0.3 Lindahl, r. (february 2009). school climate differences between  (Page 2/10)

A comparison population of lower-performing elementary, middle, and junior high schools serving low-income students was selected using data from the Alabama Department of Education’s (ALSDE) web site (http://www.alasde.edu). First, the ALSDE’s list of schools that did not make Adequate Yearly Progress for school year 2007-2008 was used to determine which schools met this criterion. Then the ALSDE data base on those schools was consulted to identify which of those schools served populations in which 70% or more of the students qualified for free or reduce priced lunch. Statewide, a total of 27 schools met these criteria.

School climate

Although there are many definitions and conceptual models of school climate, the one chosen as the basis for this analysis was developed by Tagiuri (1968). Tagiuri presented a model of organizational climate comprised of four factors: culture (psychosocial characteristics), ecology (physical and material elements), milieu (human social system elements), and social system (structural elements). Culture refers to such things as assumptions, values, norms, belief systems, history, heroes, myths, rituals, artifacts, and visible and audible behavior patterns. Ecology refers to such things as buildings and facilities, as well as technology used for communication, scheduling, and pedagogy. Social system elements include how instruction, administration, support services, decision making, planning, and formal structures are organized. Milieu focuses on the people in the organization, e.g., their skills, motivation, feelings, values, demographics, and leadership (Owens&Valesky, 2007).

Anderson (1982, p. 383) noted that, “In general, as researchers move into social system and culture dimensions and away from ecology and milieu, constructs become more abstract. Findings in turn are harder to compare because the variables and constructs are not necessarily operationalized in the same way.” Hoy and Tarter (1997) recommended that if the research purpose is to identify the underlying forces that motivate behavior in a school or the values and symbolism of the school, then a cultural approach is advised; if the study is to describe the actual behavior with the purpose of managing and changing it, then a climate approach is more appropriate. With both of these issues in mind, and recognizing that the purpose of this study is to describe the behaviors and their relationship to student performance, only the ecology, social system, and milieu factors from Tagiuri’s (1968) model were examined in this study. The Take20 survey contained ample items on all three factors.

Although some researchers question the use of perceptual data in research studies, in the case of school climate, it has usually been accepted as a direct indicator of normative climate (Anderson, 1982; Sarason, 1971). Consequently, the Take20 data were judged as adequate and appropriate for this study.

Research on school climate and student performance

Considerable research has been conducted linking school climate to student performance. The overall conclusion of that research has been that climate exists as an essential element of successful schools (Bliss, Firestone,&Richards, 1991; Carter, 2000; Cruickshank, 1990; DuFour, 2000; DuFour&Eaker, 1996; Edmonds, 1979 a&b; Goddard, Tschannen-Moran,&Hoy, 2001; Hoy&Feldman, 1987; Hoy&Hannum, 1997; Klinger, 2000; Lezotte, 1991, 1992, 2001).