A Middle-Town Urban School District’s Experience of School Climate and Cultural Competence

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Constructing Equitable Instructional Practices and Procedures in Urban Settings (Table 17)

Abstract

Leveraging a university-school district partnership, the researchers and the Middle-Town Community Schools District (MTCS) explored the students’ and parents’ school climate experiences and perceptions of cultural competence. The study used a self-created survey to collect cross-sectional data in K-12. It assessed the students’ socio-emotional experiences and how they and their parents felt about the schools’ cultural competence and interactions. The study asked, “What are the K-12 students’ and parents’ experiences of school climate and cultural competence? The findings identified areas of strength, such as positive teacher-student and parent-school relationships across levels. It also highlighted areas that required attention, such as the potential for violent interactions and the need to improve cultural competence and representation in the middle-town urban school district.

Authors

• Regina J. Giraldo-Garcia, Ball State University

• Ligia Gómez Franco, Ball State University