A new ESSA indicator of school quality and student success provides flexibility to broaden a states’ definition of school and student success. Educational research has found school success is in part determined by a school’s climate and should be considered in improvement/reform strategies (Cohen et al., 2009; Thapa et al., 2013). Yet, school climate research is often difficult and time consuming, and employs a variety of conflicting definitions and dimensions, instruments, and empirical approaches to determining school climate. Given these significant limitations with current measures, the purpose of this study was to validate an instrument measuring school climate based on the four most commonly accepted dimensions of school climate, using items adapted from a well-regarded and established theoretical framework to provide an effective measure for educators and researchers. The sample selected for this study was a portion of teachers who indicated teaching 3rd or 8th grade as their primary teaching assignment (n=500) from the larger study sample (n=4974). A Rasch Rating Scale Model was used to evaluate unidimensionality, item fit and difficulty, reliability, and potential differential item functioning on a 23-item school climate survey. Results of the study showed the instrument was not unidimensional and was split into two subdimensions: student-centered and teacher/school support. All items were retained and displayed appropriate fit. Significant differential item functioning (DIF) was found between 3rd and 8th grade teachers on both subdimensions, further suggesting multidimensionality in the scale. Study findings suggest researchers should be mindful of any school climate instrument not validated at the item level for unidimensionality, and that an instrument may perform differently for teachers at different grade levels.

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore experiences of English medium schools in Sweden through the narratives of participants (students and parents), and the educational philosophy of one independent school organisation. The theoretical perspective of Knud Illeris’ learning dimensions has been applied as an analytical tool to investigate the content, incentive and social/societal dimensions. As previous research on English medium education in Sweden have mainly investigated the content and incentive dimensions of learning, this study has a stronger focus on the social and societal dimension. A phenomenological approach extracted the experiences from participants in English medium schooling as written or oral narratives. The perspective of an English medium school organisation was explored through their educational philosophy as described in their Ethos. One of the main results of this study is that the positive influence of English is mentioned in all learning dimensions. English is not only described as an important learning content and incentive to learn, but also as an essential part of the school culture and an access to a global society. Another result is the importance of the unique school atmosphere that has been created through consistent rules of conduct and high expectations of academic achievement. The cultural diversity in the school and how this is described as a motivational factor and an opportunity to share and learn other perspectives is the final main result of the study.

This study empirically tested Benard’s (1991, 2004) theory of resilience and youth development by examining the influence of caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities for participation and contribution within the schools on the mathematics achievement and timely graduation of public high school students. Additional analyses focused on subsamples of students who were at risk of academic failure and school dropout—students from the lowest socioeconomic quartile, African American and Hispanic students, and a generic at-risk sample that includes students from these three groups plus students who had nontraditional families, had a disability, or were retained a grade in school. The study used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002, which was designed to monitor young people as they transition from tenth grade to postsecondary education and/or employment. Hierarchical Linear Models and Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models were used for the analyses. Experiences within the schools that conveyed caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for participation and contribution were associated with higher senior year mathematics achievement scores and increased odds of timely graduation for the overall public school sample and for the at-risk groups. Suggestions are made for increasing caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for participation and contribution within the schools. The limitations of this study and directions for further research are also discussed. / text

My thesis coucerns in a level of a climate among the schoolmates in the 5. class in the small school and subsequently in the 6. class in the fully organized primary school. The climate was compared by the same scholars during two classes. The sample coucerns in 3 classes in the small schools in the villages in the surroundings of Jindřichův Hradec and 3 classes in the fully organized schools in the Down. In the practical part was used a questionnaire MCI, specifically, his current form. Aime of a thesis was to find out which chmate there is in the small schools, if the participants further work with this situation and, finály, whether the chmate ganges with a transfer the pupils into a fully organized primary school.

Cette thèse se situe dans le courant de recherche de l’école efficace et porte sur le leadership et le climat scolaire comme étant les deux « principaux » facteurs d’efficacité. À partir des entretiens menés avec des directeurs de lycées autour de deux profils de leadership « pédagogique et transformationnel » et à partir d’une enquête sur le climat scolaire auprès des enseignants et des élèves, nous tentons d’approcher la façon dont les directeurs, jouissant d’une certaine autonomie, exercent leur leadership en faveur de la réussite des élèves. Nous cherchons ainsi à identifier les pratiques des directeurs les plus associées à la bonne réussite. Nos résultats montrent que dans un contexte ayant des interactions assez complexes et dans lequel la perception du climat scolaire par les élèves ou par les enseignants n’est pas toujours « idéale », le rôle d’un directeur vis-à-vis de la réussite des élèves n’est pas évident ; les directeurs peuvent pourtant y apporter une contribution indirecte appréciable. Ainsi, selon la majorité des élèves et des enseignants interrogés, la réussite des élèves est au cœur des priorités des directeurs (ce n’est pas le cas dans le lycée dont les élèves réussissent le moins bien). Par ailleurs, la majorité des directeurs rencontrés pensent que les pratiques d’un directeur peuvent influer sur les pratiques des enseignants même s’ils ont une tendance à privilégier un leadership peu centré sur les aspects pédagogiques. Au- delà de leur travail organisationnel et administratif pour « mettre les choses en ordre », les directeurs tendent à élaborer leurs propres dispositifs pour influer sur les pratiques des enseignants en l’absence de normes professionnelles précises. / This thesis is situated in the field of school effectiveness research. It focuses on leadership and school climate as being the two "key" factors of effectiveness. Based on the interviews conducted with high school directors about two leadership profiles " pedagogical and transformational" and on the basis of a survey on school climate conducted among teachers and pupils, we try to approach how the directors, enjoying a certain autonomy, exercise their leadership in favour of pupils' success. We aim thus to identify the best directors' practices associated with the success. Our results show that, in a context having rather complex interactions, and in which the perception of the school climate by the pupils or by the teachers is not always "ideal", the director’s role towards the success of pupils is not obvious; however, the directors can make a major indirect contribution to this success. According to the majority of pupils and teachers surveyed, the success of pupils is at the centre of priorities of the directors (this is not the case in the high school whose pupils were the least successful). Moreover, most of directors interviewed think that the directors’ practices can influence teachers' practices even if these directors tend to favour a leadership that is focused a little bit on the pedagogic aspects. The directors tend to develop their own methods to influence the practices of teachers in the absence of clear professional standards, beyond their organizational and administrative work « for putting things in order ».

