ABSTRACT
This chapter explains that school culture and school climate have been used interchangeably by educational researchers for many years. To begin, school climate has to do with perception how teachers, administrators, and students perceive their school environment. School climate is a psychological construct, subtly different from the more anthropological idea of school culture. In this era of Columbine and Sandy Hook, both solidly middle-class schools, teachers can also feel physically unsafe at school. While only four percent of teachers nationwide are victimized by violence each year, presence of metal detectors, security guards, and lockdown protocols can make teachers uneasy. Media coverage of school shootings has escalated our fear of being harmed or killed at school. Your perception of your school may also be influenced by social, emotional, and intellectual security of your students. There is no greater threat to this security than bullying, a more pervasive and more severe problem than physical violence alone, though bullying often involves physical aggression.
