Cross-cultural connections: School climate and equity in Germany, Italy, Latvia, and the United States.

Abstract

In recent decades, much international research has been carried out on school climate and its relationship with learning, socioemotional, and health outcomes (Berkowitz et al., 2017;La Salle, Rocha-Neves, et al., 2021;Pizmony-Levy et al., 2019). Limited research has been carried out to investigate the relationship between school climate and educational inequalities, with particular reference to the results obtained by minoritized students. This contribution focuses on this issue, and it is organized as follows. First, The International School Climate Collaborative, which led to the cross-cultural adaptation of the Georgia School Climate Survey, is presented with normative data for the use of the survey with secondary school students in four countries: Germany, Italy, Latvia, and the United States (La Salle, Rocha-Neves, et al., 2021). Second, the theme of the relationship between School Climate and Educational Equity is focused on the basis of the most recent scientific literature. Third, the theme of the relationship between School Climate and Educational Equity is focused on comparing four countries: the United States, Germany, Italy, and Latvia. Fourth, the practical implications are investigated, focusing on three possible interventions that could be useful for improving the school climate while promoting equity and valuing cultural differences. Impact and ImplicationsThis article focused on exploring student school climate and educational equity across four countries, including the United States, Italy, Latvia, and Germany. This article focuses on cross-cultural concepts and definitions related to school climate and educational equity while also exploring cultural nuances that have an impact on student outcomes. Implications focus on cross-cultural interventions for improving school climate and educational equity.

Adopting global perspectives in school psychology.

“…Kiperman et al (2024) presented a conceptual guide to school-based mental health screening to reduce oppression and discrimination. Expanding educational equity by assessing differences and similarities in school climate across countries is another avenue for improving student outcomes, as discussed by Di Sano et al (2024). Examples from distinct national contexts employing social-emotional learning approaches, positive behavior supports, or cultural bias training offer insight for school psychologists in their own settings.…”