School Climate and Student Achievement: An Exploratory Study

• In Event: Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Poster Fair A: Examining Student Outcomes

Abstract

A large school district in the southeastern United States is investigating the relationship between school climate variables and student learning. This study begins the process of examining these factors and outcomes in our district and in our schools, so that data can inform policy decisions impacting school climate. Several primary sources of data from 2012 will be analyzed in this project: state Teacher Working Conditions Survey data, school level student achievement and growth measures, district Student Climate Survey data, demographic variables, and student level test score data. The current scope of the study aims to model these relationships using factor analytic and structural equation modeling methods, as well as explore group differences via statistical hypothesis tests.

Authors

• Judith MacKay Penny, Guilford County Schools

• Marty Ward, Winston-Salem - Forsyth County Schools

• Jonathan Darrell Rollins, University of North Carolina - Greensboro