School Climate: a Review of the Construct, Measurement, and Impact on Student Outcomes

Educ Psychol Rev (2016) 28:315352 DOI 10.1007/s10648-015-9319-1

REVIEW ARTICLE

Ming-Te Wang1 & Jessica L. Degol1,2

Published online: 23 June 2015# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Abstract The construct of school climate has received attention as a way to enhance student achievement and reduce problem behaviors. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the existing literature on school climate and to bring to light the strengths, weakness, and gaps in the ways researchers have approached the construct. The central information in this article is organized into five sections. In the first, we describe the theoretical frameworks to support the multidimensionality of school climate and how school climate impacts student outcomes. In the second, we provide a breakdown of the four domains that make up school climate, including academic, community, safety, and institutional environment. In the third, we examine research on the outcomes of school climate. In the fourth, we outline the measurement and analytic methods of the construct of school climate. Finally, we summarize the strengths and limitations of the current work on school climate and make suggestions for future research directions.

Keywords School climate . School environment . Measurement . Behavioral development . Socioemotional development . Academic performance

School climate has been recognized as an opportunity to enhance student achievement and reduce problem behaviors and dropout rates. Climate shapes the quality of the interactions of all students, teachers, parents, and school personnel, and reflects the norms, values, and goals that represent the broader educational and social missions of the school (National School Climate Council 2007). School climate represents virtually every aspect of the school experience, including the quality of teaching and learning, school community relationships, school organization, and the institutional and structural features of the school environment. Thus, school is more than an academic learning context; it is also a place where children learn how to

* Ming-Te Wang

[email protected]

Jessica L. Degol [email protected]

1 University of Pittsburgh, 230 South Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA

2 Pennsylvania State University-Altoona, Altoona, PA, USA

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