School+Climate+in+Urban+Education

=URBAN EDUCATION: Climate of Urban Schools= Created by: Eve Weinstein and Christine Long

"School climate is evident in the feelings and attitudes about a school expressed by students, teachers, staff and parents—the way students and staff 'feel' about being at school each day." (Tableman, 2004, p.2).

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Safety in Urban Schools: [[image:urban_pic_1.jpg width="275" height="334" align="right" caption="image retrieved from http://awearnessblog.com/2008/05/16/Urban%20Violence%20Virus.jpg"]]
One of the largest components of school climate is safety. Students in urban schools have an extremely difficult time excelling academically when things such as bullying and violence get in the way. When a student feels unsafe, they may not be able to concentrate on their work or have the motivation to continue. Many of the problems with violence in schools stem from the situations at home.

Most of the students attending urban schools today have only one parent, or guardian, living with them. These guardians are usually fully responsible for bringing in an income to support the family and are either working much of the day or are busy partaking in negative habits. With their guardians gone most of the time, the students are left alone. During these lonely times, many students look to getting into the wrong crowd to feel as though they are a part of something. It is this path that leads to drug abuse, sexual assault, and violence.

Not only are these children often being neglected at home, they are also negelected in the classroom. Urban schools are usually overcrowded and classrooms reach well above the normal capacity which frustrates both the teachers and students. With this frustration and lack of attention comes the desire to fit in and feel powerful which is where violence comes in.

Both television and the internet have a negative effect on violence in urban schools. Movies such as “ Gangs of New York” and rappers like Lil’ Wayne and Tu Pac glamorize gang violence and the pressure to fit in, in a tough urban environment. Seeing these things on the internet and tevelvision tempt students that come from similar backgrounds to follow in dangerous footsteps.

In 1997 Christine Villani, Assisstant Professor at the Department of Educational and Human Services at Bradley University conducted a study about the way that security and other factors of urban school climate affected leadership. In Villani’s absract she states, “ the study concluded that strength and security, particularly security, were factors that impacted on the leadership behaviors of the principal in establishing school climate...” (Villani, 1997).

In order for a school to have a positive, working climate, there must be less restrictions and more support. Villani describes a positive working environment as an ‘open’ climate in which she believes that a principal must have a high level of support for the school along with a low level of restrictions. (Villani, 1997) If the principal reacts this way, then the teachers can engage with their students and make a positive impact. Security is so important in urban schools because it affects the restrictiveness of the school which, in turn, affects the students academic achievements.

Classroom Environment:
Students must be comfortable in the classroom in order to be successful. Unfortunately with the adversity in urban schools, it is extremely difficult to have teachers stay for a long period of time and earn the level of respect they deserve in the classroom. Not only is respect an issue in the classroom, but student confidence is low as well (Jefry L. Lewis, 2008). In urban schools, it is quite normal for a child to be a grade level behind, if not several, and become frustrated with their lack of progress (Jefry L. Lewis, 2008).

There is a lack of motivation in urban schools and the frustration among teachers and students make it increasingly harder to create a positive working climate for the students. In a study conducted by Jefery L. Lewis, he found that a good classroom environment directly affected student motivation and achievement. In the study, the classrooms that were successful were the ones that had “minimal social hierarchy, democratization of support and opportunity, and teaching with integrity” (Jefry L. Lewis, 2008 ).

Although it is difficult to create such a great climate, the impact of it is undeniable. It is clear that students in urban schools have to deal with issues of respect among peers and frustration. However, if the teachers and staff of urban schools take the time to create a positive learning environment, the effects can only become more powerful.

[[image:http://www.gsc.edu/about/ce/PublishingImages/plu%20picture.jpg width="213" height="190" align="left"]]Teachers and Their Influence:
“Teaching is a demanding job even with the best preparation and mentoring. Add a challenging context and the difficulties multiply.”(Worthy, 2005). Despite administrative and financial constraints in many urban schools, a variety of innovations can be used to provide inner-city students with creative and experienced teachers. Since the effectiveness of urban schools is largely dependent upon such teachers, efforts to retain them should be a high priority. Teachers are the backbone of educations. In urban schools, they are the ones who are interacting with the students on a daily basis and they are also the ones who are struggling to recover urban schools. This task is more difficult than it seems and is the main reason why many urban school teachers are likely to leave the profession in their first few years of teaching. (Worthy, 2005)

Positive school climate benefits students, teachers, and staff. In a positive environment, teachers are motivated to teach, and students are motivated to learn. Good working conditions--even more than students' socioeconomic status--are associated with better teacher attendance, more effort, higher morale, and a greater sense of efficacy in the classroom (Lee, 1999). A strong bond between a teacher and student is beneficial. It is important for a student to know that someone believes in them. It is also important for a student to trust their teacher and value their opinion. Although most teachers try their hardest to teach to the best of their ability for their students, sometimes it is hard when it seems like the students do not care. It is just as important for students to put in the same effort of learning as teachers do in teaching.

Many students who attend urban schools end up dropping out of school. For various reasons, students no longer feel the need to try and so they just quit. Some students feel that teachers are impatient with their lack of understanding and have low expectations. As a result of their failure to comprehend the material, many students skip class. “When students cut classes, some just go and get high, others go drink, and others just sit there and watch them. Others go and watch TV, they eat, some sit at the bus stop… they’ll go call somebody. Anything instead of going to class” This above quote is from an urban student in Oakland, California (Lee, 1999). While it is a broad generalization, it is one that unfortunately describes a significant amount of students that attend urban schools. For numerous reasons, urban students have a lack of motivation to learn. A student’s motivation to learn directly affects their achievement; without one you can not have the other.

=References:= = = Lee, P.W. (1999). In Their Own Voices: An Ethnographic Study of Low-Achieving Students Within the Context of School Reform. //Urban Education, 34(2),// 214-244.

Lewis, J., & Kim E. (June 2008). A Desire to Learn: African american children’s positive attitudes toward learning within school cultures of low expectations. //Teachers College Record//, //110//(6). Retrieved from ERIC database.

McMahon, S.D., & Wernsman J. (2009). The relation of classroom environment and school belonging to academic self-efficacy among urban fourth- and fifth-grade students. //The Elementary School Journal//, //109//(3). Retrieved from ERIC database.

School violence in urban areas. School Violence Weapons, Crime and Bullying Website. Retrieved from []/

Tableman, B.,& Herron, A. (2004, December). School climate and learning. //Best Practice Briefs//, 31 //Michican State University.//

Teachers Issues, //Urban Education//. [] Villani, C. J. ( March 1997). The interaction of leadership and climate in three urban schools. Paper presented at: //The Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association.//

Worthy, J. (2005). ‘It Didn’t Have To Be So Hard’: The First Years of Teaching in an Urban School. //International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(3),// 379-398.


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