Urban secondary students' explanations for the school climate‐achievement association

Abstract

This phenomenological qualitative study describes students' experiences and counter‐stories of school climate and how school climate matters for their academic achievement in an urban school district. The study uses a critical race perspective to help understand contextual influences on school climate. Data were collected through eight focus group interviews comprised of students conducted in middle and high schools in a large Midwest urban school district. Themes emerged within each school climate domain: teacher support, teacher expectations, safety, and peer social and emotional competence. The study results describe how students experience and understand school climate—perception of safety in schools with a mix of safe and unsafe home‐community climate—and demonstrate how students acknowledge the relationship between school climate and academic achievement. Urban secondary students are observant of the social‐emotional learning of their peers and maintain awareness of group differences as expressed in their counter‐stories. The findings advanced our understanding of school climate in urban contexts where social‐contextual‐struggles experienced by people of color affect their school experiences. The discussion includes practical implications for educators and administrators and directions for future research.