Keyword: collective stress

Schools in conflict-affected societies occupy a paradoxical position: they are expected to serve as stabilizing institutions that provide safety, continuity, and developmental support, yet they are simultaneously subjected to the destructive forces of armed conflict. This article examines the construct of school climate as it operates within societies experiencing armed conflict and protracted political violence. Drawing on ecological and organizational theories of school functioning, it analyzes how collective stress penetrates school boundaries, reshaping relationships among students, teachers, and administrators. The article integrates research on teacher burnout under conditions of war, the psychological toll of political violence on student populations, and the organizational mechanisms through which some schools manage to sustain positive climates despite external threat. It argues that the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory provides a useful lens for understanding how resource depletion and resource investment interact within school organizations under chronic stress. The article concludes by proposing that school climate in conflict zones should be reconceptualized not as a static attribute but as a dynamic, negotiated process that reflects the ongoing tension between collective vulnerability and organizational agency.