The History and Development of the Inviting School Survey: 1995-2012

Abstract

In recent years, research has shown that school climate is one of the most important contributors to student achievement, success, and psychological well-being. In order to make informed decisions regarding school development, it is paramount for a school administrator to aware of perceived school experience (school climate) of the major stakeholders in the school, namely students, administrators, teachers, parents, and the wider community The Inviting School Survey-Revised (ISS-R) purports to meet this need. Since 1995 the use of the ISS-R has grown from a few to over 10,000 participants (over 100 schools) in Asia, North America, Africa, and Australia. The following article outlines the history and development of the ISS-R from 1995 to 2012.

Examining Demonstrated Emotional Intelligence and Perceptions of Inviting Schools

“…Invitational Education (IE) theory "States that everyone and everything in and around the school contributes to the creation of the environment" (Asbill, 1994, p. 46). For this study, perceived school climate was rated based on the five domains explicated by Schmidt (2007) and Smith (2012Smith ( , 2015. Because this study evaluated the rated emotional intelligence demonstrated by school leaders in relation to school climate as perceived by teachers, the ISS-R provided an ideal quantitative instrument.…”

“…A Pearson correlation tested the null hypothesis of the first research question. Given a relationship was found with the predictor variable, additional simple linear regression procedures then explored in-depth the responses specific to the seven subscales of the Genos 360 EI Assessment-Concise Rater (Palmer et al, 2009) and the five domains of the ISS-R (Smith 2012). The five domains of the ISS-R are known as the 5-Ps: People, Places, Policies, Programs, and Processes (Schmidt, 2007;Smith, 2015).…”

“…Evaluation of school climate reflects stakeholder perceptions of the social, emotional, and academic experiences of school life. Stakeholders need to include students, administrators, teachers, parents, and support staff (Smith 2012). The literature suggested leaders high in emotional intelligence may be more competent to influence, inspire, intellectually stimulate, and develop their staff to promote a culture of sustained educational success (George, 2000;Marzano, Waters and McNulty, 2005;Moore, 2009;Ross, 2000;Salovey and Mayer, 1990;Sanders, 2010;Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002).…”

“…The first research question investigated the relationship between variables. The second and third research questions investigated whether the predictor (independent) variable: the seven observed emotional intelligence subscales of the Genos 360 EI Assessment (Concise) (Palmer et al, 2009) predicts the criterion (dependent) variable: the teacher's perception of school climate based on the five ISS-R Domains of Invitational Education theory known as: People, Places, Policies, Programs, and Processes (Smith, 2012).…”

Secondary Students’ Self-Perceptions of School Climate and Subjective Well-Being: Invitational Education Meets Positive Psychology

“…Invitational education is a humanist approach built upon Dewey's 'democratic ethos' (Dewey & Ratner, 1939;Evans, 2000), self-concept (Burton et al, 2011;Shaw, Siegel, & Schoenlein, 2013), and perceptual theory (Beck, 2011;Meichenbaum, 1977;Rogers, 1951). Invitational education contributes to the larger array of pedagogical strategies found in positive education by promoting inviting school climates with the goal of positively benefiting student well-being and achievement (Haigh, 2011;Smith, 2012;Smith, Gregory, & Turner, 2016;Welch & Smith, 2014).…”