Running head: SCHOOL CLIMATE EFFECTS STUDENT SUCCESS

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SCHOOL CLIMATE EFFECTS STUDENT SUCCESS Brandi Clay Concordia University

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Fifty-one new teachers this school year! How can a school that has been open for eight years have such a high teacher turn-over rate in one year? School is supposed to be a place to foster relationships, safety, teaching and learning, and an overall positive environment. If the school climate is so positive, then why are so many teachers leaving at this alarming rate? Students need to feel safe and comfortable before they can open up their brain to soak in new information. Until they feel safe, students cant obtain metacognitive thinking. When you have a few years of teaching experience, an educator can tell the difference between a positive and negative culture in the school. When administrators and teachers are not working together they will give off a negative vibe. The teachers will then take this negativity in their classroom. The result is that students will not gain the full experience of learning because the teacher is not putting in the effort. So how do you make teachers happy? Given these challenges of strengthening school climate to have a positive impact on student success this chapter addresses the following areas: theoretical background of school climate, statement of the problem, purpose of this study to explore the

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relationship between school climate and student success, the problem and hypotheses of these relationships, limitations of the study, assumptions of the study, definition of key terms used in the study and the significance of the study to student success. Theoretical Background Before the 1950s, little was researched about school climate, but educators recognized the significance. School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. Research on school climate has focused on the proximal conditions affecting students' learning, focusing on students' and teachers' experiences of the school as a learning environment. School climate also reflects the norms, goals, values, leadership practices and organizational structures. The organizational climate of the school also considers teachers' experiences of the school in the workplace (National School Climate Council, 2007). When the community, as well as parents, students and educators walk into a school, they quickly begin to form judgments about the experience of living and working in that school. Positive school climate needs to be created and maintained by members of the student, parent and school personnel groups in the school, and supported by the community. School climate can either promote or complicate students ability to learn and achieve academically. Our 21st century

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learning must be led by strong educational leaders with the ability to lead at all levels of the school community. This educational leadership is dependent on how well teachers work together with their principal and colleagues (Pedersen, Yager, & Yager, 2012). Statement of the Problem Faculty and staff retention, student achievement, student leadership, and parent/community perception were affected by positive school climate. Administrators were focusing on faculty/staff perception and student achievement to continue to meet the adequate yearly progress of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and to improve the overall school climate of the school. This urban area high school is in one of the most successful and thriving school districts in Texas, but the teacher turn over rate has hit a high and the student perception has been low. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between school climate and student success based on teacher morale, student involvement in extra-curricular activities and student test scores. Teacher morale examined includes teacher involvement in the school, years of experience, and personal reflection of the school environment. Problem and Hypotheses

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This study measured the parallel relationship of school climate and student success based on teacher morale, student involvement in extra-curricular activities and student test scores. The research questions guiding this study were: 1. What is the overall perception teachers have about working at this high school? 2. Does school climate affect student achievement? 3. Will rewarding teachers with incentives give them a better sense of belonging and job satisfaction? 4. Will taking students views and opinions into consideration help turn around the school climate? 5. Do veteran teachers (more than 5 years experience) have a more positive outlook on the school climate than newer teachers? To evaluate this relationship, the following hypotheses were put forth: 1. Teachers will perceive the school culture and climate have improved since last year, but still needs work. 2. School climate does affect student achievement. 3. Staff recognition and rewards will give teachers a sense theyre a valuable asset to their school. 4. Students views and opinions will not be the only factor in changing school climate.

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5. There will be no difference between new teachers and veteran teachers on the outlook of school climate. Each group will have their own separate demands as a teacher. Limitations This study had several limitations that need clarification. First, this study was limited to one high school in Texas. This may limit generalizing the results to other schools in and out of the districts. Second, the use of a one-time survey does not allow for elaboration or explanation beyond the items on the instrument. Also, the responses to the school climate and personality traits were limited to self-reported information from the demographic questionnaire given by the researcher. Therefore, the accuracy of the study is limited to the degree of candid and honest answers given by the participants. Notwithstanding, the results provide data to promote understanding of strengthening school climate to have a positive impact on student success. Definition of Terms School climate School climate was defines as the experience that students and staff encountered in a school building regarding safety, educational rigor, staff effectiveness and community perception. School culture - refers to the beliefs, perceptions,

relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that

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shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions. Also, deals with issues such as the physical and emotional safety of students, the orderliness of classrooms and public spaces, or the degree to which a school embraces and celebrates racial, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural diversity. Acronyms NCLB No Child Left Behind STAAR State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Significance of the Study School climate has so much importance that it can make or break your school. Its important that students feel comfortable and able to learn, and educators feel respected and able to do their job. When a student knows that his or her teacher cares not only about academic success, but also about personal wellbeingthe student will gain a higher sense of self-worth and self-esteem. When an educator feels like a valuable contributor to the team, they will be eager to put forth their best effort.

