Abstract
In this chapter, we define positive school climate as a systemic condition that encompasses the quality of individual and collective perceptions of the school. We then present a model of school climate that has four dimensions (Safety, Teaching and learning, Relationships, and Environment–Structure), around which much of the chapter is organized. We conclude with a discussion of the impact of, and ways to create, a positive school climate.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anderson, C. (1982). The search for school climate: A review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 52, 368–420.
Astor, R. A., Meyer, H. A., Benbenishty, R., Marachi, R., & Rosemond, M. (2005). School safety interventions: Best practices and programs. National Association of Social Workers, 27, 17–32.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1–26.
Berlowitz, M. W., & Bier, M. (2005). The interpersonal roots of character education. In D. K. Lapsely (Ed.), Character psychology and character education (pp. 268–285). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
Blum, R. W., McNeely, C. A., & Rinehart, P. M. (2002). Improving the odds: The untapped power of schools to improve the health of teens. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Center for Adolescent Health and Development. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.sfu.ca/cfrj/fulltext/blum.pdf
Catalano, R. F., Berglund, M. L., Ryan, J. M., Lonczak, H. S., & Hawkins, J. D. (2002). Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs. Prevention and Treatment, 5(Article 15), 1–111.
Chen, G. (2009). Communities, students, schools, and school crime: A confirmatory study of crime in US high schools. Urban Education, 43, 301–318.
Cohen, J. (2001). Social and emotional education: Core principles and practices. In J. Cohen (Ed.), Caring classrooms/intellgent schools: The social emotional education of young children. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from htttp://www.csee.net/resources/selbook). New York: Teachers College Press.
Cohen, J. (2006). Social, emotional, ethical and academic education: Creating a climate for learning, participation in democracy and well-being. Harvard Educational Review, 76, 201–237.
Cohen, J., McCabe, E. M., Michelli, N. M., & Pickeral, T. (2009). School climate: Research, policy, practice, and teacher education. Teachers College Record, 111, 180–213.
Comer, J. (1980). School power. New York: The Free Press.
Creemers, B. P., & Reezigt, G. J. (1999). The role of school and classroom climate in elementary school learning environments. In H. J. Freiberg (Ed.), School climate: Measuring, improving and sustaining healthy learning environments (pp. 30–47). Philadelphia: Falmer Press.
Daniels, J. A., Bradley, M. C., & Hays, M. (2007). The impact of school violence on school personnel: Implications for psychologists (pp. 652–659). Professional Psychology: Research & Practice.
Daniels, J. A., Bradley, M. C., Cramer, D. P., Winkler, A., Kinebrew, K., & Crockett, D. (2007). The successful resolution of armed hostage/barricade events in schools: A qualitative analysis. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 601–613.
deJung, J., & Duckworth, K. (1986). High school teachers and their students’ attendance: Final report. Eugene, Oregon: ERIC Document Reproduction Service N. ED 266 557.
Eccles, J., Wigfield, A., Midgley, C., Reuman, D., MacIver, D., & Feldlaufer, H. (1993). Negative effects of traditional middle school on students’ motivation. The Elementary School Journal, 93, 553–573.
Espelage, D. L., Bosworth, K., & Simon, T. R. (2001). Short-term strability and prospective correlates of bullying in middle-school students: An examination of poential demographic, psychosocial, and environmental influences. Violence and Victims, 16, 411–426.
Finnan, C., Schnepel, K., & Anderson, L. (2003). Powerful learning environments: The critical link between school and classroom cultures. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 8, 391–418.
Freiberg, H. J. (1999). School climate: Measuring, improving and sustaining healthy learning environments. Philadelphia: Falmer Press.
Ghaith, G. (2003). The relationship between forms of instruction, achievement and perceptions of classroom climate. Educational Researcher, 45, 83–93.
Good, T. L., & Weinstein, R. S. (1986). Schools make a difference: Evidence, criticism, and new directions. The American Psychologist, 41, 1090–1097.
Goodenow, C., & Crady, K. E. (1997). The relationship of school belonging and friends’ values to academic motivation among urban adolescent students. Journal of Experimental Education, 62, 60–71.
Gottfredson, G. D. & Gottfredson, D. C. (1989). School climate, academic performance, Âattendance, and dropout. ERIC Document ED308225. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1e/ce/b4.pdf
Gottfredson, D. C., & Wilson, D. B. (2003). Characteristics of effective school-based substance abuse prevention. Preventive Science, 4, 27–38.
