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Closing the Achievement Gap: The Association of Racial Climate with Achievement and Behavioral Outcomes
Author(s) -
Mattison Erica,
Aber Mark S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-007-9128-x
Subject(s) - health psychology , race (biology) , psychology , academic achievement , association (psychology) , perception , legal psychology , school climate , racial bias , social psychology , developmental psychology , public health , medicine , sociology , mathematics education , gender studies , nursing , neuroscience , psychotherapist
This study investigated the relationship between school racial climate and students' self‐reports of academic and discipline outcomes, including whether racial climate mediated and/or moderated the relationship between race and outcomes. Using the Racial Climate Survey‐High School Version (M. Aber et al., unpublished), data were gathered from African American ( n = 382) and European American students ( n = 1456) regarding their perceptions of racial climate. About 18% of the respondents were low‐income and approximately 50% were male. Positive perceptions of the racial climate were associated with higher student achievement and fewer discipline problems. Further, race moderated the relationship between racial climate and both achievement and discipline outcomes. Finally, racial differences in students' grades and discipline outcomes were associated with differences in perceptions of racial climate. Results suggest careful attention should be given to the racial climate of secondary schools, particularly for adolescents who perceive schools as unfair.