| The purpose of this study was to formulate and test the impact of a school climate model on academic achievement using a national sample of minority students in elementary schools. The study examines the relationship among four constructs: (a) positive teacher/student interaction (b) classroom environment (c) school environment and (d) effective school leadership, and how they all impact mathematics and reading achievement.;This study contributes to the basic understanding of how school climate relates to math and reading achievement and contributes to a basic understanding of how school climate factors are related to each other. It also examines how these factors relate to reading/math and student achievement of African Americans and Hispanic students, many of whom are economically disadvantaged.;Data for the study were drawn from the fifth year follow-up of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey of 2001-2008. The survey has four sub-components completed by students, teachers, parents and school administrators but only the student survey data were used for this study.;The two models of mathematics and reading achievement posed for the study were block recursive models. Similarly, the path model hypothesized that positive teacher/student interaction, classroom environment, school environment, and effective school leadership have a direct effect on mathematics and reading achievement. The second stage of these models hypothesized that each of the predictor (independent) variables are correlated.;The results of the two models indicated that teacher/student interaction, classroom environment, school environment and effective school leadership are significant predicators of academic achievement in both reading and math. Effective school leadership, however, had a non-significant impact while positive parent teacher/student interaction, classroom environment, school environment and effective leadership were highly related as school climate factors. |
