To align with a more holistic perspective of wellness, the authors advocate for the inclusion of student subjective well-being (SWB) or happiness ratings as part of school climate assessment within school improvement plans (SIPs). Relevant theory and research demonstrate the reciprocal relationship between student perceptions of school climate and their overall SWB. Within the context of school improvement planning/assessment and counselor program accountability, the authors provide recommendations for school counselors’ evidence-based practice.
AitkenK. (2015). Evidence-based assessment tools in ASD: A comprehensive review of what is available, what is appropriate and what is “fit-for-purpose.”Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley.
2.
AldridgeJ. M.FraserB. J.FozdarF.Ala’iK.EarnestJ.AfariE. (2016). Students’ perceptions of school climate as determinants of wellbeing, resilience and identity. Improving Schools, 19, 5–26. doi:10.1177/1365480215612616
3.
American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
4.
American School Counselor Association. (2014). Mindsets and behaviors for student success: K-12 college- and career-readiness standards for every student. Alexandria, VA: Author.
5.
AndrewsF. M.CrandallR. (1976). The validity of measures of self-reported well-being. Social Indicators Research, 3, 1–19.
6.
AndrewsF. M.WitheyS. B. (1976). Social indicators of well-being: Americans’ perceptions of life quality. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
7.
ArgyleM.CrosslandJ. (1987). The dimensions of positive emotions. British Journal of Social Psychology, 26, 127–137.
8.
ArgyleM.MartinM.CrosslandJ. (1989). Happiness as a function of personality and social encounters. In ForgasJ. P.InnesJ. M. (Eds.), Recent advances in social psychology: An international perspective (pp. 189–203). New York, NY: Elsevier.
9.
AstramovichR. L. (2017). Program evaluation interest and skills of school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 20, 54–64. doi:10.5330/1096-2409-20.1.54
10.
BergJ. K.AberJ. L. (2015). The direct and moderating role of school interpersonal climate on children’s academic outcomes in the context of whole-school, social-emotional learning programs. Paper presented at the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Spring 2015 conference, Washington, DC. Abstract retrieved fromhttps://www.sree.org/conferences/2015s/program/downloads/abstracts/1464_3.pdf
11.
BernhardtV. (2013). Data, data, everywhere: Bringing all the data together for continuous school improvement. New York, NY: Routledge.
12.
BirdJ. M.MarkleR. S. (2012). Subjective well-being in school environments: Promoting positive youth development through evidence-based assessment and intervention. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82, 61–66. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.201
13.
BjerkeM. B.RengerR. (2017). Being smart about writing SMART objectives. Evaluation and Program Planning, 61, 125–127. doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.12.009
14.
BorkarV. N. (2016). Positive school climate and positive education: Impact on students well-being. Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, 7, 861–862.
15.
BradburnN. M. (1969). The structure of psychological well-being. Chicago, IL: Aldine.
16.
BronfenbrennerU. (1979). Contexts of child rearing: Problems and prospects. American Psychologist, 34, 844–850. doi:10.1037//0003-066X.34.10.844
17.
ClevelandR. E. (2013). Psychometric reanalysis of happiness, temperament, and spirituality scales with children in faith-based elementary schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Seattle Pacific University, Washington, DC.
18.
CocoradăE.ClinciuA. (2009). Climate connected to assessment in secondary education. Cognition, Brain, Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 13, 341–362.
19.
CohenJ.McCabeE. M.MichelliN. M.PickeralT. (2009). School climate: Research, policy, practice, and teacher education. Teachers College Record, 111, 180–213.
20.
CruiseS.LewisC.McGuckinC. (2006). Internal consistency, reliability, and temporal stability of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form: Test-retest data over two weeks. Social Behavior and Personality, 34, 123–126. doi:10.2224/sbp.2006.34.2.123
21.
CumminsR.WoodenM. (2014). Personal resilience in times of crisis: The implications of SWB homeostasis and set-points. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15, 223–235. doi:10.1007/s10902-013-9481-4
22.
DienerE. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness, and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55, 34–43.
23.
DingC.LiuY.BerkowitzM. (2011). The study of factor structure and reliability of an abbreviated school climate survey. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 26, 241–256. doi:10.1177/0829573511414005
24.
DunawayD. M.KimD.SzadE. R. (2012). Perceptions of the purpose and value of the school improvement plan process. Educational Forum, 76, 158–173. doi:10.1080/00131725.2011.652490
25.
