Longitudinal Validation of the 5Essentials School Climate Survey

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: New Directions in School Climate Measurement

Abstract

In this study we use nine years (2011-2019) of longitudinal district wide data on the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to validate 5Essentials survey measures. Analyses are conducted in both elementary and high schools, across student outcomes including test scores, attendance and grades. We examine the longitudinal relationship between teacher and student reports of the climate and culture at a school and that school’s growth in student outcomes. We show that there are consistently strong relationships between measures of school climate and growth in student outcomes (attendance, grade point averages, test scores). This relationship between school climate and growth in student outcomes remains even when controlling for a school’s prior outcome level and accounting for differences between schools.

Authors

• Christopher Young, University of Chicago

• Holly M. Hart, University of Chicago

• Sangyoon Park, University of Chicago

• Andrew Zou, The University of Chicago