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CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE Until recently, research on school climate has been limited. There has also been little research in regards to the link between teacher morale and student achievement. This chapter serves to better understand the relationship between school climate, teacher morale, and student success. It begins with problems that can hinder a positive school climate. The literature indicates several reasons why a positive school climate can be a challenge which includes lack of teacher support and no room for teacher voice. Next, we will discuss the impact on promoting a positive vision in school. Then, we will take a look at how teacher success is based on the ability to build effective relationships with students. Next, we will explore how teachers need to feel appreciated at their job. Finally, we will discuss how the No Child Left Behind Act accountability is too narrowly focused. The conclusion brings about a reason for the study that was developed resulting in several hypotheses to guide the investigation. Problems with School Climate School climate is defined as the quality and character of a school life. The climate can be based on experiences of school life and basic norms, goals, values, relationships, teaching, learning and leadership methods, and organizational structures

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(National School Climate, 2007). Research shows that a positive and sustained school climate promotes students academic achievement and healthy development. When a school has a negative school climate the failure tends to trickle down to the students. One of the ways schools assess school climate is through surveys. According to the article Assessing School Climate (2009), the surveys (1) recognize student, parent, and school personnel voice and (2) assess all dimensions that color and shape the process of teaching and learning and educators and students experiences in the school building. Based on these surveys some schools learned that teachers felt there was no support and they didnt have a voice. Students viewed school as a prison and couldnt wait to graduate. Some other problems that were mentioned were unclean and crowded bathrooms, unappealing cafeteria food and lack of respect among students and between students and teachers (Cohen, Pickeral, & McCloskey, 2009). Teacher Support In order to have teacher job satisfaction, teachers need to feel that school administrators support them 100 percent in maintaining a safe learning climate. One-third of new teachers in the United States leave the profession during their first three years and almost half leave during the first five (Hill & Barth, 2004). A common practice among schools is to give the new

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teacher the most difficult class schedule, which proves to be ill-fated when it comes to keeping new teachers. When schools are constantly trying to replace teachers it affects students behavior and academic success. When the teaching staff felt supported then all of the other things that made up a school day fit together in a positive way. Teacher Voice Decision making is major element of dissatisfaction for teachers. When teachers have less say schools see staff disharmony and student misbehavior. Gathering some type of input from employees gives staff a chance to be heard on important issues. Taking teachers views and opinions into account, particularly regarding instruction, shows them that they are valued. Giving employees a chance to provide input, gives them a chance to vent before problems start. Promote a Positive Vision Researchers defined climate as the relationship between administration and staff and students working together to create positive outcomes in education and the general building morale. Craig Jerald wrote more about norms and values. The staff and administration agreed about norms and values in the school. A truly positive school climate was not characterized by the absence of gangs, violence, or discipline problems. But also by

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the presence of a set of norms and values focusing staff attention on what was the most important and motivated staff to work diligently toward a common purpose (Jerald, 2006). Principals should be aware of the school culture, find a group of staff members who believe in the school and build from there. Administration and staff should adopt a language that reinforces their positive vision and expectations. Students should be reminded daily of the schools high expectations and what they can do to achieve those expectations (Sterrett, 2012). Student Relationships Teacher success is based on the ability to build effective relationships with students. Experiences with adults, which include school staff, families, and community members determine the degree to which students feel healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged (Cohen et al., 2008). When administration and staff dont provide vision, support, and leadership to students they will likely encounter resistance and failure. Classroom teachers may assert his or her high expectation, but without building classroom communities they will encounter difficulty (Sterrett, 2012). When a student

knows that his or her teacher caresnot only about academic success, but also about personal well-beingthe student will gain a higher sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Student Voice

