Abstract
The purposes of this study were to look afresh at the concept of organizational climate in schools and to investigate the climate of a sample of Catholic schools. Sixty teachers in Catholic schools who had previously taught in state schools were interviewed. The teachers were located in four dioceses in New South Wales. Analysis of interview statements revealed that the 60 teachers perceived organizational climate to have eight elements or components—staff relationships, goal orientation, religious dimension, student behaviour, principal's leadership style, parent interaction, number of students, and work conditions. Some of these components are not identified elsewhere in the literature on organizational climate. Overall the teachers perceived their current Catholic schools to rate more favourably on all but one of the eight climate dimensions.