Journal Of Diversity In Higher Education

School climate and culture have a great impact on student achievement and behavior. When using the terms school climate and school culture, one needs to understand the similarities and differences between the two. School climate is “the quality and character of school life – fosters children’s development, learning and achievement (NSCC, 2007, p. 2). School culture, on the other hand, is determined by the values, shared beliefs, and behavior of all the stakeholders within the school community, such as students, staff, parents and the community. Both of these words effect the school community and are a factor in student success. But while they are alike, they have different focuses. When discussing school climate, one focuses on the school itself, the building, the atmosphere, etc. When discussing the school culture, one focuses on the specific stakeholders within the school, students, staff, parents and the community. While both focus on different parts of the school system, both are critical to school community so it “has a shared vision and plan for promoting, enhancing and sustaining a positive school climate (Cohen, 2010, p. 28). The benchmarks that have been established by the National School Climate Center, “provide a framework to begin to define what we can and need to do to support children and adolescents developing in healthy ways and learning” (Carter, 2011, pp. 3-4).

Opposers of diversity argue the addition of diversity in universities cause a less level of educational satisfaction. The argument points toward negative race relations, rejection of high score students, and the relaxing of academic standards among faculty members. Stanley Rothman says, “A higher level of diversity is associated with somewhat less educational satisfaction and worse race relations among students.” (123). Universities are prestigious institutions, often requiring a Ph.D to serve as a professor. Professors will not lower the difficulty of the material given or grade more lenient because a minority is taking part in the class. Yes, there will be a performance difference between the minority student and their counterparts, decreasing the academic reputation of the school, but the academic standards will remain the same no matter how many minority students are enrolled in the university. College

The focus of the model is “Campus Climate of Diversity”, in which students are educated in racial contexts. These contexts are continuously influenced by the internal and external forces of an institution. The model (figure.1) represents ‘elements influencing the climate for diversity on campus’ (Hurtado, et al., 1999; Milem et al., 2005). In general, the external forces are outside the purview of a higher education institution and the internal forces are linked with an institutional context. The framework discusses the internal forces of the climate in four dimensions such as ‘historical legacy of inclusion/exclusion’ (e.g. resistance to desegregation and mission of an institution), ‘compositional diversity’ (e.g. diverse student body, staff and faculty), ‘psychological climate’ (e.g. perception of racial/ethnic tension and discrimination), and ‘behavioral dimension’ (e.g. social interaction across race/ethnicity and pedagogical

One of the more ample topics concerning research on the impact of college over the decades has focused on charting changes in the values and attitudes of students in five general areas: (1) cultural, aesthetic, and intellectual; (2) educational and occupational; (3) social and political; (4) religious; and (5) sex and gender roles. Pascarella and Terenzini found that the evidence for change during the college years is both plentiful and consistent, in that "colleges, as their founders and supporters might hope, appear to have a generally liberating influence on students' attitudes and values. Without exception, the nature and direction of the observed changes involve greater breadth, expansion, inclusiveness, complexity, and appreciation for the new and different. In all cases, the movement is toward

The word “diversity” means a range of different things. It can also see as the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas and so on. As a university student you are expected to have an idea in every aspect or area of life because learning is universal despite you are in school, you have to incorporate learning with social, economic, political and environmental aspect of life. These can be along, the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities religious beliefs political beliefs, or other ideologies.

The significance of a school climate, and to some extent culture for an effective school, is the backing for the vision of the school. Studies have shown school demographics have an influential effect on the performance and success of our students. For example, when a school shows a large number of students who do not speak a dominant language, low academic success can become the result of this. Haledon’s school demographics is a district that can easily be the “milk carton” to this example.

According to A CBS News research in 2009, the majority of Americans support diversity on college campuses through race policies in Higher Education. This statistic give an indicator that

The school has a diverse student campus which has changed over the last 5 to 10 years. The school serves a more racial and ethnically diverse student body. Whereas the school consisted of Blacks and Caucasians, an influx of Hispanics and other ethnic groups are now enrolled.

The analysis is centered around students’ perception and experience about various difference and inclusion issues on SPPU campus. However, campus climate of an institution includes much more than students’ perception and experience in an environment. In the paper, few important themes have been explored to represent an overview of SPPU campus climate. Findings of the analysis indicate that student to student connection on and out of the campus is weak. Around more than two-third participants are dissatisfied with transportation, recreational facilities, and food availability on the campus. One respondent shared that “transportation and food is a

Through my literature review, several perspectives have been examined when measuring school climate including: parents, students and teachers. These are not often looked at together, but separate indicators of a positive school climate. In many of the studies reviewed, fourth and fifth grade students completed a survey using a school climate index to determine their perception of the climate in schools. There is a relationship between school climate and student behavior at all schools, urban, suburban, and rural (Thapa, 2013). The research by Thapa highlights that school climate has a impact on student outcomes. Futhermore, the area of socio-emotional learning is addressed along with climate and success of students. This

Many universities in the United States are looking to increase the diversity on their campuses and increasing the international student population is an attractive way of doing so. These students add a layer of diversity to the residence halls, campus atmosphere, and classrooms. The mix of international students in classrooms can have a positive, and sometimes negative, impact on the student classroom experience. These students entering American classrooms can face challenges in their critical thinking, speaking, cultural differences, and academic standards. Many international students have to adjust to the difference of learning and thinking in their native language to the learning and thinking style of the American classroom. This transition presents a challenge for many international students.

Student diversity is a topic of interest within many of today’s social settings, one being in the classroom. By creating awareness of the diversity within the classroom, we as teachers can provide a safe and welcoming learning space for our students. By educating students on topics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability and religion, we can celebrate all students and their individuality. We as teachers can allow students to use their individuality and celebrate it through clubs, school events as well as community events. Teachers must give students opportunities to celebrate one another’s differences and capabilities within the school and community. By doing so, we are shaping the next generation to become more

One of the most severely limiting problems faced by the American educational system, encountered at every level, is the lack of intellectual/Intelligence diversity. Many schools around the country have either the word ‘diversity’ or some mention of the notion of diversity within either their mission statement or their goals for students. Take for example the mission statement of the University at Buffalo, it reads “The University at Buffalo is a diverse, inclusive scholarly community dedicated to bringing the benefits of its research, scholarship and creative activity, and educational excellence to global and local communities…” Clearly the administration has diversity on the forefront of their mind when envisioning the future and policies of the university, however, what constitutes diversity? Is diversity merely ethnic, cultural, and gender based or does diversity extend to include intelligence as well? This paper believes that intellectual diversity is of extreme importance and often overlooked or outright ignored in academia.

Do Now: Ms. Scoggin’s message is that the way you represent yourself as a person and the ethos you transpire in your writing determines your persona and credibility and it is the basis by which you are judged.

School climate has been a popular educational issue for decades with students, families, teachers, and other educational leaders looking for ways to foster and develop the learning and achievement of students. Research has supported what teachers’ and parents have said for years; that schools should be safe and supportive environments, in which students have positive social relationships and are respected, are engaged in their work, and feel competent in their ability to do so. Some describe school climate as the feeling you get when you walk into a building. Do you feel welcomed? Safe? Included? Or do you feel lost? Tense? Unwelcome? When students, parents, educators, and community members walk into a school they are able to quickly form judgments about what it would be like to attend and work in that school. A positive school climate is about creating an inclusive school setting where all students can achieve to their individual potential.