School learning environments play important roles in students' lives. But when do these relationships form? Previous research on middle school students has identified a strong association between student socio-demographics, school characteristics, and achievement. Yet, few studies have investigated the origins of these associations. This study…

School climate is theoretically important for the academic achievement of students in urban schools because safety and support at school may compensate for negative structural forces experienced elsewhere. There is strong evidence for an association between school climate and student achievement, but little suggests the association's…

Social-emotional competencies (SECs) stand to benefit children in a myriad of ways. However, school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs are often ineffective in low-income, urban school districts, calling into question whether they adequately address student needs. The present study investigated whether and how one source of stress more…

Transitions to a new principal are common, especially within urban public schools, and potentially highly disruptive to a school's culture and operations. We use longitudinal data from New York City to investigate if the effect of principal transitions differs by whether the incoming principal was hired externally or promoted from within the…

This study examined students' perceptions of their science learning environment and how it relates to their metacognition and self-efficacy. An exploratory study (N=186 South Korean secondary science students from a large-city urban school) used two instruments: Outcomes-Based Education Learning Environment Questionnaire [OBLEQ]; Self-Efficacy and…

As part of a larger project focused on the intersection of educational and health trajectories over the life course, we use in-depth interviews with 28 adults who experienced multiple non-promotional school changes during the course of their K-12 schooling in three U.S. urban centers to advance understanding of frequent student mobility. Prior…

This study aims to examine the attitudes, self-efficacy and perceived school environment of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in primary schools in China. Additionally, it seeks to explore the potential correlations between these aspects and demographic and contextual factors. A questionnaire comprising four scales was administered to a…

This article is designed to examine the current situation of urban education in the selected schools in Addis Ababa with the view of establishing specific challenges that confront the schools, as well as, to explore the perception of stakeholders such as school leaders, teachers, students and the parents. To elicit the perceptions of the…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between teacher leadership and collective teacher efficacy in Chinese urban primary schools in the education change context using quantitative research methods. Based on valid answers from 1117 teachers, the results of path analysis revealed that the dimensions of teacher leadership…

Sense of school belonging has been shown to contribute to a range of academic and psychosocial outcomes, especially among adolescents, and may have particular salience for immigrant students of color, due to their ethnic-racial positionality and frequent marginalization in school. In this study, we examined the ways that immigrant and island-born…

Positive school climate is associated with myriad positive student, staff, and school outcomes, including increased achievement and decreased problem behavior. Hence, universal evidence-based practices are necessary to increase school climate. One universal approach with evidence of effects on school climate is School-Wide Positive Behavior…

This qualitative case study explores how urban high schools implement a district-initiated student-voice program, referred to as Student Advisory Committees, intended to improve school climate. The study uses an implementation science framework to analyze interview data from principals and advisors in 22 urban high schools. An iterative, top-down…

Coupled with school for education and socialization, hope is an important facet of adolescent development. Hope can be a mitigating factor against negative outcomes, including poor academic achievement. However, little study has been done to examine how the school environment influences perceptions of hope. This study will examine the perceived…

This study tested the relationship between Principal Support of Teacher Psychological Needs (PSTPN) and a need-supportive instructional climate. Evidence on social contagion was used to advance three hypotheses: "PSTP is associated with school differences in student reported autonomy-support, competence-support, and relational-support; A…

Racism is enmeshed within the fabric of U.S. public education, making it critical to identify and dismantle. One way to do this is to provide professional development (PD) to teachers targeting antiracism to build awareness, decenter whiteness, and advance racial equity in schools. This systematic review is a synthesis of antiracism PD studies,…