School Climate in Middle Schools

In 2007-08 and 2008-09, 2,500 randomly-selected middle school students completed an annual survey on school climate and character development. In examining differences based upon grade, gender, race/ethnicity, school, and length of program participation, significant differences were found for all but length of program participation. Responses of Hispanic/Latino students varied considerably from those of White and Asian students, with personal relationships with teachers emerging as more important than modeling of positive behaviors—opposite from the preference of White and Asian students. These findings confirm that perceptions of school climate are impacted by students’ ethnic background, gender, and age. In order to improve school climate, school leaders and researchers alike must first obtain a complete understanding of what a positive school climate would look and feel like for students who strongly identify with particular cultures.