@EdWorkingPaper{ai26-1416,
title = "Not Too Young to Notice: The Early Emergence of Racial Disparities in Elementary Students’ School Climate Perceptions",
author = "Jerome Graham, Aanchal Girda",
institution = "Annenberg Institute at Brown University",
number = "1416",
year = "2026",
month = "March",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1416",
abstract = {Scholarship on school climate often fails to explore the perspectives of elementary-school students. To fill this gap, we use survey-data from Georgia to examine racial disparities in elementary-school students’ school climate perceptions, how they vary over time, and the factors that associate with them. We find that Black and "Other Race" students report worse school climate perceptions than their peers, that these disparities have worsened with time, and remain present among students attending the same school. Further, bullying and disciplinary incidents predict worse climate perceptions, while increases in teaching experience improve them. These results suggest that efforts to improve school climate should center elementary-schools students, and that racial disparities, bullying, teaching experience, and discipline should be considered in these efforts.},
}