The Role of School Safety Factors in Supporting Pre- and Young Adolescents With Adverse Backgrounds

• In Event: 56.072 - Improving School Climate in the Context of Urban Secondary Schools Serving Predominantly Low-Income Students

Abstract

More than half of American children are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in their early years. The influence of ACEs on development ripple outward, influenced by families and contextual elements, as children become young adolescents. School climate, including the level of violence, security, and substance use, intervenes in the relationship between young adolescents and achievement. This study utilizes data from the Panel Study for Income Dynamics to measure a latent factor of school climate and model climate as mediating the relationship between developmental factors and cognitive outcomes. Results indicate the significant role that school climate plays in this relationship. The findings from this study may be used to shape policy regarding these elements of school climate in middle schools.

Author

• Mark W. Olofson, University of Texas at El Paso