Uline and Tschannen-Moran, 2008
Purpose – A growing body of research connecting the quality of school facilities to student
performance accompanies recent efforts to improve the state of the educational infrastructure in the
USA. Less is known about the mechanisms of these relationships. This paper seeks to examine the
proposition that part of the explanation may be the mediating influence of school climate.
Design/methodology/approach – Teachers from 80 Virginia middle schools were surveyed
employing measures including the School Climate Index, a seven-item quality of school facilities scale,
as well as three resource support items. Data on student SES and achievement were also gathered.
Bivariate correlational analysis was used to explore the relationships between the quality of facilities,
resource support, school climate, student SES, and student achievement. In addition, multiple
regression was used to test school climate as a mediating variable between the quality of facilities and
student achievement.
Findings – Results confirmed a link between the quality of school facilities and student achievement
in English and mathematics. As well, quality facilities were significantly positively related to three
school climate variables. Finally, results confirmed the hypothesis that school climate plays a
mediating role in the relationship between facility quality and student achievement.
Originality/value – As we face fundamental issues of equity across schools and districts, leaders
struggle to convince taxpayers of the need to invest in replacing and/or renovating inadequate
facilities. Deeper understandings of the complicated interplay between the physical and social
environments of school, and how these dynamics influence student outcomes, may help educators
build a compelling case.
