Racial Differences in Perceptions of School Climate and Their Associations With Student Outcomes

• In Event: 69.053 - Racial and Ethnic Variation in School Climate Perceptions and Strategies for a Positive Racial/Ethnic Climate

Abstract

Research suggests that positive school climates are associated with higher levels of student engagement and lower rates of peer aggression. Given the racial disparities in schools, we examine whether Black, Hispanic, and White high school students differed in their perceptions of school climate (SC), engagement, and peer aggression, and whether the associations between SC and both student engagement and peer aggression varied as a function of race. Racial groups were contrasted through methods that controlled for the nesting of students (N = 40,839) within high schools (N = 323) and several covariates. Results indicated that reports of SC varied between White and Black groups. However, race did not moderate the meaningful associations found between SC and either engagement or peer aggression.

Authors

• Timothy R. Konold, University of Virginia

• Kathan Dushyant Shukla, University of Virginia

• Dewey G. Cornell, University of Virginia

• Francis Huang