A multilevel model of the association between school climate and racial differences in academic outcomes

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between school‐level school climate and race differences in student grades, accounting for school sociodemographic composition. We found that schools with more positive school climates had smaller race differences in student self‐reported grades. The moderating effect of school climate remained after accounting for the sociodemographic composition of the school and students' own perceptions of climate at their school. This moderating effect was confounded by school grade band (i.e., elementary, middle, or high) since perception of positive school climate was lower in middle and high schools than in elementary schools. Despite the difficulty of disentangling school climate from grade band, the findings suggest school improvement strategies focused on school climate may promote racial equity in academic outcomes. School practitioners' efforts to improve the school climate may also contribute to racial equity in academics.

Racial climate reform in independent schools: How coping self‐efficacy buffers systemic and proximal racial stress for students of color

“…This study has found that the more SOC demonstrate confidence in their ability to use racial coping strategies to negotiate stressful racial microaggressions with peers and teachers, the less those stress effects undermine their well‐being in the school. This work supports previous research on the benefits of racial coping for SOC during proximal or face‐to‐face interactions (Bottiani et al, 2017; Carter et al, 2017; Davis, 2014; Johnson et al, 2019) as well as how SOC benefit academically within positive compared to negative school climates (Jones & Fleming, 2021). In essence, when all students regardless of race perceive their school climates as positive, SOC show higher grades in those schools.…”

“…In essence, when all students regardless of race perceive their school climates as positive, SOC show higher grades in those schools. To clarify further, Jones and Fleming (2021) asked questions about the general school climate, not school racial climate. Early work on school racial climate asked students to comment on how well a school promotes connectedness, safety, and learning inspiration without asking directly about racialized experiences, and thus failed to account for the unique effects of stressful racialized encounters.…”

The role of colorblind racism and white fragility in maintaining racist bullying in middle school

“…A focus on middle school racist bullying is warranted, as middle schools are often characterized by a pervasive culture of bullying (Evans et al, 2014) where over one-third of students experience bullying (Hicks et al, 2018). Middle school is also the time where racial disparities in students' experiences of school and educational outcomes begin to widen (T. M. Jones et al, 2021).…”

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Culture of Excellent Black High Schools in the Era of Jim Crow

“…Long-term, genuine, caring relationships among teachers, students, school leaders, families, and the community ultimately influence the overall culture of the school (Smith & Shouppe, 2018; Velasco et al, 2012). These relationships build a positive social environment and a sense of belonging within the school and the community (Jones & Fleming, 2021). Researchers have found that classroom environments in which students have strong and supportive relationships with their teachers are associated with students’ positive peer relationships and social adjustment, which reduces aggressive behaviors in the classroom and in the school (Leff et al, 2011; Meehan et al, 2003).…”