The school as a caring community: An analysis of perceptions of teachers, students, and parents in three South Carolina school districts

Seeking to improve teaching and learning has led to the implementation of academic standards and higher expectations for student achievement. While much emphasis has been placed on academic achievement, little focus has been given to creating caring learning communities that foster academic as well as character development. The perceptions held by stakeholders are eminently significant when making decisions that guide educational practices. This study examined stakeholders' perceptions of the school as a caring community. Participants included 388 teachers, students, and parents in three South Carolina School districts.; For this descriptive research, a survey containing five subscales and demographic items was administered to all participants. Collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Eight research questions were developed to guide the study. One-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey HSD post hoc test were selected as the data analysis procedures to obtain answers to the research questions. Descriptive statistics were also presented.; Research findings indicated significant differences between teachers and students and between teachers and parents in their perceptions of the school as a caring community on one of the five subscales. No significant differences were found among teachers, students, and parents in their perceptions of the school as a caring community on four of the five subscales. Additionally, in multiple comparisons for group and gender interactions, a significant difference was found between one of the comparisons. In multiple comparisons for group and race interactions, significant differences were found among five of the comparisons. As a result of this study, implications for further research were formulated.