School climate as group evaluation and group consensus: Student and parentperceptions of the elementary school environment

In this study, I examined the relation of consensus among students and pare nts regarding their perceptions of the school environment, its relation to their evaluation of the school environment, and the combined effect of cons ensus and evaluation on important student and parent outcomes. I analyzed s urvey responses of elementary, school students (N = 25,557) and their paren ts (N = 23,107) regarding the learning and social environment of schools (N = 122). Results showed that consensus among student and parent perceptions regarding the school environment was significantly and positively correlat ed with their evaluation of the school environment. Schools having more rac ially and ethnically diverse student populations and more newcomers to the school showed significantly less student and parent consensus regarding the school environment. School size was unrelated to consensus. School-level m ultiple regression analyses showed significant and positive relations of st udent and parent evaluations of the school (school mean scale scores) to sc hool-level student outcomes (satisfaction and academic performance) and to school-level parent outcomes (involvement and satisfaction). These relation s were stronger in schools having greater consensus. Most of the observed s chool-level results were evident in hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) in w hich individual student and parent background characteristics and perceptio ns were considered. Implications of results for practices of elementary sch ool staff are discussed.