School Climate and School Effectiveness Across Respondent Groups: A Multilevel Investigation

• In Event: Schools and Improvement Reforms

Abstract

Researchers and educators have increasingly recognized the importance of school climate and its relationship with various indicators of school performance. However, most studies conducted on school climate used single-level analyses (e.g., student-level) without accounting for the nested structure of the data, potentially leading to inaccurate conclusions. This study uses a state-wide dataset of student, teacher, and parent climate ratings to conduct multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) to investigate school climate across respondent groups and potential differences in the relationships previously noted with indicators of school effectiveness. Preliminary results suggested different patterns in these relationships when appropriately accounting for student memberships within schools, findings that may be used to assist educators and policymakers in making sound decisions based on this information.

Authors

• Mihaela Ene, University of South Carolina

• Elizabeth Leighton, University of South Carolina

• Kathleen McGrath, University of South Carolinia

• Christine DiStefano, University of South Carolina

• Diane M. Monrad, University of South Carolina