on-the-job training, in which aspiring school principals held either assistant-level administrative or teacher leadership roles. Research Design: Using a difference-in-differences framework with school fixed effects, we estimate the relationship between schools’ cumulative exposure to program residents and measures of school climate and student performance. We measure school climate using school-by-semester teacher survey composites. Student performance is captured using school-by-year data on language arts and math scale scores, chronic absence rates, suspension rates, and graduation rates. Findings: In models that allow average time trends to vary between the state and the treatment city, an additional resident-by-year in an administrative role in high schools is linked to an additional 15% of a school-level standard deviation in math scale scores and an additional 3.6 percentage points in graduation rates, but also to an additional 10 percentage points in suspension rates. Results are sensitive to model specification, school level, and to residents’ placement in administrative or teacher leader roles. Implications: Due to the contracting nature of the district, only one of 30 entering residents became a school principal within 3 years of program inception. In some models, the estimates suggest potential for aspiring leaders to effect change from nonprincipal administrative roles. Potential for teacher leadership roles is less clear.

Can a Positive School Climate Promote Student Attendance? Evidence From New York City

Nearly 15% of American students are chronically absent from school. To address absenteeism, many states have recently made chronic absence a core component of their school accountability plans. Scholars have theorized that a positive school climate can promote student attendance, but empirical support for this idea is lacking. In this study, the relationship between four student-reported measures of school climate and student attendance are investigated by analyzing two annual school climate surveys (N = 823,753) from New York City. Results indicate small associations among the four measures of perceived school climate and student attendance. Furthermore, school-level changes in perceived school climate between middle and high school were only marginally associated with student attendance.

الاسهام النسبى للمناخ المدرسى وأنماط إدارة الفصل الدراسى في التنبؤ بالتفاؤل الأکاديمى لدى معلمي المرحلة الابتدائية بالمدارس الحکومية والخاصة

هدف البحث إلى دراسة العلاقة بين التفاؤل الأکاديمى وکل من المناخ المدرسي وأنماط إدارة الفصل الدراسي لدى معلمي المرحلة الابتدائية بالمدارس الحکومية والخاصة، وکذلک الاسهام النسبى للمناخ المدرسى وأنماط إدارة الفصل الدراسى في التنبؤ بالتفاؤل الأکاديمى، بالإضافة إلى الفروق بينهم في ضوء نوع المدرسة (حکومي/ خاص) ومستوى الخبرة (منخفض/ متوسط/ مرتفع) والتفاعل بينهما، وقد قامت الباحثة بإعداد مقياسي التفاؤل الأکاديمي والمناخ المدرسي وتعريب مقياس أنماط إدارة الفصل الدراسي إعداد Djigic & Stojiljkovic (2012) والتحقق من خصائصهم السيکومترية، تم تطبيق المقاييس على عينة البحث الأساسية وعددهم (367) معلما ومعلمة بالمرحلة الابتدائية بالمدارس الحکومية والخاصة، وباستخدام تحليل التباين ذي التصميم العاملي (2×3) ومعامل ارتباط بيرسون وتحليل الانحدار، وأشارت نتائج البحث إلى أنه لا يوجد تأثير دال إحصائيا لکل من نوع المدرسة ومستوى الخبرة والتفاعل بينهما على التفاؤل الأکاديمي وأنماط إدارة الفصل الدراسي، ويوجد ارتباط موجب دال إحصائيا عند مستوى (0.01) بين أبعاد التفاؤل الأکاديمي وأبعاد المناخ المدرسي، کما يوجد ارتباط موجب دالة إحصائيا عند مستوى (0.01) بين أبعاد التفاؤل الأکاديمي والنمط التفاعلي لدى معلمي المرحلة الابتدائية بالمدارس الحکومية والخاصة، کما يمکن التنبؤ بالتفاؤل الأکاديمى من المناخ المدرسى والنمط التفاعلى. الکلمــــات المفتــــاحيــــة: التفاؤل الأکاديمي- المناخ المدرسي- أنماط إدارة الفصل الدراسي. The Relative contribution of school climate and classroom management styles in predicting academic optimism among primary school teachers in governmental and private schools Abstract The present research aimed to identify the relationship between academic optimism and school climate, classroom management styles among primary school teachers in governmental and private schools, and the possibility of prediciting academic optimism from school climate, classroom management styles, as well as differences between them according to school type (governmental / special), level of experience (low / moderate / high), and interaction between them. The researcher prepared academic optimism measure and school climate measure, and translated classroom management styles measure that was prepared by Djigic & Stojiljkovic (2012), then verified their psychometric properties. Measures were applied on main study sample which consisted of (367) male and female primary school teachers in governmental and private schools. By using ANOVA (2×3) and Person correlation coefficient and regression analysis, Ruselts showed that there are no statistically significant effect of school type, experience level or interaction between them on academic optimism and classroom management styles. In addition there is a statistically significant positive (0.01) between academic optimism dimensions and both school climate and Interactionist style of primary school teachers in governmental and private schools, and academic optimism can be predicited from school climate and Interactionist style.

