The Pennsylvania Department of Education's (PDE's) Office for Safe Schools partnered with REL Mid-Atlantic to conduct a study using data from PDE's school climate survey. This survey, which is available on a voluntary basis to any school in the state, provides a way to track school climate and identify schools that need additional support to…

The authors believe it is time to expand the term school climate to reflect an intention of giving all children access to positive school environments. Their expanded definition recognizes that equitable school climates are central to education equity, and it calls on educators and policymakers to deepen awareness of race, ethnicity, gender,…

The report contains real-world, proven school climate strategies to guide policymakers in building a comprehensive and coherent state-wide approach for improving school climate. It features 12 recommendations linked to existing state policy examples policymakers can use to build a comprehensive, coherent state-wide approach for improving school…

The national teacher shortage created a crisis in the educational system that caused a negative effect on students and teachers (Garcia & Weiss, 2019). School climate can influence teachers' contribution, productivity, and sense of belonging (Smith et al., 2014; Thapa et al., 2013). With the current teacher shortage, school principals navigate…

These are the appendixes for the full report, "Changes in School Climate during COVID-19 in a Sample of Pennsylvania Schools." The REL study analyzed changes in scores from a pre-pandemic year (2018/19) to the 2020/21 and 2021/22 school years, both of which were affected by COVID-19 and related policy changes. These technical appendixes…

Background: The whole school, whole community, whole child (WSCC) model suggests wellness councils, ongoing review of wellness policy, and a plan for evaluating set objectives are some of the key features needed to support school wellness infrastructure. This study explored the relationship between implementation of these infrastructure features…

This quantitative research study explored the relationship between teachers' perceptions of how their school leaders navigate change and teachers' self-reported readiness for change using a survey tool developed initially for corporate change management. The Organizational Change Questionnaire -- Climate of Change, Processes, and Readiness (OCQ)…

Research indicates that creating a psychologically safe school climate matters for adult learning in the same way it matters for children's learning. School leaders can help teachers feel safe to take risks, share differing opinions, and be vulnerable in front of peers before and during professional learning activities. An example of why…

With the increased demands of high-stakes testing and the additional test security protocols put in place surrounding the administration of assessments such as the PSSA and Keystone Exams, public school administrators are now faced with increased burdens surrounding these assessments on top of their ever-growing responsibilities. In today's world…

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence international students' sense of belonging. An in-depth review of existing research on sense of belonging helped me identify 18 factors closely connected to the sense of belonging of international students. I categorized these factors into four groups: (a) academic integration,…

As national and state demands continue to mandate school improvement, leaders in schools have continued to seek answers from leadership theory and research to improve and sustain the culture and climate that has been created in order for diverse populations to meet academic excellence. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship…

Student perspectives reflect school climate. The study examined perspectives among deaf and hard of hearing students in residential and large day schools regarding bullying, and compared these perspectives with those of a national database of hearing students. The participants were 812 deaf and hard of hearing students in 11 U.S. schools. Data…

Teachers and administrators are faced with managing the behaviors of students while preparing for the high stakes testing associated with the No Child Left Behind Act. One program that has demonstrated positive results at the elementary and middle school level is the school-wide positive behavior support model (SWPBS). Limited research is…

A positive classroom climate is essential to the success of students with disabilities in higher education. In a study of 268 students and 76 faculty members at a small liberal arts women's college in eastern Pennsylvania, participants responded to statements about students with disabilities. Findings indicate that faculty and students perceive…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects of grade-span configuration on student achievement and sense of belonging. The quantitative data for this study was collected from Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), specifically the Future Ready PA Index site and Eidex. Additional quantitative data was collected through…