School Climate 1 Running Head: SCHOOL CLIMATE

Action Research: School Climate Zackary Rice August 14, 2013 Southwestern College Professional Studies Submitted to Dr. Teresa San Martin

School Climate 2

Abstract This paper is a plan that I have developed for an action research project that focuses on identifying the factors influencing the development of a positive school climate. Included is a plan for how the research will be conducted, the participants that will be needed in order to conduct the study and a review of literature regarding the factors that help make up school climate and what can be done to maintain or even change the climate of a school building.

School Climate 3 Research Focus Having only taught special education for one year, the district in which I taught last year was at times a difficult district to be in when it came to placing my students in the least restrictive environment which turned out to be the general education setting with support the majority of the time. While there were definitely general education teachers who were fantastic to work with and were always willing to communicate both positive and negative performances with me, the majority of the teachers were much less willing, or at least much less comfortable, working with students who were on an Individualized Education Plan. Prior to this school year, I worked as a life skills para at a high school where the climate was one of inclusion to the maximum extent possible. Even in the life skills department, the vast majority of the students spent at least a portion of the day in classes with their non-disabled peers and the support received by the content area teachers was always very good. As a special educator whose original teaching license is in history and government, I must admit I find myself frustrated and even bewildered by teachers who are less likely to willingly accept a student with special needs. I completely understand that students with an IEP absolutely present unique challenges and can also be intimidating, especially if a teacher does not have very much prior experience working with students with special needs, but I find it extremely hard to understand why a teacher would not view their classroom as a place where all students should be given an opportunity learn, regardless of their disability or lack thereof. It is for this reason that I would be very interested in finding the reasons from teachers of all viewpoints on this topic and whether or not there is a correlation with their preferences, past experiences and/or amount of experience working with special education students.

School Climate 4 The next step that would possibly be helpful would be to collaborate with the general education teachers who are more willing to work with the special education teachers and their students in an effort to find out what makes them more willing to work with students who have special needs and what is the most beneficial thing the students special education teacher can do to make their job of teaching the student easier. To add to this, I believe it would be helpful to get the views of teachers on the opposite end of the inclusion spectrum to find out what, if anything, may help them to be more accepting of our students. It may also be beneficial to have parents of students fill out surveys in which they rate the climate of the school their child attends. Perhaps the final piece of this would be to conduct interviews with several students from different social groups such as students from student council, sport teams, various clubs and even students who are less involved to determine how the students view the schools climate and what they like or do not like about it. With all this information, it may be easier to find a possible solution to improving or maintaining a positive and accepting school climate. Literature Review Having taught in both the general and special education setting, it has become evident

that there are often issues within a school regarding climate when it comes to the inclusion of students with special needs. And, while there are many teachers who are very receptive to both the special education students as well as to the opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues in the special education department, there are still many teachers who are much less receptive to the idea of collaborating with their coworkers, especially those who teach special education. In order for this to improve and for all teachers to be more accepting of special education students in their classroom, it is

School Climate 5 important that their concerns are heard to make sure that their own needs in helping special education students are being met, if there are any barriers that may need to be overcome before they are able to effectively teach students of all performance levels and abilities. Also needed in order to maintain a school climate that fosters collaboration among all teachers is an administration that is made up of strong individuals who support and guide their teachers in their collaboration, providing the necessary assistance. The final piece of maintaining a positive school climate is ensuring the appropriate behaviors and responses are being modeled for the students by all teachers and administrators. When searching for different resources regarding school climate or school culture, the databases I found most helpful were ERIC, Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Search. While I had the most success using these databases, I also had some success referring Education Matters, which is a monthly publication supported by the American Association of Educators. I was fortunate enough to also find the blog of a professor from Rutgers University regarding inclusion of students with special needs in general education classes. The key words and phrases that were most helpful included simpler phrases such as school climate, school culture and improving school climate. The climate or culture of a given school is something that helps make up who that school is and what their mission and values are (Weiss, Lewis & Clark, 2005). Regardless of its size of type, every school has a climate, whether positive or negative. How a school and its teachers, administration and even its students are able to interact and collaborate with each other in the building help determine whether or not that school climate is a positive or negative one. According to Johnson (2001) in order for teachers to develop a positive climate within their own classrooms, the teacher must establish the