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Students also need to be able to have a voice to create a positive climate. Education researcher Alfie Kohn wrote four outcomes that happen when students are given meaningful student involvement in school decision making. First, positive climate created a general well being. Students felt good about being at school because the student felt like part of the team. Second, was positive climate affected behavior and values. When students were able to take responsibility for actions taken with reinforcement from teachers the behaviors were better. Third was positive climate affected academic achievement. Students who felt empowered were self motivated and achieved higher academically. Finally, the fourth was when students were able to have a voice in schools. When teachers shared the decision making process with students the job of the teacher became more interesting and easier. Students and teachers were partners in the school(Sisson, 2001). Staff Recognition and Rewards Administrators need to be able to share responsibilities and tasks with the people that work in the building. Responsibility sharing shows that staff are respected and valued. Principals who are good at their job recognize their role as a promoter of their teachers. Employees feel appreciated when they are publicly acknowledged for doing a good job and being recognized for their achievements (Vail, 2005). To

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establish positive morale administrators can leave encouraging notes or give staff occasional treats. Teachers can also encourage administrators and other teachers as well. No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a federal form with the intent to close the achievement gaps among students who belong to minority groups, have disabilities, are economically disadvantaged or have limited English proficiency (Hill, 2004). NCLB is a type of accountability system to measure reading, math, science score, but policy makers are becoming aware that NCLB is too narrowly focused (Cohen et al., 2009). Teachers are choosing to leave the profession due to stress and job dissatisfaction. When teachers are told to simply follow the textbook they shutdown and spend less effort in the classroom. When teachers are pushed to teach the test and follow a

district-prescribed curriculum they feel their job is to easy and not satisfying. According to author Heather Lattimer (2007), teachers are more likely to resist decisions that they believe are made by people who arent connected to the classroom and are therefore unaware of students needs. Conclusion In summary, the proposed relationship between school climate, teacher morale, and student achievement have been proven to go hand-in-hand. Marshall (2007) reported that

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researchers had identified the following factors that influenced school climate: 1. Number and quality of interactions between adults and students 2. Students and teachers perception of school environment, or the schools personality 3. Environmental factors (such as the physical building and classrooms, and materials used for instruction) 4. Academic performance 5. Feelings of safeness and school size 6. Feelings of trust and respect for students and teachers Clearly, school climate is multi-dimensional and is influenced by many. Although common sense tells us that students who feel safe, connected, and engaged in school are more likely to learn well; a lack of school vision, student voice, teaching to the test and unhappy teachers can hinder a school from reaching its full potential.

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CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY As stated in Chapter One, the purpose of the study was to explore the correlation between school climate and student success based on teacher morale, student involvement in extracurricular activities and student test scores in a large Texas metropolitan school district. Teacher morale examined includes teacher involvement in the school, years of experience, and personal reflection of the school environment. For statistical purposes, the research hypotheses stated in Chapter One are restated as directional hypotheses here. 1. Teachers will perceive the school culture and climate have improved since last year, but still needs work. 2. School climate does affect student achievement. 3. Staff recognition and rewards will give teachers a sense theyre a valuable asset to their school. 4. Students views and opinions will not be the only factor in changing school climate. 5. There will be no difference between new teachers and veteran teachers on the outlook of school climate. Each group will have their own separate demands as a teacher. Participants The Texas high school in the metropolitan district that participated in the study has a population of 0, 000 students.

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The school district is economically and ethnically diverse in its student population and mirrors the state of Texas in its student demographics. The participating high school was selected because of an established working relationship between the researcher and the staff of the respective school. Data from the school was aggregated into one sample. The percentage of economically disadvantaged students is 00.0%. The student population of the school is ethnically composed of_______. All demographic information for the above listed was obtained through the Texas Public Information Management System (PEIMS) and confirmed by the participating school. For this study, administrators, teachers, school staff were eligible participants. The results of the demographic survey are displayed below in tables 3.1 -3.3.

Table 3.1 The breakdown of male/female ratio of faculty/staff. Faculty/ Staff Female Male Total

Table 3.2 The breakdown of teaching experience and male/female ratio. Teaching Experience Beginning Teachers Male Female Total

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1-5 years 6-10 years 11-20 years Over 20 years

Table 3.3 The breakdown of male/female students by grade level. Grade Level 9th grade 10th grade 11th grade 12th grade Female Male Total

Variables The independent variables is the study were teaching experience, gender, teacher support, staff rewards and recognition, standardized test, and school vision. The dependent variables are teacher retention, low test scores, and low perception of school climate.

Figure 3. 1 The independent and dependent variable of the study.