Measuring School Climate Among Spanish-Speaking Students: A Systematic Review of Primary Methodological Studies

The present study is a systematic review of school climate measures developed for a Spanish-speaking K-12 population. Four instruments were included in the analyses representing data of 9,236 students with a mean of sample size of 2,309 students. Evidences for test content and internal structure were the most frequent representation of psychometric validity. Internal consistency, represented by Cronbach’s alpha, ranged between 0.62 and 0.94. In addition, three instruments were translated from scales developed in the United States as evidence for test content validity. The findings of validity evidence, internal consistency, and context will guide school counselors in deciding the appropriate school climate measure to use among United States Latina/o students in Spanish. Consequently, the school climate assessment will compel school stakeholders to use results to advocate for the growth and inclusivity of Latina/o students.

Improving the Measurement of School Climate Using Item Response Theory

AbstractThe U.S. government has become increasingly focused on school climate, as recently evidenced by its inclusion as an accountability indicator in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Yet, there remains considerable variability in both conceptualizing and measuring school climate. To better inform the research and practice related to school climate and its measurement, we leveraged item response theory (IRT), a commonly used psychometric approach for the design of achievement assessments, to create a parsimonious measure of school climate that operates across varying individual characteristics. Students (n = 69,513) in 111 secondary schools completed a school climate assessment focused on three domains of climate (i.e., safety, engagement, and environment), as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. Item and test characteristics were estimated using the mirt package in R using unidimensional IRT. Analyses revealed measurement difficulties that resulted in a greater ability to assess less favorable perspectives on school climate. Differential item functioning analyses indicated measurement differences based on student academic success. These findings support the development of a broad measure of school climate but also highlight the importance of work to ensure precision in measuring school climate, particularly when considering use as an accountability measure.

Student-Report Measures of School Climate: A Dimensional Review

School climate is a broad, multi-dimensional construct that represents the quality and character of school life. Although many student-reported measures of school climate are available, less is known about the specific dimensions assessed by various measures. Using three comprehensive models of school climate as a guide, a systematic literature review of school climate measurement tools was conducted with two main questions. First, which dimensions are identified and measured in published studies of student-reported school climate? Second, what overlap in studies of student-reported school climate measures exist with the model dimensions? Results from the review of 18 school climate measures largely supported five dimensions (safety, relationships, teaching and learning, institutional environment, and school improvement processes) with at least three dimensions present within all reviewed measures. The discussion elaborates on the dimensions and sub-dimensions assessed in these tools, implications for failing to measure the sub-dimension of respect for diversity, and a new sub-dimension titled academic orientation that emerged from overlap in measurement tools.

COREMatters: A Bullying Intervention Pilot Study

While bullying is a serious concern for students and educators alike, empirically tested interventions are needed. This study examined the impact of a bullying intervention curriculum at a public middle school in the Midwest. This intervention, COREMatters, was designed to reduce bullying behaviors, foster a greater sense of community cohesion and trust in the school, improve school climate, and increase student self-esteem. As such, the intervention required participation of teachers, administrators, students, and outside experts. COREMatters was modeled after theoretical frameworks of socioemotional learning and Bloom’s taxonomy. Additionally, components of This We Believe outlining successful schools were considered. Uniquely contributing to this intervention is the inclusion of martial arts instruction. The intervention was taught as a whole, integrated model. The t-tests indicated significant differences between the control and intervention groups on measures of school climate, student self-esteem, and school cohesion and trust. Students in the intervention group scored higher in measures of self-esteem and rated their schools more positively on measures of cohesion and trust and climate.