School Climate 6 physical and learning environments in a way that allows the social and emotional needs of the students to need to be met, leading to a climate in which the students feel safe and like they are valued members of the class. While most of this information deals with the students role and value in the school, it is important to note that if all teachers are going to be able to collaborate with each other despite any differences there may be, student wellbeing, academic and otherwise, must be placed at the forefront of all other concerns in the school. It is for this reason that the way in which students feel welcome and safe in a school has a direct relationship with the school climate both in student and teacher interactions (Marshall, 2004). While it is well known that students who attend school with a positive climate are going to benefit academically from being in a supportive environment, it is also proven that if a school does not have a positive climate but instead a climate of disorder, then the students will not only suffer academically, but they will also be at risk for greater problems outside of school, such as involvement in criminal activities (Gottfredson, Gottfredson, Payne & Gottfredson, 2005). School climate has been defined as being made up of the mission and values of the school, however, Haberman (2013) points out that making sure the school is working to achieve that vision is every bit as crucial to achieving the desired climate as setting the vision to begin with. Due to the important nature of ensuring that your school has a climate that encourages student learning as well as strong teacher development, one must acknowledge the fact that in order to create such a climate, they must first be aware of the various factors influencing the climate of their school, positive or negative, in order to continue instituting the appropriate measures as well as to discontinue measures that are

School Climate 7 hurting the development of a positive school climate. The first of these factors is the size of the school, which is often classified as either small, sometimes rural, or large. An interesting note regarding school size is that approximately half of all research shows that student achievement is statistically similar when comparing smaller schools with larger schools (Cotton, 1996). Even so, Cotton continues on to point out that researchers have discovered that even in schools with an array of courses available, a small minority of students opt to enroll in those courses, sticking instead with the more common courses offered in the majority of high schools across the nation. To add to this, Cotton (1996) goes on to explain that research has also shown students from smaller, rural schools, often go on to achieve more after high school than their larger school counterparts. Even though it is often easy for teachers and students to overlook, another factor that absolutely affects school climate is the culture of both the students and the teachers. Their culture affects nearly every aspect of a teacher or students da y including the way in which they interact with one another and even the various ways in which they dress for school (Hinde, 2004). It is for this reason that the culture of each individual plays an integral role in the continuous development of the schools culture. An interesting comparison made by Hinde (2004) regarding culture and its influence on a school is that it is similar to air, which is only noticed by those breathing it when there is a foul smell or taste in the air. When it is unnoticed, the air, or culture, is a factor that can promote student learning, but it must possess the various factors necessary to build a positive school climate which include the students need for safety being met alongside their physical needs while also having an environment in which the teachers and

School Climate 8 administration are all on the same page regarding the students learning and continuous improvement of the school (Hinde, 2004). Because of the fact that the teaching profession falls in the line of human service professions, teachers are at a higher risk than those in many other professions for burnout and emotional exhaustion leading to a lower quality of teaching (Grayson & Alvarez (2007). Some of the indicators of teacher burnout include an increasingly negative attitude toward or about students, which is often a trait more common in male teachers, or even just disillusionment with ones profession. Interestingly enough, Grayson and Alvarez, 2007) explain that various studies have shown that despite the common perception that older, more experienced teachers are the ones who suffer from burnout, some studies actually show their younger, less experienced counterparts are much more susceptible to being overwhelmed and burnt out due to their teaching career. To combat this, Grayson and Alvarez continue to explain that it is important that younger teachers do not set unattainable goals or develop unrealistic expectations about their career or their own professional development due the fact that not meeting these expectations can definitely contribute to a higher stress level, thus leading to more feelings of burnout. With the various factors that influence school climate, it is important for teachers and administrators alike to keep in mind ways in which to maintain, or improve if necessary, a positive and inclusive school climate. One way to begin this process or improvement is to first observe areas in which the school climate might be promoted or discouraged through the behavior or actions of students or teachers. Before finding how to improve, it is crucial that the school administration works to determine what needs improved upon (Stolp, 1994). An interesting point made by McMurrer (2012) is that

