Schools are experiencing many reform initiatives, yet creating positive school climates as a way to promote increased student achievement has been omitted from the policy discussion. Whether the professional learning community (PLC) construct can predict school climate is a gap in the current literature. Using change theory and distributed leadership as a framework, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between the dimensions of a PLC (shared values and vision, intentional learning and application, supportive and shared leadership, supportive conditions and shared personal practice) and school climate variables (academic emphasis, initiating structure, consideration and morale). Four multiple regression models were used to analyze data collected from the Organizational Health Inventory and School Professional Staff as Learning Community (SPSaLC) survey (n = 131). According to the study results, there is a relationship between the dimensions of a PLC and school climate variables. Based on the regression analysis, shared values and vision significantly predicted academic emphasis, intentional learning and application significantly predicted morale, supportive and shared leadership significantly predicted consideration and initiating structure, supportive conditions significantly predicted consideration and morale, and shared personal practice significantly predicted consideration. The result of distributing leadership through the PLC structure can improve school climate. These findings promote positive social change through the analysis of this relationship, a first of its kind. School leaders looking to create PLCs with the intent of improving both student achievement and school climate will directly benefit from this research.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there were significant differences in student chronic absenteeism between schools with high positive scores for perceptions of central components school climate and schools with low positive scores for perceptions of central components of school climate. This study assessed the difference in student chronic absenteeism among elementary schools rated high positive or low positive as well as among high schools rated high positive or low positive for perceptions of school engagement, school safety, and school environment. A series of chi square analyses were used to analyze data to determine if there were significant differences in student chronic absenteeism among schools with high positive ratings for central components of climate and schools with low positive ratings for central components of climate. The data that were analyzed included the number of students who were chronically absent, the number of students who were not chronically absent, and responses concerning perceptions of school climate provided by licensed school personnel on annual state-wide educator surveys administered by the Tennessee Department of Education. The results of the quantitative study revealed, that for both elementary and high schools, there was a significant difference in student chronic absenteeism between schools rated high positive and schools rated low positive for perceptions of school engagement. In addition, the results revealed, that for both elementary and high schools, there was a significant difference in student chronic absenteeism between schools rated high positive and schools rated low positive for perceptions of school 3 safety. Finally, the results revealed, that for both elementary and high schools, there was a significant difference in student chronic absenteeism between schools rated high positive and schools rated low positive for perceptions of school environment. In general, students who attended elementary or high schools rated high positive for perceptions of engagement, safety, and-or environment were significantly less likely to be chronically absent than students who attended elementary or high schools rated low positive for perceptions of engagement, safety, and-or environment.

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Bullying is a pervasive concern across the nation. Positive school climate is related to a reduction in bullying behaviors; thus, researchers aim to determine ways to enhance school climate in an effort to address bullying in schools. Many factors contribute to a positive school climate, including an authoritative leadership approach that provides consistent and fair discipline and positive support of students. In contrast, inconsistent and unfair discipline negatively impacts school climate and may exacerbate bullying among students. In some schools, discipline strategies are not applied equally to all students, and findings have consistently demonstrated that students from underrepresented groups, especially Black students, have been disproportionately affected. Moreover, the utilization of zero tolerance policies often disparately impacts minority students, with more frequent consequences such as suspension and expulsion for minor infractions. This study assessed the impact of unfair discipline on perceptions of school climate, safety, and bullying in predominantly rural schools, with specific examination of the experiences of Black students. The results of the study indicated that significant discrepancies continue to exist with Black students receiving a significantly greater proportion of suspensions than their proportion of enrollment in the schools. Surprisingly, disciplinary discrepancy did not significantly predict student perceptions of school climate, school safety, or bullying behaviors. Alternately, interesting findings emerged with respect to other student-level variables. Students who selected Black as their race had significantly less positive perceptions of school climate and the addition of student perceptions of unfair rules to the model significantly predicted perceptions of school climate. School-related variance did not significantly contribute to these findings. Next, students who perceived their school climate as more positive were significantly more likelihood to perceive their school to be safe. Furthermore, consistent with previous research, student likelihood of being bullied in the last 4 weeks increased significantly as grade decreased, meaning bulling experiences are more frequent in middle school and early high school as opposed to late high school years. Finally, negative perceptions of school climate significantly predicted the likelihood of student experiences of bullying. Overall, the findings suggest a need for disciplinary reform where the focus is on reducing bias and increasing positive supports for students.

This research study was conducted to determine whether teachers' perceptions of climate within a school had a significant influence on the dimensions that support a community of professional learners. Teachers from ten middle schools in one central Florida school district completed a combined survey design which included questions pertaining to both climate characteristics and Professional Learning Community (PLC) dimensions. Foundational theories regarding both learning organizations and organizational climate were explored. Recent research on the development of professional learning communities and school climate was also examined. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to investigate each research question; these statistics included Spearman rho correlations, multiple regressions, and chi-square analyses. Findings demonstrated that the null hypotheses were rejected or partially rejected for each research question. Significant relationships were found between teachers' perceptions of school climate and the dimensions of a PLC. Of the demographic variables, only years of teaching experience was found to be not significantly related to the school climate dimensions. The implications of these results validate the importance of building a climate of supportive principal behavior and committed and collegial teacher behaviors, as demonstrated by the significant relationship of these characteristics to schools exhibiting higher degrees of the dimensions that constitute a PLC. Educational stakeholders wishing to develop schools into job-embedded communities of learners with evidence of the five dimensions (shared leadership, shared vision, collective creativity, peer review and supportive conditions) must attend to developing the climate behaviors necessary for that to occur. As demonstrated by the research results, establishing an appropriate school climate that promotes professional interaction, support, and teacher commitment to students is a strong place to begin.

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