The aim of this research was to explore the principals’ perceptions of their instructional leadership role in the improvement of literacy and numeracy in the Foundation Phase. This study was guided by a desire to find out and understand what principals perceive as their instructional leadership role in the improvement of literacy and numeracy. Although instructional leadership has been studied intensively, these studies have not explicitly considered principals’ perceptions of this concept. Most of the research has tended to explain this phenomenon from other stakeholders’ point of view. There has been very little research that has sought to understand how and in what ways principals view their instructional leadership role. As a domain of school leadership, instructional leadership is viewed by many as the primary role of principals which is meant to ensure effective and efficient teaching and learning. The deteriorating level of learner performance in both national and international tests has prompted the South African ministry of education to redirect efforts and seriously consider the importance of basic numeracy and literacy skills. The Department of Basic Education introduced programmes, namely the Foundations For Learning Campaign, the Annual National Assessment and Action Plan to 2014 to address the problems of learners’ inability to read, make basic calculations and write. This study is, thus, premised on the assumption that literacy and numeracy are prerequisites for learners’ future learning. To best understand instructional leadership, six primary school principals were purposefully sampled according to their schools’ performance in the 2012 Annual National Assessment results. They were sampled as “good”, “average”, and “poor” performing schools. All these participants shared the same socio-economic background and were situated in the deep rural villages of Limpopo Province. Semi-structured interviews were used as a data collecting technique for the study. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The practice and popularity of restorative justice (RJ) in education has been growing in recent years. There is, however, no universal understanding of RJ and its objectives. RJ can be understood in dramatically different ways by those implementing it: as an approach that challenges taken-for-granted structures and systems of discipline and control in schools; or as simply another tool that emphasizes compliance and punishment. Little research has been conducted that makes these differences explicit, and what the impact these different understandings of RJ might have on students. This multi-site case study examined how RJ was applied, how it was understood and what its intended objectives were in two schools, set in different contexts – Scotland and Canada. Although data was collected from teachers and principals to understand the context, my primary focus was on the students, those whom RJ was most intended to affect. Through questionnaires, observations, learning circles and engaging students as co-researchers, this study situates the student experience of RJ within particular school, regional and national contexts. The study finds that RJ in schools is a window into what is most fundamental to students: relationships. Viewing relationships through the window of RJ reveals both their centrality to students and their character of being of social control or social engagement. The study argues that RJ, by itself, does not guarantee certain qualities of relationship, but it does allow us to examine those qualities and ask questions of how school relationships are used to engage and/or control.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Health Sciences)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Background: The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a Health Promoting School (HPS) training programme for educators in the high schools of the Mankweng Circuit, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods: This is an explanatory mixed method study conducted among high school learners to identify risk behaviours, physical environmental and school climate factors to develop, implement and evaluate a Health Promoting School training programme for educators in the high schools of Mankweng Circuit. A structured questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect data. Quantitative data was collected from a total of (n=828) learners on risk behaviours, environmental and the school climate factors including curriculum and policy factors from (n=12) schools, while the key informants involved in decision making at the schools provided qualitative data on the same topics. The study highlighted potential areas for the initiation of Health Promoting Schools in Limpopo Province. Results: About 828 learners participated in this study, of which, 416 (50.2%) were males and 412 (49.8%) were females. More males than females indicate that they consumed alcohol (47% versus 24%, p<0.05), while 11% (90/840) of the learners report to have smoked cigarettes, a higher proportion of which are males rather than females (18% versus 4%, p<0.05). Quantitative results were further explored through analysis of the qualitative data from key informants who confirmed that the use of substances such as tobacco, alcohol and dagga (marijuana) is rife among school learners. Factors relevant to develop a training programme for educators were identified from the findings. The identified factors informed the development of the HPS training programme. Educators received training on HPS programme and the implementation was evaluated. Conclusion: The Health Promoting School (HPS) Training Programme improved the educator’s knowledge, understanding and skills of how schools can become Health Promoting Schools.

Hispanic students residing in the United States have historically been the lowest-achieving ethnic group in public schools and have a high dropout rate. A stark comparison to those statistics can be found within the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools in San Antonio, Texas, which have a majority Hispanic student population that is thriving academically and advancing to college. Using the Search Institute's positive youth development theory, the purpose of this study was to (a) quantitatively explore how school climate moderates the relationship between Hispanic student acquisition of developmental assets and academic success at KIPP charter schools from the perspective of both students and staff members and (b) identify the catalysts for growth and academic success. The Search Institute surveys, Creating a Great Place to Learn and the Developmental Assets Profile, were used to collect data from 78 students (Grades 6-8) and 45 staff members at KIPP Aspire and Camino. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted using Andrew F. Hayes's PROCESS, a tool within SPSS, to explore moderation effects. School climate's organizational attributes dimension had a significant moderation interaction between developmental assets (empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, positive values, and social competencies) and academic success (GPA). School climate's relationships dimension significantly moderated (a) academic success and (b) social competencies, a developmental asset. Implications for positive social change include shaping future intervention programs and school initiatives to build positive school climates, increase academic and social well-being, and help Hispanic students achieve success in school.