School Climate 9 when seeking to improve the performance of schools who are typically lower-performing when compared with other schools, the first area of focus must almost undoubtedly be placed on changing and improving the school climate. Without doing so, it will be rather difficult for the school to address its problem areas, which may include low academic achievement, truancy or school violence due to the nature of the poor school climate actually encouraging these types of inexcusable behaviors (McMurrer, 2012). To go along with this thought process, Haberman (2013) explains the importance of making sure principals are given the proper amount of professional development in order to become better salesmen of sorts as they are going to need to be able to sell their faculty and staff on their vision for the school and what the climate should look like. After reviewing the literature regarding what school climate is and how to maintain a positive climate or improve upon a less than positive climate, it is vital for me to see the way in which it connects to teachers and students within the special education department. And, due to the growing number of diagnoses being made identifying students as having a disorder falling somewhere within the Autism spectrum, it is crucial that these students attend a school in which the administration and teachers take an interest in every students issue as a problem that may affect everyone, because when this is done, each student is more likely to succeed, autistic or otherwise since there is such a high level of support being provided by the faculty (Pratt, 2005). The most important lesson, perhaps, to be taken from Pratts (2005) article regarding school culture and autism is that when the school and its teachers work collaboratively to foster a creative learning environment, students of all ability levels will continue to benefit from this type of environment.

School Climate 10 While inclusion can be a difficult topic to discuss due to the fact that it may sometimes be difficult to determine what the appropriate amount of inclusion may be for a given student. And, even though one student with disabilities may be able to see success when being included in many general education classes, it is not fair to limit other students based on this student or any other student because of the fact that each student with special needs is as unique as their non-disabled peers. However, Rutgers professors Elias and Lerman (2013) explain that the success of including a special needs student depends on whether or not their social, emotional and academic needs are being met. Regardless of the level of inclusion for a given student, in order to develop a stronger school climate that embraces inclusion, Lerman informs Elias (2013) that it is beneficial to a schools climate to have education programs in which typically developing students are able to learn about their peers who have disabilities in order to increase awareness as well as place focus on the fact that regardless of a students disability or lack thereof, each student has his or her own unique strengths and talents. Furthermore, if inclusion is not an option in a core class, such as Algebra or US Government, it is important to include students with disabilities in elective courses such as physical education or art courses, which will in turn help break down the barrier between general education students and teachers and their counterparts from the special education department (Elias, 2013).

Literature Review Conclusion

School Climate 11 After conducting the literature review over school climate, I have a much clearer picture of what it means for a school climate to be positive or negative, especially with the comparison that was made regarding school climate being similar to the air we breathe, with the negative aspects of a school climate being compared to pollutants or foul smells in the air (Hinde, 2004). As a special education teacher, I feel this research has benefitted me in the fact that I am now more aware of where to look to determine what, if anything, is holding the school back from having a school climate of inclusion. And, just as I presume my colleagues have the same priorities, with my students being my main concern I believe it will be easier to give them the support they need because I will be able to identify with their general education teachers, especially since I have taught in the general education setting in the past. The most important lesson taken from this literature review is to always remain vigilant in terms of doing my part as a teacher to maintain or improve a positive school climate, for the benefit of my students as well as for my benefit in collaborating with my general education colleagues. Purpose and Research Having worked in multiple school districts in both the middle and high school setting, I have often found it interesting to compare the differences schools have in terms of their climate, especially when considering how the special education department is included or not included within the building. In one of these buildings, I had the pleasure of working with a many general education teachers who were more than willing to work with me to best meet the needs of the special education students within their classes. In another building, however, it was disappointing to see how hesitant, and at times even unwilling, a good portion of the general education teachers were when it came to working

