Authoritative school climate and high school dropout rates
Yuane Jia1, Timothy R Konold1, Dewey Cornell2
1Department of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia.
Summary
An authoritative school climate, particularly supportive teachers and high academic expectations, is linked to lower high school dropout rates. This finding supports the importance of positive school environments for student retention.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Sociology of Education
Background:
- School climate significantly impacts student outcomes.
- Authoritative school environments are theorized to foster positive student development.
- High school dropout rates remain a critical concern in educational research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between authoritative school climate indicators and high school dropout rates.
- To investigate the moderating role of student support in the relationship between academic expectations and dropout rates.
Main Methods:
- School-level regression analyses were conducted on a statewide sample of 315 high schools.
- Teacher and student perceptions of disciplinary structure, student support, and academic expectations were utilized.
- Analyses controlled for school demographics including enrollment size, socioeconomic status, minority representation, and urbanicity.
Main Results:
- Authoritative school climate measures were associated with high school dropout rates.
- A significant interaction effect was found: supportive teacher-student relationships moderated the association between high academic expectations and lower dropout rates.
Conclusions:
- A supportive and academically challenging school climate is crucial for reducing high school dropout rates.
- Interventions aimed at fostering positive teacher-student relationships and maintaining high academic expectations may effectively decrease dropout rates.
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