The social context of school satisfaction among urban, low-income, African-American students

Nonacademic, contextual factors influencing school satisfaction among low-income, urban, African-American, elementary-school students were examined. Path analysis was used to evaluate the role of classroom social climate, stress, social support, quality of family life, psychological distress, and academic self-concept in predicting school satisfaction, which is one indicator of positive subjective well-being. Results suggest that students' perception of a caring, supportive school community had the most substantive impact of the variables considered on their satisfaction with school. Implications for the school psychologists' prevention and intervention efforts with "at-risk" children are discussed.