FelnerR. D.FavazzaA.ShimM.BrandS.GuK.NoonanN. (2001). Whole school improvement and restructuring as prevention and promotion: Lessons from STEP and the project on high-performance learning communities. Journal of School Psychology, 39, 177–202. doi:10.1016/S0022-4405(01)00057-7
26.
FernandezK. E. (2011). Evaluating school improvement plans and their effect on academic performance. Educational Policy, 25, 338–367.
HadinezhadH.ZareeF. (2009). Reliability, validity, and normalization of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Psychological Research, 12, 62–77.
30.
HernándezT. J.SeemS. R. (2004). A safe school climate: A systemic approach and the school counselor. Professional School Counseling, 7, 256–262.
31.
HillsP.ArgyleM. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073–1082.
32.
HolderM. (2012). Happiness in children: Measurement, correlates and enhancement of positive subjective well-being. New York, NY: Springer.
33.
HolderM. D.ColemanB. (2008). The contribution of temperament, popularity, and physical appearance to children’s happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 279–302.
34.
HolderM. D.ColemanB. (2009). The contribution of social relationships to children’s happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 329–349.
35.
HolderM. D.ColemanB.KrupaT.KrupaE. (2016). Well-being’s relation to religiosity and spirituality in children and adolescents in Zambia. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 1235–1253. doi:10.1007/s10902-015-9640-x
36.
HolderM. D.ColemanB.WallaceJ. M. (2010). Spirituality, religiousness, and happiness in children aged 8–12 years. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 131–150. doi:10.1007/s10902-008-9126-1
37.
HolderM. D.KlassenA. (2010). Temperament and happiness in children. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 419–439. doi:10.1007/s10902-009-9149-2
38.
HolderM. D.WeningerR. L. (2015). Understanding and enhancing subjective well-being of children. In KirkcaldyB. (Ed.), Promoting psychological well-being in children and families (pp. 81–101). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
39.
HubermanA. M.MilesM. B. (2013). Innovation up close: How school improvement works. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media.
HuebnerE. S.GilmanR.ReschlyA.HallR. (2009). Positive schools. In LopezS. J.SnyderC. R. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed., pp. 561–569). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
42.
KaffenbergerC.YoungA. (2013). Making DATA work (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.
43.
KashdanT. B. (2004). The assessment of subjective well-being (issues raised by the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire). Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 1225–1232.
KleinJ.CornellD.KonoldT. (2012). Relationships between bullying, school climate, and student risk behaviors. School Psychology Quarterly, 27, 154–169.
46.
KochanekJ. R.WraightS.WanY.NylenL.RodriguezS. (2011). Parent involvement and extended learning activities in school improvement plans in the Midwest Region(Issues & Answers Report, REL 2011–No. 115). Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest. Retrieved fromhttp://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs
47.
KohlD.RecchiaS.SteffgenG. (2013). Measuring school climate: An overview of measurement scales. Educational Research, 55, 411–426. doi:10.1080/00131881.2013.844944
48.
KonoldT.CornellD.HuangF.MeyerP.LaceyA.NekvasilE.,…ShuklaK. (2014). Multilevel multi-informant structure of the authoritative school climate survey. School Psychology Quarterly. doi:10.1037/spq0000062
49.
KutsyurubaB.KlingerD. A.HussainA. (2015). Relationships among school climate, school safety, and student achievement and well-being: A review of the literature. Review of Education, 3, 103–135. doi:10.1002/rev3.3043
LevinK.InchleyJ.CurrieD.CurrieC. (2012). Subjective health and mental well-being of adolescents and the health promoting school: A cross-sectional multilevel analysis. Health Education, 112, 170–184. doi:10.1108/09654281211203439
52.
LewisC.MaltbyJ.DayL. (2005). Religious orientation, religious coping and happiness among UK adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 1193–1202. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.08.002
53.
LindwallJ. J.ColemanH. K. (2008). The elementary school counselor’s role in fostering caring school communities. Professional School Counseling, 12, 144–148.
54.
LongR. F.HuebnerE. S.WedellD. H.HillsK. J. (2012). Measuring school-related subjective well-being in adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82, 50–60. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01130.x
55.
López-PérezB.SánchezJ.GummerumM. (2016). Children’s and adolescents’ conceptions of happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 2431–2455. doi:10.1007/s10902-015-9701-1
56.
LyubomirskyS.LepperH. (1999a). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research, 46, 137–155.