Halpin, A. W., & Croft, D. B. (1963). The organizational climate of schools. Chicago: Midwest Administration Center of the University of Chicago.
Haynes, N. M., Comer, J. P., & Hamilton-Lee, M. (1989). School climate enhancement through parental involvement. Journal of School Psychology, 27, 87–90.
Hoge, D. R., Smit, E. K., & Hanson, S. L. (1990). School experiences predicting changes in self-esteem of sixth and seventh-grade students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 117–127.
Homana, G., Barber, C., & Toreny-Purta, J. (2006, June). Assessing school citizenship education climate: Implicatins for the social studies. University of Maryland: Circle Working Paper 48.
Juvonen, J., Le, V. N., Kaganoff, T., Augustine, C. H., & Constant, L. (2004). Focus on the wonder years: Challenges facing the American middle school. Santa Moncia, CA: Rand.
Karcher, M. J. (2002a). Connectedness and school violence: A framework for developmental interventions. In E. Gerler (Ed.), Handbook of school violence (pp. 7–40). Binghamton, NY: Haworth.
Karcher, M. J. (2002b). The cycle of violence and disconnection among rural middle school students: Teachers’ disconnectedness as a consequence of violence. Journal of School Violence, 1, 35–51.
Kasen, S., Johnson, J., & Cohen, P. (1990). The impact of school emotional climate on student psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 18, 165–178.
Kerr, D., Ireland, E., Lopes, J., Craig, R., & Cleaver, E. (2004). Citizenship education longitudinal study: Second annual report: First longitudinal study. Slough, Berkshire, England: National Foundation for Educational Research.
Kirby, D. (2001). Understanding what works and what doesn’t in reducing adolescent sexual risk taking. Family Planning Perspectives, 33, 276–281.
Kramer, R. M., & Cook, K. S. (2004). Trust and distrust within organizations: Dilemmas and approaches. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Kunter, M., Tsai, Y. M., Klusman, U., Brunner, M., Krauss, B., & Baumert, J. (2008). Students’ and mathematics teachers’ perceptions of teacher enthusiasm and instruction. Journal of Learning and Instruction, 18, 468–482.
McNeely, C. A., Nonnemaker, J. M., & Blum, R. W. (2002). Promoting school connectedness: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The Journal of School Health, 72, 138–146.
Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 72, 323–367.
Perry, A. (1908). The management of a city school. New York: Macmillan.
Purkey, S. C., & Smith, M. S. (1983). Effective schools: A review. The Elementary School Journal, 83, 427–454.
Ross, S. M., McDonald, A. J., Alberg, M., & McSparrin-Gallagher, B. (2007). Achievement and climate outcomes for the Knowledge is Power program in an inner city middle school. Journal of Education for Students Placed At-Risk, 12, 137–165.
Rumberger, R. (1987). High school dopouts: A review of issues and evidence. Review of Educational Research, 57, 1–29.
Sherblom, S. A., Marshall, J. C., & Sherblom, J. C. (2006). The relationship between school climate and math and reading achievement. Journal of Research in Character Education, 4, 19–31.
Shochet, I. M., Dadds, M. R., Ham, D., & Montague, R. (2006). School connectedness is an underemphasized parameter in adolescent mental health: Results of a community prediction study. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 170–179.
Sommer, B. (1985). What’s different about truants? A comparison study of eighth graders. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 14, 411–422.
Torney-Purta, J., Lehmann, R., Oswald, H., & Schulz, W. (2001). Citizenship and education in twenty-eight countries. International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement, Amsterdam. Retrieved May 20, 2009, from http://www.wam.umd.edu/iea
US Department of Justice. (2004). Toward safe and orderly schools – The national Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools. Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij
Wallace Foundation. (2006). Leadership for learning: Making the connections among state, district and school policies and practices. New York: Wallace Foundation.
Wentzel, K. R., & Watkins, D. E. (2002). Peer relationships and collaborative learning as contexts for academic enablers. School Psychology Review, 31, 366–367.
Whitlock, J. L. (2006). Youth perceptions of life at school: Contextual correlates of school connectedness in adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 10, 13–29.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Daniels, J.A., Bradley, M.C. (2011). Building a Positive School Climate. In: Preventing Lethal School Violence. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8107-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8107-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-8106-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-8107-3
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)