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Instrumentation Organizational health, defined by Matthew Miles consists of 10 specific dimensions: goal focus, communication adequacy, optimal power equalization, resource utilization, cohesiveness, morale, innovativeness, autonomy, adaptation and problem-solving adequacy. These dimensions characterize aspects of climate that address the successful interaction among the employees as well as the schools ability to deal with stress from the environment. They also provide diagnostic date that can assist administration in recognizing the effectiveness of the school (McLean, Fairman, & Moore, 2006). The dimensions provide important data that inform the leadership styles of the principal in addressing the aspect of climate that need improvement. The OHI consists of 80 items, 8 for each of the 10 dimensions, with each being rated on a 5 point Likert-type scale. Test scores from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) will also be used. Procedure Since this study involved the use of human subjects (administrators, teachers, and students) and the collection of school related information, all district guidelines were followed and permissions obtained. After obtaining consent the researcher met with school administration to acquire permission

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to contact the faculty/staff, students and to answer questions. A statement of purpose and design of the study were presented. A copy of the questionnaire and instrument can be found in the appendix, along with a letter requesting permission to conduct the survey. This study was conducted from January 2014 through April 2014. Two hundred participating faculty/staff members and 200 hundred students were asked to complete surveys. The faculty/staff were asked to complete the Organizational Health Inventory and students were asked to complete the high school student survey from Nine Characteristics of Highly Effective Schools. Students were also asked to note personal experience on the survey. No effort was made to collect data from absent employees. The employees were given the survey during a scheduled faculty/staff meeting and they were given time to complete it. Students were given the survey during class or their scheduled organization meeting and they were given time to complete it. Each faculty/staff member and student in the school were given oral or written instructions, nature of the study, a letter of informed consent, and the OHI survey or the student survey. Several guidelines were established to increase participation. The guidelines included: 1. Respondent privacy. It is recommended that the OHI and student survey be completed privately, but in a group

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session to increase rate of responses, but minimize influence of others. 2. Respondent confidentiality. Profiling characteristics (gender, school level, and years experience) will only be used to make comparisons between different groups. It is important for this study to have a high percentage of participants in view of the fact that the target group of faculty/staff and students. To increase the participation faculty/staff and students were told the importance of the study along with potential implications of the study. The researcher minimized response bias by setting up the test setting as listed above, introducing the survey stressing the importance of honest answers, and reassuring the respondents about confidentiality. The examiner read the directions aloud to the respondents. Additionally, participants were instructed to answer all of the scale items and forms were checked for completeness as they were handed in. The introduction, explanation, distribution, completion and collection of surveys took 00 minutes to complete.

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REFERENCES Cohen, J., Pickeral, T., & McCloskey, M. (2009) Assessing school climate. E- Journal of Educational Leadership, 66(4), 45 48. Retrieved from http://www.eddigest.com Hill, D., & Barth, M. (2004). NCLB and teacher retention: Who will turn out the lights. Education and the Law, 16(2-3), 173 181. doi: 10.1080/0953996042000291588 Jearld, Craig D. School Culture: The hidden curriculum, Issue Brief (December 2006), 1-7 Lattimer, H. (2007). To help and not hinder. E Journal of Educational Leadership, 65(1), 70 73. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/sept07/vol65/num01/To-Help-and-Not-Hinder.aspx Marshall, M. (2007) Examining school climate: Defining factors and educational influences. Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management. 1-4. McLean L., Fairman, M. and Moore, B. (2006) A system approach to charting a path to quality and achievement. Report no. 1 to the The Council of Chief School Officers (Successful Practices Series). National School Climate Council (2007). The school climate challenge: Narrowing the gap

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between school climate research and school climate policy, practice guidelines and teacher education policy. Retrieved from http://ecs.org/school-climate Pedersen, J., Yager, S., & Yager, R. (2012). Student leadership distribution: Effects of a student-led leadership program on school climate and community. Retrieved from National Council of Professors of Educational Administration: http://www.ncpeapublications.org Sisson, M. (2001) When youth have a voice, school climate changes. Service Line, 11(3), pp.1 Sterrett, W. (2012). From discipline to relationships. EJournal of Educational Leadership, 70(2), 71 74. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/oct12/vol70/num02/From-Discipline-toRelationships.aspx Vail, K. (2205). Create great school climate. E- Journal of Education Digest, 71(4), 4-11. Retrieved from http://www.eddigest.com/index.php