A Preliminary Investigation of the Reliability and Validity of the BESS-3 Teacher and Student Forms

Universal screening for behavioral and emotional risk is an important part of implementing multi-tiered behavioral supports in schools. The current study adds to our understanding of universal screening by examining teacher and student reports of behavioral and emotional risk. Participants included 73 fourth-grade students and 4 teachers in an urban school in the Midwestern United States. Correlations between the two informants ranged from moderate to large for the overall T-score, internalizing problems, and externalizing/self-regulation problems, but were not significant for personal adjustment/adaptive skills. Furthermore, the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) Teacher Form (TF) showed concurrent and predictive validity with academic scores, whereas the BESS Student Form (SF) showed concurrent and predictive validity with measures of school climate. Results of this study indicate that teachers and students may provide unique information regarding student functioning.

Preliminary Validation of the SCM in a Sample of Early Adolescent Public School Children

The school climate measure (SCM) has demonstrated robust psychometrics in regionally diverse samples of high school–aged adolescents, but remains untested among early adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to establish construct validity and measurement indices of the SCM using a sample of early adolescents from public schools located in Central Appalachia ( n = 1,128). In addition, known-groups validity analyzed each SCM domain against self-reported academic achievement and school connection. Analyses confirmed all 10 SCM domains fit the data well with strong internal consistency and factor loadings. Known-groups analyses suggest students who reported higher academic achievement and school connection demonstrated higher perceptions of school climate. Findings provide evidence that extends the use of the SCM to early adolescents and may support school-based policy.

Evaluating the psychometric quality of school connectedness measures: A systematic review.

IntroductionThere is a need to comprehensively examine and evaluate the quality of the psychometric properties of school connectedness measures to inform school based assessment and intervention planning.ObjectiveTo systematically review the literature on the psychometric properties of self-report measures of school connectedness for students aged six to 14 years.MethodsA systematic search of five electronic databases and gray literature was conducted. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of heath Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) taxonomy of measurement properties was used to evaluate the quality of studies and a pre-set psychometric criterion was used to evaluate the overall quality of psychometric properties.ResultsThe measures with the strongest psychometric properties was the School Climate Measure and the 35-item version Student Engagement Instrument exploring eight and 12 (of 15) school connectedness components respectively.ConclusionsThe overall quality of psychometric properties was limited suggesting school connectedness measures available require further development and evaluation.

A Review and Analysis of Selected School Climate Measures

ABSTRACTAlthough it is widely agreed that there is no universally accepted definition for school climate, most professionals ground it in shared beliefs, values, and attitudes reflecting the quality and character of life in schools. In this article, we review and analyze measures accessible to school personnel charged with documenting and monitoring school climate. We document core features of four scientifically sound and comprehensive measures of school climate. We believe our work serves as a selective consumer's guide for school personnel engaged in important levels of decision-making related to monitoring and improving the quality and character of interactions that represent academic and behavior standards in schools.

Authoritative school climate and suspension rates in middle schools: Implications for reducing the racial disparity in school discipline

ABSTRACTThe overuse of school suspensions has been linked to a host of negative outcomes, including racial disparities in discipline. School climate initiatives have shown promise in reducing these disparities. The present study used the Authoritative School Climate Survey—which measures disciplinary structure and student support as key measures of school climate—to investigate an association between teacher and student perceptions of school climate and suspension rates in a statewide sample of middle schools. Regression analyses controlling for school-level poverty and school size found that elements of authoritative climate, particularly structure, distinguish high- and low-suspending schools. Schools with high levels of student- and teacher-reported structure had lower overall suspension rates and a lower gap between Black and White suspension rates. These findings can be used to guide school climate initiatives to reduce racial disparities in school discipline.

Relationships Among Student, Staff, and Administrative Measures of School Climate and Student Health and Academic Outcomes

School climate is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to improving the well-being of students; however, little is known about the relationships between its different domains and measures. We examined the relationships between student, staff, and administrative measures of school climate to understand the extent to which they were related to each other and student outcomes. The sample included 33,572 secondary school students from 121 schools in Los Angeles County during the 2014-2015 academic year. A multilevel regression model was constructed to examine the association between the domains and measures of school climate and 5 outcomes of student well-being: depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation, tobacco use, alcohol use, marijuana use, and grades. Student, staff, and administrative measures of school climate were weakly correlated. Strong associations were found between student outcomes and student reports of engagement and safety, while school staff reports and administrative measures of school climate showed limited associations with student outcomes. As schools seek to measure and implement interventions aimed at improving school climate, consideration should be given to grounding these efforts in a multidimensional conceptualization of climate that values student perspectives and includes elements of both engagement and safety.