The concept of "organizational climate" is described briefly in this article; the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (the most well-known conceptualization and measure of elementary school climate) is evaluated; and the successful refinement and empirical testing of a revised, more parsimonious questionnaire, are discussed.…

Purpose: The aim of this study was two-fold: to demonstrate a general construct of schools called academic optimism and to show it was related to student achievement in urban elementary schools, even controlling for socioeconomic factors, and school size. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 99 urban elementary schools in Texas…

A validity study of the OCD Questionnaire instrument for assessing organizational climate in the schools concludes that (1) the prototypic profile is not useful, and (2) subtests of the OCDQ tap and measure important aspects of the organizational climate of secondary schools. (Author)

Describes a conceptual framework to measure various school climate aspects, including institutional integrity, initiating structure, consideration, resource support, principal influence, teacher morale, and academic emphasis. The Organization Health Inventory is a 44-item questionnaire asking educators to describe their behavior along a 4-point…

Three sets of hypotheses served to delineate the focus of this study: (1) the more open the organization climate of the high school, the less custodial the pupil control orientation of the school, (2) the more custodial the pupil control orientation of the school, the greater the total alienation of the students, and (3) the more open the…

Study suggests that one possible way to begin to increase the attractiveness of secondary schools is to open" the climate. (Authors)

A study of New Jersey elementary schools revealed that the perceived authenticity of the principal's behavior was significantly related to the openness of the school's climate and to the humanism in the school's pupil-control orientation. Also, the more open the school's climate, the more humanistic the school's pupil-control orientation. (SB)

Examines several dimensions of high school organizational health and faculty trust factors involving students, colleagues, principals, and parents. Finds that the greater the degree of faculty trust the better the organizational health of a school. Draws implications for research and practice. (Contains 26 references.) (PKP)

Pilot study testing of the Organizational Health Inventory (OHI), developed to measure the health of schools along seven dimensions of interactions among teachers, students, and administrators, showed positive results supporting the stability of the factor structure, and reliability and validity of the subtests. (Author/CB)

In a study of organizational socialization, 191 liberal arts majors (171 females and 20 males) at Rutgers University were assessed to determine influences on student teachers' attitudes. Four questionnaires were administered to the students. Sense of efficacy, student control orientation, and associated attitudes were related to organizational…

Uses health and openness metaphors to develop measures of organizational climate in a study of 86 middle schools. In addition to socioeconomic status, other aspects of school climate that significantly influence student achievement in basic skills are environmental press, collegial leadership, teacher professionalism, and academic press. Moreover,…

A parsimonious measure of organizational climate of high schools is developed and tested in this research. The Organizational Climate Index (OCI) captures open and healthy dimensions of high school climates at the student, teacher, principal, and community levels. Next the relationship between the climate of schools and faculty trust is examined…

This book offers hands-on suggestions for administrators who want to assess their schools' health. The goal is to improve middle schools by making sure the culture is right for all groups--students, teachers, and staff. Chapter 1, "Climate, Culture, and Quality," distinguishes between the concepts of organizational culture and climate, formulates…

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships between Machiavellian orientations of elementary and secondary school principals and aspects of teacher-principal relations. Data were collected from faculty members and principals in 40 elementary and 40 secondary schools in New Jersey. A set of hypotheses and research questions was…