School Climate 12 with students who were receiving special education services. Unfortunately, teachers in this particular district had not been given many opportunities to work with special needs students or their counterparts in the special education department, and as a result, it was much more difficult to include students receiving services in general education classes. The purpose of this study is to identify what factors help develop a schools climate, whether positive or negative, and what can be done to intentionally create or maintain a school climate of inclusion and acceptance. Because of this, I have selected the primary research questions. The first of these is how is the climate of the school perceived by students, teachers and others who are in the school (parents, custodial staff, etc.)? The next question, which is a secondary, is in what ways would students, teachers and others maintain the positive aspects of the climate and in what ways would they want to change aspects to improve the overall climate or culture of the school? Participants and Context of the Study I am the seventh and eigth grade inter related special education teacher at my school and I will be conducting the study, which will include several of my students, a group of teachers within the building from both the general and special education setting. In addition, I will ask that several parents of students within the building fill out a survey in which they rate how inclusive they believe the school to be and what they would suggest to make the building a more inclusive setting for all students, including their own child or children. The role of the students in this study will involve them being individually interviewed by me, during which I will ask them how welcome they feel in each of their classes, especially those in the general education setting. I will also ask if there has ever been a time in which they did not feel like an important member of the

School Climate 13 student body and whether this was an isolated or a common issue that they experienced. I will also ask for their input on what could be done to make the school a more welcome environment in which all students feel safe and valued for their individual strengths and differences. Similar to the questionnaire I will have the parents fill out, the teachers participating in this study will have their own survey, which will ask them how they see their value as a member of the body of teachers within the building. I will also want to know how open they are to having special education students of varying abilities and disabilities within their classrooms. If they do not feel completely comfortable with having special education students, I will ask that they provide a reason for their uneasiness or a suggestion that would help them to better accommodate their students with special needs. Finally, I will be asking the teachers to rate how often they are able to collaborate with the colleagues and whether they see that amount of collaboration as adequate, inadequate or above adequate. The building in which this study will be conducted is home to students grades 7 through 12 in a rural town of approximately 2,600 people. Located within this town is a Catholic private school that does not have the ability to effectively serve their students who require special education services. Because of this, the district in which I am located has a slightly larger percentage of students receiving special services than other schools its size. Concerning socioeconomic status of the students, Approximately 43% of the students come from homes that are considered economically disadvantaged according to KSDE.

School Climate 14 Research Plan Over the course of 12 weeks, I will be conducting this study, which will consist of interviewing individual students and having teachers and parents of students completing questionnaires. All of these interviews and questionnaires will involve rating the climate of the school and identifying what could be done to improve the climate to make it a more inclusive environment. Also during the course of this study, I will be observing students and teachers in informal settings such as during lunch and passing period. This will allow me to develop my own notes on how the school climate would be perceived by an outside party and then later compare these findings with the interview and survey results, which could help validate my findings if they are in line with what students, parents and teachers believe about the school climate. After I have gathered the data regarding the perceptions of the teachers within the building, I will meet with the teachers who filled out the survey and discuss the results, allowing for further discussion or suggestions about what could be done to continue the development or maintenance of a positive school climate. Once this step is complete, I will have the information needed to determine exactly what type of climate the school possesses and what, if anything, needs to be done to improve or maintain the school climate. A timeline for this study can be found in the appendices (Appendix A). Data Collection Strategies To collect data for this study I am going to administer a paper (Appendix B) survey to the parents of students within my school. The parents being surveyed will be parents of both general and special education students. In this survey the parents will be able to voice their opinions of how open and accepting the climate of the school is, while

School Climate 15 providing advice or suggestions on what could be done to improve it. The plan for the students is that I will interview students individually in order to determine how students perceive the climate. The teachers will also complete a similar questionnaire in which they will rate the school climate. These methods will be rather beneficial in the fact that they will first answer the question of what is wrong, if anything, with the school climate, which will be the first step necessary in determining what to do to fix the issues at hand. Once it has been determined what can be done to foster a welcoming school climate, the group of teachers will be able to begin implementation of the improvement strategies being suggested. All of these surveys as well as the activities in which ideas to improve the school climate are discussed, will allow me to not only determine what type of climate the school possesses, but also the steps necessary in order to make it a school climate of acceptance and inclusion regarding individual differences both at the student and teacher level. In order to make sure the solutions being generated to address any problems if there are indeed climate issues, baseline data will play a major role in determining whether or not the solutions being generated through discussion and the surveys are in response to issues identified by accurate data about the way in which the climate of the school is perceived. Without this information, it would be impossible to develop answers to the secondary research question, which is concerned with generating solutions, because of the fact that it must first be determined whether an issue actually exists, and if so, what that problem is before attempting to correct the issue. In order to find an answer or solution for the primary research question, which is How is the climate of the school perceived by students, teachers and others who are in

