School staff perceptions of school climate: a mixed-methods multistudy examination of staff school climate at the state, regional, and school levels

2018-06-27This dissertation consists of 3 studies examining school climate specifically from a staff perspective. ❧ Study 1: An extensive body of research shows that school climate is an important factor for individuals and schools, and recent research has suggested that positive climate may reduce inequalities in educational achievement connected to ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Yet current conceptualizations of school climate largely overlook the perspectives and experience of staff members. School staff members (e.g., teachers, administrators, social workers) have different roles and experiences in schools than students and are expected to take action to create positive climate for students. Data for this study come from the 2013 statewide administration of the California School Climate Survey (CSCS). In 2013, approximately 54,000 school staff members completed the survey. The majority of the sample was teachers (n = 38,205), but also included more than 2,000 administrators; 2,600 counselors, school psychologists, nurses, and social workers; and 8,000 other staff members. Controlling for staff characteristics, negative perceptions of school climate predicted higher levels of student risk, and positive perceptions predicted higher student well‐being. These results support a staff‐focused model of school climate. Further, how the school responded to discipline was the strongest influence in the models. Efforts to improve school climate might begin by assessing discipline procedures. ❧ Study 2: Research on school climate has linked positive school climate with improved academic and social emotional outcomes for students. Although school climate affects all people in schools, school staff members are largely absent from current climate definitions. There is reason to believe there are important distinctions in how staff members see school climate depending on their roles in schools, experience, and school placement. This study aimed to answer these questions: (a) Are there subgroups of staff members who share perceptions of school climate? (b) How are characteristics of staff members (e.g., school type or job) associated with their affiliation with subgroups of school climate? A large sample of 54,000 staff members who participated in the 2013 California School Climate Survey were examined in this study. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct subgroups of staff members across California with different perceptions of school climate in their schools. Four subgroups of staff perceptions of school climate were identified: negative climate (3.8%), lackluster climate (20%), positive discipline and support (47%), and positive climate (29%). Contrary to media reports about the demoralization of school staff members, results indicate a substantial proportion of staff members experience very positive school climate. Yet staff members working in middle or high schools perceive much more negative climate than those in elementary schools. ❧ Study 3: School staff members are rarely included in school climate research, particularly in relation to expectations that they create climate in their schools. School climate contexts for staff members often involve how they interact with one another in any given school, but also how the school district organizationally supports issues of school climate. This mixed‐methods study explored how socioeconomic status (SES), school districts, leadership, and school contexts come together to create school climate. A statewide latent profile analysis was used as a template to identify an initial sample of positive‐ and negative‐climate schools in one high‐SES district and one low‐SES district. Based on these data and district‐level interviews, four schools were selected for a case study. Data collection involved key informant interviews and observation. Findings indicate that the SES of the district and school did not directly dictate the quality of climate in each of the four case study schools. Instead, organizational variables in the schools, such as the principal’s decisions and vision, changes in principals, and the presence of a shared staff mission were highlighted as key influences on the quality of climate that staff members in schools with positive and negative climate experience. Findings also suggest that staff members may place a higher priority on creating positive climate for students than considering how climate influences their own experiences