For more than a century, there has been a growing interest in school climate. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute for Educational Sciences, a growing number of State Departments of Education, foreign educational ministries, and UNICEF have focused on school climate reform as an evidence-based school improvement strategy that supports students, parents/guardians, and school personnel learning and working together to create ever safer, more supportive and engaging K–12 schools. This work presents an integrative review on school climate research. The 206 citations used in this review include experimental studies, correlational studies, literature reviews, and other descriptive studies. The review focuses on five essential dimensions of school climate: Safety, Relationships, Teaching and Learning, Institutional Environment, and the School Improvement Process. We conclude with a critique of the field and a series of recommendations for school climate...

/pdf/a-review-of-school-climate-research-3fto4n72nd.pdf

A Review of School Climate Research

This study was designed to expand the knowledge base of academic division deans by correlating differences in leadership styles (ie, frames) of the division deans within the North Carolina Community College System The data was collected using the Leadership Orientation Instrument-Self (LOI-Self) developed by Bolman and Deal (1990) to measure and identify the perceived organizational frames of leadership: human resource, political, structural and symbolic The LOI-Self survey, the focus of this study, was completed by the North Carolina Community College System division deans The North Carolina Community College System is the third largest in the nation, composed of 58 community colleges The first research question in this study identified the primary leadership orientation frame of the division deans The remaining three research questions used one-way ANOVAs to test the perceived leadership orientation of North Carolina Community College System division deans in relation to educational level, prior business (non-educational) experience, and number of years of serving as dean The research methodology used in this study is quantitative in design The results of this study indicate that the human resource frame was found to be most prevalent among the North Carolina Community College System deans along with a paired orientation with the structural frame Statistical analysis of the findings revealed no significance in reference to the division deans' perceived orientation leadership frames and educational level, prior business (non-educational) experience, or number of years of serving as dean as described in the research questions Cronbach's Alpha was used to establish reliability and demonstrates a high degree of consistency among the electronic survey respondents The results of this study correspond to Bolman and Deal's maintained population pool of total group means on the leadership orientations frames based on a collection of other studies Implications of this study suggest programs which would facilitate the deans in their development and utilization of the lesser used leadership skills of the political and symbolic frame orientations

A Study of Division Deans' in the North Carolina Community College System Self Perceived Leadership Style Based on Bolman and Deal's Four Frame Theory

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between school principals’ ethical leadership behaviour and positive climate practices. Research sample consisted of 383 teachers working at schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in 2014-2015 academic year. This research was designed according to the relational model. Data was collected by using “Ethical leadership” and “Organizational climate” scales. The results of the research suggested that according to their perceptions, teachers respond to the ethical leadership levels of the school principals at the level of “I disagree” and to the positive climate practices at the level of “I partially agree”. It has also been established that female teachers found principals’ ethical leadership levels and positive climate practices higher than male teachers. The principals’ ethical leadership behaviours and positive climate practices did not show a significant difference in teachers’ seniority, age and years working with principal. A high level of significant positive relationship was found between the school principals’ ethical leadership levels and positive climate practices. In conclusion, it may be important for positive climate practice at school to raise the levels of ethical leadership behaviour of school principals. This may influence both the academic and social achievement of the students and behaviour of the teachers.

/pdf/relationship-between-school-principals-ethical-leadership-5650i400ei.pdf

Relationship between School Principals’ Ethical Leadership Behaviours and Positive Climate Practices

A caring school community can enhance whole-school wellbeing including the wellbeing of school staff, which directly impacts on student academic, social and emotional wellbeing. This study firstly examines the validity and reliability of a proposed wholeschool staff wellbeing evaluation tool which uses a set of whole-school wellbeing indicators to identify strengths and areas for improvement within the school environment which may be impacting on staff wellbeing. Secondly, the association between factors found within the whole-school staff wellbeing tool with staff self-reported mental health are examined, and finally, the influence of person characteristics and role of factors on perceived whole-school staff wellbeing are determined. Cross-sectional data were collected from 801 school staff from six non-government schools in Australia as part of the School Staff Wellbeing Project. Results confirmed and validated the hypothesised structure of the whole-school staff wellbeing evaluation tool with staff relationships (leadership, staff), staff engagement (active, supported), staff emotional wellbeing (supported through policies and opportunities) and school climate (culture and values) found to be significant predictors of mental health. Prioritising resources to building supportive staff relationships, school climate, and providing opportunities to promote staff emotional wellbeing, were found to have the greatest impact on staff mental health. Characteristics such as age, gender, education, role, and length of time working in schools predicted perceptions of the whole-school’s general wellbeing. The whole-school staff wellbeing evaluation tool provides a useful screening and self-evaluation measure to identify whole-school staff wellbeing strengths and areas for improvement in staff wellbeing.

/pdf/a-whole-school-approach-to-promoting-staff-wellbeing-1uwt279ys3.pdf

A Whole-School Approach to Promoting Staff Wellbeing.

This contribution to the single theme issue moves from planning and assessment for differentiation to classroom practice. Dr Ann Lewis is lecturer in education, Department of Education, Warwick University.

Joan Wilson

Papers

The Influences of Sex, Age, Teacher Experience and Race on Teacher Perception of School Climate.

The Effects of Age, Occupation, Race and Education on Parent Communication with the School.

Children, choice and the national curriculum