School Climate 16 the school (parents, custodial staff, etc.)? I will send a home a questionnaire to parents of students asking them to rate the school climate in regard to how welcome and important their student is made to feel by their peers as well as their teachers. I will also have a section in which the parents will be able to write what aspects they believe makes the school climate the way it is, whether they perceive it to be a positive or negative climate. Another method of determining how the school is perceived is to do individual interviews with students, asking them questions regarding how they feel about coming to school and whether they feel accepted by the rest of the students. It will be important to interview students from various backgrounds, whether they are from the general or special education setting, or whether they are viewed as more popular or less popular with their peers. Doing this will ensure that all types of students are able to voice what they believe does or does not make the school climate a positive environment. Finally, I will request that each teacher, as well as the school administrators fill out a questionnaire in which they will rate how open they and their colleagues are to collaborating with other teachers, especially those from other content areas. In order to fully answer the secondary research question, which is In what ways would students, teachers and others maintain the positive aspects of the climate and in what ways would they want to change aspects to improve the overall climate or culture of the school? I will need to add some activities for teachers, students and parents to act on the changes they want to see in the building. So, to go along with the surveys that will be sent home to the parents of students, I will also request that they contribute any ideas on what could be included or excluded to help improve the climate of the school in order to make sure that everyone feels more welcome within the school. Similarly, I will pair

School Climate 17 students of different abilities and/or social groups with each other and then have the groups brainstorm ideas that would make them feel more welcome, or if they already feel welcome, what is being done to make them feel that way and how it could be maintained and improved. Finally, I would like to meet with the teachers and administrators who completed my survey so we could discuss the average perception of the school among parents, teachers and students. Once we have determined what the perception is as a whole based on the surveys, this group will be able to gather ideas on how changes could be implemented to continue to improve the school climate, using the suggestions put forth by the parents and groups of students as a starting point for the changes that will be suggested. The parent and teacher surveys as well as the questions for the student interview are found in the appendices (Appendices B, C and D). Plan for Increasing Validity The types of validity that are applicable to this study include both internal and external validity as well as outcome and catalytic validity. The reasoning behind internal and external validity applying to this particular study is that the focus of the study is on school climate, so it is very important to understand how the climate is perceived by individuals within the school as well as how it is viewed by the group as a whole. As far as outcome validity is concerned, it is important because once the research allows for a conclusion to be drawn concerning the climate of the given school, reflections will definitely need to be made, and perhaps steps set in place to either maintain or improve the climate based on what the data collected reveals about it. Catalytic validity is important because of the fact that my perceptions and ideas about my schools climate

School Climate 18 will be constantly changing as the study is conducted, allowing me to assess my own beliefs regarding school climate as I go. In terms of internal and external validity, it will be very important that I accurately obtain the opinions of others regarding the school climate. If I do not do so accurately, it will be rather difficult for me to make accurate observations and come to conclusions regarding what works well within the school and what does not work as well. In order to increase the outcome validity, I will need to take thorough notes regarding the surveys, questionnaires and interviews that I conduct throughout the study, as this will also increase my ability to draw accurate more accurate conclusions. Finally, with catalytic validity, I may need to take notes or make a journal in which I record observations that I have made around the school regarding interactions between those within the school. This will allow me to develop a more complete picture of where I was at the beginning of the study in comparison to where I will be once the study nears its end. Projected Results As a result of this study, I believe the teachers in my school will take a more active approach to making sure the climate of the building is one of intentional inclusion and acceptance of one anothers strengths, abilities and differences. It is also my desire that if there are any negative aspects of the current school climate that are found that my colleagues and I would be able to address those and begin to forge a path toward greater collaboration among teachers from all content areas in order to ensure that each student regardless of ability or disability is being served in a way that maximizes their potential. Finally, while I believe that nearly every school will have some sort of negative climate

