School Staff Members in California: How Perceptions of School Climate are Related to Perceptions of Student Risk and Well-Being

Objective: Positive school climate is a protective factor for students, yet current conceptualizations of climate largely overlook the perspectives of school staff members (e.g., teachers, administrators, social workers), who are expected to take action to create a positive climate. This study explores the construction of staff-focused dimensions of school climate and associations between school climate and student outcomes. Method: Data are from the 2013 California School Climate Survey; approximately 54,000 school staff members completed the survey. Teachers comprised the majority of the sample (n = 38,205), which also included administrators, counselors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and other staff members. We used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and reliability tests for data reduction and to evaluate subscales and then used regression models to examine associations between school climate and student outcomes. Results: The EFA supported multiple subscales to measure school climate. Controlling for staff characteristics, negative perceptions of school climate predicted higher levels of student risk, and positive perceptions predicted greater student well-being. How the school responded to discipline was the strongest influence in the models. Conclusions: Results support a staff-focused model of school climate. School staff members who experienced more positive climate reported experiencing less disruptive behavior from students, less student violence, and increased student well-being. School discipline and supportive relationships may be particularly important to staff member perceptions of climate. School stakeholders should assess staff perceptions and experiences before implementing interventions to improve school climate and social–emotional learning or target student risk behaviors.