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

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.