From a social cognitive perspective (Bandura, 2001; Rogers,
1951), people tend to react to experiences as they subjectively
perceive them, not necessarily to how the experiences are objectively.
Consequently, students’ perceptions of the school environment
likely have a significant impact on their behavior at school
and thus are important potential targets for school improvement
initiatives that aim to enhance achievement and reduce discipline
problems (Haynes, Emmons, & Ben-Avie, 1997). Since the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001, two aspects of school climate—
achievement and safety— have become central in schools’ improvements.
A wide range of interventions have been proposed to
address climate, some of which are aimed at individuals and others
of which are more focused on classrooms or the school level.
However, the impact of interventions on achievement and safety
may depend on the target of the intervention. Therefore, it is
important to identify specific factors at different ecological levels
(student, classroom, and school) that may influence students’
perceptions of these two aspects of school climate.