School Climate 19 issue, whether major or minor, I believe that awareness is one of the best methods of making sure a school climate is developing because we as teachers want it to develop that way, rather than a climate that tends to grow on its own, with problems occurring due to a lack of a proactive plan being set in place to best serve the teachers and students. Conclusion As I conduct this study, it will be very important to always remain vigilant when in the halls, in the commons or when I am speaking with colleagues to make sure I am able to develop a complete picture of what the school climate is comprised of in this building. It will also be extremely important not to take hesitance or a teacher being intimidated by working with one of my students personally. While it is my desire that every teacher feels comfortable with having special needs students in their classroom, I must also understand that not everyone has the same experiences that I have and their hesitance may not be out of a lack of a desire to work, but rather out of a lack of knowing the answers to questions or concerns they may have. As the special educator, it is my duty to make myself available to them anytime a question or concern arises regarding working with one or more of my students, just as I would almost certainly have questions pertaining the content my students are working on in their class. If I am able to do this, I believe my openness and positive demeanor will be contagious when they are working with me, which will be a positive first step toward the maintenance or development of an inclusive school environment.

School Climate 20 References

Cotton, K. (1996). School size, school climate, and student performance. Retrieved from http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:fQZT0xOsyRgJ:scholar.go ogle.com/+school+size,+school+climate+and+student+performance&hl=en&as_s dt=0,5 Elias, M. (2013, May 31). Special education: Promoting more inclusion at your School | Edutopia. Edutopia | K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/moreinclusion-students-special-education-your-school-maurice-elias Gottfredson, G. D., Gottfredson, D. C., Payne, A. A., & Gottfredson, N. C. (2005). School climate predictors of school disorder: Results from a national study of delinquency prevention in schools. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 42(4), 412-444. DOI: 10.1177/0022427804271931 Grayson, J. L., & Alvarez, H. K. (2008). School climate factors relating to teacher burnout: A mediator model. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(5), 1349-1363. Haberman, M. (n.d.). Why school culture matters and how to improve it. Education Matters. Retrieved June 13, 2013, from www.aaeteachers.org/images/em/2013junnews.pdf Hinde, E. R. (2004). School Culture and Change: an examination of the effects of school culture on the process of change. Essays in Education, 12. Johnson, D. (n.d.). Creating Positive School Climates. Towards Inclusion: Tapping Hidden Strengths. Retrieved June 14, 2013, from www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/fas/pdf/3.pdf Marshall, M. L. (2006). Examining school climate: Defining factors and educational influences. Retrieved June 12, 2013 from http://education.gsu.edu/schoolsafety/download%20files/whitepaper_marshall.pdf McMurrer, J. (2012). Changing the School Climate Is the First Step to Reform in Many Schools with Federal Improvement Grants. Center on Education Policy. Pratt, C. (2005). School cultures that support students across the autism spectrum. Retrieved June 12, 2013, from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/9516/20.pdf?sequence=1

School Climate 21 Stolp, S. W. (1994). Leadership for school culture. Retrieved June 14, 2013 from https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/3312/digest091.pd f?sequence=1 Weiss, C. L. A., Cunningham, D. L., Lewis, C.P., & Clark, M.G. (2005). Enhancing Student Connectedness to Schools. Baltimore, MD: Center for School Mental Health Analysis and Action, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

School Climate 22 Appendix A Schedule of implementing the study Spring 2014 1/7-1/10: Review of Literature regarding school climate 1/13-1/17: Obtain permission from district, principal and Southwestern IRB for the study regarding school climate and the factors influencing it. 1/20-1/24: Contact parents of students, explaining the measures that will be taken in the study, its goals and address any questions or concerns they may have regarding this particular study. Also contact teachers within the building to explain the process and ask for those who would be willing to provide their input on a survey. 1/27-1/31: Begin observing groups and students in various settings including classes, in the hallways and during lunch. 2/3-2/7: Conduct individual interviews with students. Include both general and special education students within the school from various social groups. 2/10-2/14: Administer surveys to teachers and building administration. 2/17-2/21: Administer surveys to parents who have agreed to participate. 2/24-2/28: Begin analyzing results of interviews and surveys to determine what the perception of the schools climate is and begin noting common issues or suggestions that have been mentioned by participants. 3/3-3/7: Complete compilation of suggested changes, additions or removals that will have a positive impact on the school climate and develop a plan of implementation for these changes. 3/10-3/21: Continue working on and finish the written product for the action research report and edit earlier sections such as the literature review and summary of the setting in which the study was conducted so it is written in the correct format to go along with the written report. 3/24-3/27: Complete final revisions of the action research report and submit final product.