MatteiD.SchaeferC. E. (2004). An investigation of validity of the Subjective Happiness Scale. Psychological Reports, 94, 288–290. doi:10.2466/PR0.94.1.288-290
59.
McCabe-FitchK. (2009). Examination of the impact of an intervention in positive psychology on the happiness and life satisfaction of children(Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved fromhttp://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/AAI3361015. (AAI3361015)
60.
McMahonH. G.MasonE. C. M.Daluga-GuentherN.RuizA. (2014). An ecological model of professional school counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92, 459–471. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00172.x
61.
MMS Education. (2006, 4). Summary of findings: Interviews with educational leaders about school climate and school climate surveys. Paper prepared for the Center for Social and Emotional Education, New York, NY. Retrieved fromhttp://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/acknowledgments.php
NobleT.McGrathH. (2016). The PROSPER school pathways for student wellbeing: Policy and practices. New York, NY: Springer International.
65.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, § 115, Stat. 1425 (2002).
66.
O’ConnorB.CrawfordM.HolderM. (2015). An item response theory analysis of the Subjective Happiness Scale. Social Indicators Research, 124, 249–258. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0773-9
67.
O’RourkeJ.CooperM. (2010). Lucky to be happy: A study of happiness in Australian primary students. Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology, 10, 94–107.
68.
ReddekoppT. (2007). Linking the teacher appraisal process to the school improvement plan. Principal Leadership, 7, 40–43.
69.
RobbinsM.FrancisL. J.EdwardsB. (2008). Prayer, personality and happiness: A study among undergraduate students in Wales. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 11, 93–99. doi:10.1080/13674670701702548
70.
RobbinsM.FrancisL. J.EdwardsB. (2010). Happiness as stable extraversion: Internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire among undergraduate students. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 29, 89–94. doi:10.1007/s12144-010-9076-8
71.
Rodríguez-FernándezA.Ramos-DíazE.Fernández-ZabalA.GoniE.EsnaolaI.GoniA. (2016). Contextual and psychological variables in a descriptive model of subjective well-being and school engagement. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 16, 166–174. doi:10.1016/j.ijchp.2016.01.003
72.
SaticiS. A. (2016). Psychological vulnerability, resilience, and subjective well-being: The mediating role of hope. Personality & Individual Differences, 102, 68–73. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.06.057
73.
ScheerensJ. (2015). Theories on educational effectiveness and ineffectiveness. School Effectiveness & School Improvement, 26, 10–31. doi:10.1080/09243453.2013.858754
74.
SchellenbergR.GrothausT. (2009). Promoting cultural responsiveness and closing the achievement gap with standards blending. Professional School Counseling, 12, 440–449.
75.
ShoshaniA.EldorL. (2016). The informal learning of teachers: Learning climate, job satisfaction and teachers’ and students’ motivation and well-being. International Journal of Educational Research, 79, 52–63. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2016.06.007
76.
SinkC. A. (2009). School counselors as accountability leaders: Another call for action. Professional School Counseling, 13, 68–74.
77.
ThapaA.CohenJ.GuffeyS.Higgins-D’AlessandroA. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83, 357–385. doi:10.3102/0034654313483907
Uusitalo-MalmivaaraL. (2012). Global and school-related happiness in Finnish children. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13, 601–619. doi:10.1007/s10902-011-9282-6
81.
Uusitalo-MalmivaaraL.LehtoJ. E. (2013). Social factors explaining children’s subjective happiness and depressive symptoms. Social Indicators Research, 111, 603–615. doi:10.1007/s11205-012-0022-z
82.
VeenhovenR. (1997). Advances in understanding happiness. Revue Quebecoise de Psychologie, 18, 29–79.
83.
WagnerC. R. (2006). The school leader’s tool for assessing and improving school culture. Principal Leadership, 7, 41–44.
WilsonD. (2004). The interface of school climate and school connectedness and relationships with aggression and victimization. Journal of School Health, 74, 293–299.
86.
ZhangD.WuY. (2012). Social support mediating between trait forgiveness and mental health. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20, 577–579.
87.
ZulligK. J.HuebnerE.PattonJ. M. (2011). Relationships among school climate domains and school satisfaction. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 133–145. doi:10.1002/pits.20532
88.
ZulligK. J.KoopmanT. M.PattonJ. M.UbbesV. A. (2010). School climate: Historical review, instrument development, and school assessment. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 28, 139–152. doi:10.1177/0734282909344205
