Improving the school environment: School staff perceptions of school climate data and reporting practices
Katrina J Debnam1, Kelly Edwards2, Dewey Cornell3
1School of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Journal of Community Psychology
|January 4, 2021
Summary
School staff want to see climate survey results, but few use them for improvement. Leaders must collaborate with staff to effectively use this data for better school environments.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Organizational Behavior
- Mixed-Methods Research
Background:
- School climate surveys are common in U.S. education.
- Limited understanding exists regarding staff engagement in analyzing and utilizing survey outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate school staff's interest in, access to, and application of school climate survey data.
- To explore how school leaders involve staff in the interpretation and use of survey results for school improvement.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative survey data from 16,525 staff across 318 high schools with qualitative insights from 15 semistructured interviews.
- Data analysis involved statistical examination of survey responses and content coding of interview transcripts.
Main Results:
- A significant majority of school staff (84%) expressed interest in viewing school climate survey results.
- However, less than one-third of staff reported actually seeing or using the results for school planning or improvement initiatives.
- Administrators demonstrated higher rates of accessing and utilizing survey data compared to teachers and other staff.
Conclusions:
- Despite strong staff interest, a gap exists in the practical application of school climate survey data for school improvement.
- Effective utilization of survey results necessitates greater collaboration between school leaders and staff in interpreting and acting upon the findings.
- Enhancing school climate requires a concerted effort to ensure survey data informs actionable strategies developed with staff input.
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