School Climate 23 Appendix B

Parent Survey 1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=neither agree nor disagree 4=agree 5=strongly agree

I believe my child feels welcome among his or her peers 1 2 3 4 5 My child has friends from various social groups in school 1 2 3 4 5 My childs teachers are happy to discuss my childs performance and what can be done to improve it if improvement is needed 1 2 3 4 5 It is obvious that the teachers in this building take active interest in the lives of their students. (As a general rule) 1 2 3 4 5 If you could change something (if anything) about the school to make it a more inclusive, welcoming environment for all students, what would you change?

What is something (if anything) you believe the school is doing a good job of in terms of making all students feel welcome and valuable to the school?

School Climate 24 Appendix C

Teacher Survey For 1-5 scale questions: 1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=neither agree nor disagree 4=agree 5=strongly agree

How would you rate the amount of time you are able to spend collaborating with other teachers in your building or district? Inadequate (Too Little) Much) Adequate (Just Right) Above Adequate (Too

Please explain your reason for stating that you have too little, too much or just the right amount of collaboration with your colleagues

Please rate the following statements and explain your reasoning: I am open to having special education students in my classroom with or without Para support 1 2 3 4 5 Reason:

I feel qualified to help students with special needs in my classroom 1 2 3 4 5 Reason:

Please state any concerns or questions you would have and want addressed before working a special needs student in your classroom:

School Climate 25 Appendix D Student Interview The scale for the following questions is as follows: 1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=NA or Unsure 4=agree 5=strongly agree

1. I feel like a valuable member of this school 1 2 3 4 5 2. The reason I feel this way is because:

3. The teachers in this school care about my wellbeing in and out of school 1 2 3 4 5 4. I believe this because:

5. If a student were new to the school he or she would be made to feel welcome by his or her peers. 1 2 3 4 5

6. Why do you believe a new student would or would not feel welcome?

School Climate 26 Appendix E Informed Consent Form Authorization for a Minor to Serve as a Research Participant Dear Parents, I will be conducting a study within our school to determine how students and teachers within our building perceive the school climate. The purpose of this letter is to ask permission to use any data that I collect from your child during the course of this study. Participation will involve regular class activities as well as some paper surveys or brief face-to-face interviews. If you wish to contact me regarding your childs participation, please feel free to do so at ricez@kawvalley.k12.ks.us or you can reach my on my cell phone number of (417) 379-1560. The primary purpose of this study is to determine what type of climate St Marys Junior/Senior High is fostering for its students according to their perceptions as well as the perceptions of the teachers within the building. This study will be conducted over the course of this semester, during which I will be observing how various students work with each other and how teachers work with their students and even other teachers. I will also be administering surveys and/or questionnaires, which will allow students to voice their opinion on both positive and negative aspects of their school, and what they believe could be done to improve a given area. Benefits of participating in this study include your student playing a role in continuing to develop a school climate that fosters inclusion of all types of learners and values each person for their individual strengths and differences. During this study, only the professor for my practicum course and other teachers involved will have access to the interviews or surveys. Participation in this study is completely voluntary and not participating in this study will have no negative effects on your student. Thank you so much for your time in this matter and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss your childs participation in this study. ________ I do grant permission for my child to participate in this study. I understand I will receive a signed copy of this consent form. I have read this form and understand it. ________ I do not grant my child permission to participate in this study or to be included in the data being collected for the project. Student Name:___________________ Date:______________________________ Signature of Parent/Guardian: _____________