MOKYKLOS ORGANIZACINIO KLIMATO SAMPRATA

The importance of school climate was first recognized over 100 years ago when Arthur
Perry, a New York City school principal, published Management of a City School. In his book,
Perry acknowledged the need to provide students with a quality learning environment and
encouraged fellow administrators to make it the duty of the school to “provide something more than
mere ‘housing’”. Yet school climate did not enter the realm of empirical research until the early
1960s when Halpin and Croft (1963) developed the Organizational Climate Descriptive
Questionnaire and began systematically studying the effects of school organizational climate on
student learning and development (Wang and Degol, 2015). Thus, the concept was formulated, and
their work became the basis of research for other researchers (Rapti; 2012)
As there is no universal definition of school climate, researchers practice a great deal of
discretion in how they characterize and describe school climate. Some choose to adopt a more
concrete and fitted definition, while others choose a more abstract and theoretical one. (Wang and
Degol, 2015). Hoy and Miskel determined that the school climate is the grouping of features that
distinguishes one organization from the behavior and attitudes of the people it consists of. In other
words, as the behavior of specific persons is used to distinguish individuals from one another, the
school has its own characteristics according to human interaction. Halpin’s general perception is
that climate is the personality of an organization and that the organization climate is similar to the
individual personality. X school climate is different from Y school climate associated with the
personality of each of them. Litwin and Stringer have argued that school climate is a facility with
“measurable work environment parameters” based on collective perceptions of the people who live
and work in that environment. In other words, school climate is more or less the understanding that
teachers have on the amount of kindness and hospitality they receive, while interacting with the
school manager (Rapti; 2012). Kaip teigia Hidayati (2023), the term “school climate” describes the
standard of the learning environment that is felt by faculty, staff, students, and other members of the
school community. These are the perceptions that these people have about the policies, practices,
and processes of their institution. Tuo tarpu Freiberg and Stan siūlo gana abstraktų mokyklos
klimato apibrėžimą tegdami, that the climate of the school is the “heart and soul” of a school, the
factor that motivates students, teachers and makes them to want it and willing to be there every day.
Heart and soul were used as metaphorical terms to highlight the importance of climate change,
because it motivates members of a school making them feel attracted by it. In this regard, school
climate is what gives life to it and highlights the values that school represents (Rapti; 2012).
Over the last several decades, researchers and educators have come to realize that the initial
conceptualization of school climate was overly simplistic, and now recognize it as a
multidimensional construct. The multidimensionality of school climate is represented in the
research literature, which defines school climate in four ways: academic, community, safety, and
institutional environment.
The academic domain of school climate, referring to the ways in which learning and
teaching are promoted in the school, is perhaps one of the most prominent and significant domains
of school climate. Academic climate is usually defined using three dimensions: leadership, teaching
and learning, and professional development (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Leadership refers to the role that principals and other administrators play in shaping and
executing the school’s vision through communication and guidance. Effective leaders
articulate the school’s vision to students and staff, inspire everyone to strive toward common
goals, show respect for all members of their staff, and express concern about individual
feelings and needs. They also make every effort to strengthen the school morale and
encourage collaboration and participation from school staff. The best school leaders also
find ways to facilitate open lines of communication between teachers, administrators, and
students (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Teaching and learning embodies one of the most salient facets of school climate research.
The various methods and instructional practices that teachers employ in their classrooms can
strongly impact students’ learning experiences. These methods and practices are typically
organized as supportive instruction, curriculum, teacher expectations, and student
evaluation. Instructional practices that promote student academic motivation are
challenging, hands-on activities that have meaningful real-world applications. Furthermore,
effective instructional practices should be modified and tailored to the unique needs and skill
sets of individual students and also be aligned with curriculum goals and state standards.
The learning process is also influenced by teacher beliefs, expectations, and goal structure.
Teachers demonstrate their expectations through the academic challenges they present, their
endorsement of high academic rigor and performance, and their emphasis on student
improvement and progress. The type of evaluation and feedback provided to students also
matters. Using formative assessments, teachers are able to provide constructive feedback to
students and can use the opportunity to improve their instructional strategies (Wang and
Degol; 2015).
• Professional development refers to the opportunities and programs provided to teachers and
staff to cultivate and improve their teaching strategies and curriculum design. Highquality
professional development is characterized by several key features. First, the goals of
professional development programs should be aligned with the goals of the school as well as
state and district standards, so that instructional and evaluative expectations are clear.
