A Mechanism of School-Level Factors: The Role of School's Social Environment in Improving Student Achievement

• In Event: Park Central Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Contextual and Socio-Emotional Aspects of Change: Leadership Considerations for School Improvement

Abstract

Few empirical studies exist to address knowledge about the relationships between school social factors influencing student achievement. We examined how principal support (PS), professional learning community (PLC), collective responsibility (CR), and math teacher expectations (TE) affect ninth-grade students’ math achievement by using a multilevel structural equation modeling. The research found a processing model of school-level factors: PS positively influenced both PLC and CR, which, in turn, affected student math achievement via TEs; on the other hand, the impact of PS on TE and the direct associations of both PLC and CR with student achievement were not statically significant. Addressing a school-level procession mechanism influencing student achievement provides a better understanding of sustaining high school performance through school reform initiatives.

Authors

• In Heok Lee, University of Georgia

• Jeon-Yi Lee, Han Yang University

• Kang Ho Lee, Hanyang University

• Joo-Ho Park, Hanyang University