Associations of Observed School Climate on Perceived Connectedness among Black, Latino, and White High Schoolers

• In Event: 3-023 - Enhancing the Power of Relationships: The Importance of Trust and Connectedness in Education

Integrative Statement

Introduction: Students’ sense of connectedness to teachers and to their school as a whole affects their experience of supportive school climate, identity development, social emotional skill development, and academic success. Black and Latinx students often report lower levels of connectedness at school relative to their White peers. Adopting an intersectional lens, research also suggests that Black and Latina girls experience lower levels of connectedness to school than their male counterparts. These differential perceptions and experiences of connectedness at school suggest the potential that factors within the school environment could be functioning to alienate or marginalize students of color. Yet precisely because perceptions of climate vary depending on student identity backgrounds and experiences, it is important to identify and measure these potential factors using an impartial lens.

Method: The present study utilized observational measures of school climate and classroom practices to examine factors that relate to students’ report of connectedness. Specifically, we hypothesized that higher levels of observed punitive discipline in the classroom, as well as features of the school physical environment would differentially relate to Black, Latino, and White students’ report of connectedness. Students reported on teacher connectedness (α = .88, six items) and whole-school connectedness (α = .84, four items). Independent, trained observers reported on teachers’ use of punitive consequences/disapprovals, using the Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers (ASSIST; Rusby, Taylor, & Milchak, 2001) observational measure (overall inter-observer agreement rate was 87% in spring 2014). Employing the School Assessment for Environmental Typology (SAfETy; Bradshaw, Milam, Furr-Holden, & Lindstrom Johnson, 2015), trained, independent observers reported on disorder (i.e., graffiti, property damage, litter, substance use paraphernalia, cigarette butts, and exterior negative behavioral expectations); surveillance (i.e., interior and exterior presence of surveillance video cameras, interior negative behavioral expectations, and ownership); and appearance (i.e., clean and aesthetically-maintained interior spaces, well-lighted building entrances, murals and artwork, and landscaping). Employing nested student-report data within observed classroom and school data, we ran multilevel models in Stata 14 adjusting for student, classroom, and school demographics.

Results: We found that, for Black and Latinx students, but not White students, school-level surveillance was significantly negatively associated with both teacher and whole-school connectedness. At the classroom level, we similarly found that, for Black and Latinx students, but not for White students, observed classroom incidents of teacher-issued punitive consequences and disapprovals toward students were also significantly negatively associated with their report of teacher connectedness. In addition, school appearance was positively associated with teacher and whole-school connectedness for Black students, and disorder was negatively associated with whole school connectedness among Black students, whereas these associations were not found to be significant among Latinx or White students.

Discussion: This study underscores the importance of examining potentially unique factors affecting school connectedness for students of color. The findings of this study have racial equity implications for commonly utilized discipline and monitoring practices at schools, suggesting a need to minimize use of schoolwide video camera surveillance and punitive classroom discipline strategies to better support connectedness at school among Black and Latino youth.

Authors

• Jessika H. Bottiani, University of Virginia
  Presenting Author

• Catherine Bradshaw, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katrina J. Debnam, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author