Second, professional development should focus on core content and model teaching
 strategies to improve delivery of instructional practices. Lastly, professional development
allows for collaboration among teachers, as well as continuous feedback through formative
teacher evaluation (Wang and Degol; 2015).
Community refers to the quality of interactions between and among members of the school.
The community domain of school climate is defined as having four dimensions: quality of
interpersonal relationships, connectedness, respect for diversity, and community partnerships (Wang
and Degol; 2015).
• Quality of interpersonal relationships refers to the consistency, frequency, and nature of the
relationships that take place within the school: student-teacher relationships, relationships
among students, and relationships among staff members. Positive interpersonal relationships
are characterized by mutual feelings of support, trust, respect, and caring. Relations among
teachers and administrators are important as well. The extent to which teachers and staff
effectively communicate, collaborate, and support each other is important for establishing
positive interactions and interpersonal relationships (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Connectedness is the psychological state of attachment that students experience when they
feel a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and belonging in school. School connectedness takes
many forms, such as students’ collective views of school attachment and bonding, which
reflect the school’s ability to cultivate a sense of identification and affiliation among its
students and teachers. Connected students consider themselves to be integral members of the
school community (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Respect for diversity refers to the presence of cultural awareness, appreciation, and respect
for all. A school that exemplifies respect for diversity holds all members, regardless of
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation, to the same standards and
principles. Additionally, teachers who cultivate culturally sensitive classrooms are those who
encourage student interests and autonomy, provide students opportunities for decision-
making, and show appreciation for student opinions (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Community partnership refers to the role that parents and other community members play in
the school setting. A strong community partnership is usually characterized by parental
involvement in school, communicating with teachers and other personnel, and attending
events like parent-teacher conferences or school performances. A strong school-community
partnership is inviting to parents and community members and promotes the development of
mentoring programs, business partnerships, and safety patrols that can have a positive effect
on student achievement and behavior (Wang and Degol; 2015).
School safety refers to the physical and emotional security provided by a school and formed by its
members, along with the degree of order and discipline present. The safety domain of school
climate is most commonly defined in three dimensions: physical safety, emotional safety, and order
and discipline (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• The physical safety of a school refers to the degree to which violence, aggression, and
victimization are present and what measures are taken to ensure the safety of its members.
Strategies to eliminate physical violence (e.g., fighting, theft, assault) include
implementation of positive behavioral supports and active classroom management
techniques, use of security guards, and effective disciplinary practices (Wang and Degol;
2015).
• Emotional safety is described as the presence of caring and supportive staff, availability of
counseling services for students struggling with depression or other mood disorders, and an
absence of verbal bullying or harassment. Members of an emotionally safe environment are
able to interact and communicate efficiently with a wide range of people. They can express
their feelings and share their opinions without fear of antagonization. In addition, school-
based mental health services cultivate a school climate characterized by greater
psychological health by reducing a range of behavioral and emotional problems throughout
the student population (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Order and discipline refers to the degree to which students subscribe to school rules, the
consistency and fairness of discipline practices, and the manner in which acts of incivility or
disorder are handled. Gottfredson and colleagues characterized disorderly schools as having
a high incidence of delinquent acts committed by students against their peers and teachers
(Wang and Degol; 2015).
The tangible, sensory quality of an environment plays a great part in shaping the experiences
people have in that environment. The institutional environment component of school climate refers
to the adequacy of the school setting, the maintenance and infrastructure of the building, and the
accessibility and allocation of educational resources (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Environmental adequacy indicates the physical characteristics of the facility, such as
temperature, lighting, sound, and maintenance. An optimal learning environment requires
appropriate heating and air conditioning, ample forms of lighting, necessary acoustical
control, and upkeep of maintenance. The quality of physical features affects teaching
effectiveness and instructional practices, which in turn affect student achievement (Wang
and Degol; 2015).
• Structural organization refers to the skeletal or architectural framework of the institution in
which people carry out their work. Characteristics of the structural organization that have
been linked to perceptions of school climate include school size, class size, the presence of
ability tracking, school start and end times, and student mobility (Wang and Degol; 2015).
• Availability of resources indicates the accessibility teachers and students have to the
technology, tools, and resources that augment instruction. Although the core of instruction
comes from the interaction between teachers and students, that interaction is frequently
facilitated by the equipment, materials, and supplies of teaching. Resource inadequacy is
often a reflection of impoverished communities that are less likely to have materials than
more affluent schools. Resource sharing and allocation are also important. When schools
restructure classrooms and programs to increase availability and access to resources,
students experience more positive academic outcomes, especially among high poverty
schools where materials may be limited (Wang and Degol; 2015).