Indicator A: The percentage of students who report feeling connected to their school
Indicator B: The percentage of students who feel adults in schools, and the community, have high expectations for student success
“School climate” encompasses an array of factors affecting the broad, immersive experience of students in school. The climate in a school can support or challenge a student’s ability to learn and thrive, and research shows students’ experience of school climate is directly related to their academic achievement. Each year since 2006, Alaska students have taken a School Climate and Connectedness Survey (SCCS), which has two sections ARISE has chosen to track.
The Connected to School part of the SCCS taken by fifth through 12th graders is made up of 10 statements about the school environment. Students respond to statements like “At school, there is a teacher or some other adult who will miss me when I am absent,” and “I get along well with other students.” ARISE is interested in this portion of the SCCS because while Alaska Native students across the state report feeling as or more connected to their schools than non-Native students, they do not see the academic “bump” other students get from this connection. The parents of the school climates community engagement group, and the ARISE data group, are exploring this difference so ARISE can identify ways to dynamically support Alaska Native students.
The High Expectations portion of the School Climate and Connectedness Survey reflects students’ perceptions around the expectations of adults in their school and community, as well as their own expectations of themselves. Research has suggested that student academic success is positively impacted when students feel their teachers and broader community express high expectations for achievement. This portion of the SCCS is based on six statements that include “I try hard to do well in school,” and “Adults in my community encourage me to take school seriously,” and “At this school, students are encouraged to work to the best of their abilities.”
Students’ responses to the SCCS survey are on a scale of 1-5, ranging from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree.” When the data is compiled, it is grouped into three categories: 1) Strongly Agree/Agree, 2) Agree Some/Disagree Some, and 3) Strongly Disagree/Disagree.
Outcome 7 Indicator A
Connected To School
Of participating AN/AI students, during the 2014-2015 school year, 19.6 percent said they either “Strongly Agree/Agree” that they feel a connection to their school. 68.5 percent of AN/AI students responding said they “Agree Some/Disagree Some, and 11.8 percent said they “Strongly Disagree/Disagree.” During the same period, 22.1 percent of non-Native students reported that they “Strongly Agree/Agree” that they feel a connection to their school, 65.4 percent reported “Agree Some/Disagree Some, and 12.4 percent said they “Strongly Disagree/Disagree.”
Outcome 7 Indicator B
High Expectations For Success
Of AN/AI students responding to the survey during the 2014-2015 school year, 67. percent of fifth through 12th graders answered “Strongly Agree/Agree.” During that same year, 30.3 percent responded “Agree Some/Disagree Some,” and 2.7 answered “Strongly Disagree/Disagree.” Among non-Native students, during the same period, 70.6 percent of students reported “Strongly Agree/Agree,” 26.7 percent reported “Agree Some/Disagree Some,” and 2.7 percent answered “Strongly Disagree/Disagree.”