Impact of Experience Corps^sup ^ Participation on School Climate

We examined the impact of the Experience Corps^sup ^(EC) program on school climate within Baltimore City public elementary schools. In this program, teams of older adult volunteers were placed in high intensity (>15 h per week), meaningful roles in public elementary schools, to improve the educat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Prevention science 2015-07, Vol.16 (5), p.744
Main Authors: Parisi, Jeanine M, Ramsey, Christine M, Carlson, Michelle C, Xue, Qian-li, Huang, Jin, Romani, William A, Mcgill, Sylvia, Seeman, Teresa E, Tanner, Elizabeth K, Barron, Jeremy, Tan, Erwin J, Gruenewald, Tara L, Diibor, Ike, Fried, Linda P, Rebok, George W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Behavior
Children & youth
Classrooms
Conflict resolution
Elementary schools
Literacy
Nursing schools
Participation
Perceptions
Public health
Roles
School environment
School systems
Skills
Social capital
Students
Teachers
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Summary:We examined the impact of the Experience Corps^sup ^(EC) program on school climate within Baltimore City public elementary schools. In this program, teams of older adult volunteers were placed in high intensity (>15 h per week), meaningful roles in public elementary schools, to improve the educational outcomes of children as well as the health and well-being of volunteers. During the first year of EC participation, school climate was perceived more favorably among staff and students in EC schools as compared to those in comparison schools. However, with a few notable exceptions, perceived school climate did not differ for staff or students in intervention and comparison schools during the second year of exposure to the EC program. These findings suggest that perceptions of school climate may be altered by introducing a new program into elementary schools; however, research examining how perceptions of school climate are impacted over a longer period is warranted.
ISSN:1389-4986
1573-6695
DOI:10.1007/s11121-015-0550-2