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In 2007-08 and 2008-09, 2,500 randomly-selected middle school students completed an annual survey on school climate and character development. In examining differences based upon grade, gender, race/ethnicity, school, and length of program participation, significant differences were found for all but length of program participation. Responses of Hispanic/Latino students varied considerably from those of White and Asian students, with personal relationships with teachers emerging as more important than modeling of positive behaviors-opposite from the preference of White and Asian students. These findings confirm that perceptions of school climate are impacted by students' ethnic background, gender, and age. In order to improve school climate, school leaders and researchers alike must first obtain a complete understanding of what a positive school climate would look and feel like for students who strongly identify with particular cultures.
The creation of an enhanced school climate is one important outcome of programs supporting character development in students. Many years of research have shown strong relationships between school climate, defined as "the quality and character of school life" (National School Climate Council, 2007), and positive student outcomes such as student behavior (Rutter, Giller, & Hagell, 1998), achievement and adjustment (Haynes, Emmons, & Ben- Avie, 1997) and self-concept (Caplin, 1969). Indeed it may be that perceived school climate predicts, in a unidirectional fashion, psychological or behavioral adjustment in middle school students (Way, Reddy, & Rhodes, 2007). More recently, research has determined that a focus on promoting students' social, emotional and civic competence is key in supporting academic achievement (Cohen, Fege, & Pickeral, 2009).
Factors at many levels have been found to influence student perceptions of school climate. One recent study determined that factors at multiple levels (school, classroom and individual) all impact ratings of climate in schools (Ko th, Bradshaw, & Leaf, 2008). At the aggregate level, staff support for high expectations and concern for student welfare are mentioned frequently as factors affecting school climate. It is not surprising that in secondary schools individual level factors such as students' race, gender and age can also have great impacts on student perceptions of school climate. In the CUBE Survey of Urban School Climate, Perkins (2006) concluded that students' race influenced their perceptions of school climate more so than either their gender or their...