Work

School Climate and Academic Performance: Key Factors for Sustainable Education in High-Efficacy Schools and Low-Efficacy Schools

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The school climate is defined as the conditions present within a learning environment that influence the development of educational practices in the context of the school. A positive school climate is crucial for improving learning opportunities, students’ academic performance, and the overall quality of daily schoolwork, thereby promoting educational sustainability. The aim of this research was to analyse and compare the relationships among teachers and among students to understand the school climate in high-efficacy schools and low-efficacy schools. A content analysis was conducted on 50 semistructured interviews with members of the leadership teams from both types of schools. The findings showed that in highly effective schools, there are more favourable perceptions of the school climate, better relationships among teachers, and higher expectations for students than in schools with low efficacy. Improving the school climate can optimise educational performance and should be considered a key strategy to improve both the effectiveness of schools and their long-term sustainability.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su17146497

Authors: Pablo Delgado-Galindo, Jesús García-Jiménez, Juan-Jesús Torres-Gordillo, Javier Rodríguez-Santero

Institutions: Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja

Language: English

Topic: Educational Environments and Student Outcomes

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896