Relationships, Relationships,
Relationships
School Success Linked to School
Connectedness
When asked about the three most important factors in effective school reform, the noted education scholar, Ted Sizer, replied simply: "Relationships, relationships, relationships." The theme of a number of recent research reports focus on the importance of relationships or connectedness within the education system as a vital factor in understanding student success.
What is connectedness?
There are many facets of connectedness within the school setting. We know that when teachers feel connected to their colleagues through collaborative support they are less likely to leave the profession. We also know that when parents feel connected to school they are better able to support student learning through a supportive home environment.
Yet recent studies focusing on the importance of students' connectedness to the school, particularly their sense of connection to their teachers, show that 40 to 60 percent of all students -- urban, suburban, and rural -- are chronically disengaged from school. These students believe that the adults in their school don't care about them.
School connectedness -- a student's feeling of being part of and cared for at school is a primary aspect of understanding student achievement and is believed to be a strong protective factor in helping students cope with stress both within and outside the school setting.
Last September, a special issue of The Journal of School Health* was devoted to the findings of the Wingspread Group, a group of 23 researchers, educators and government leaders who convened at the invitation of Robert Blum, William H. Gates Sr. Professor and chair of the Department of Population and Family Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Along with six commissioned research reviews that document the evidence on the role of school connectedness in the lives of students, the group presented a manifesto of sorts for student connectedness called the Wingspread Declaration.
The Wingspread Declaration lays out strategies for both teachers and administrators that lead to increased connectedness to school. Unfortunately, many of these strategies are not currently rewarded in most school accountability systems. As every educator knows, the pressures of high stakes assessments leave little time for anything but strict academic focus, all but insuring that classroom teachers maintain an atmosphere just as rigid and sometimes foreboding.
"We have a culture of detachment in our nation's schools, said Blum. "Essentially, we're telling kids: "You're on your own, and while some succeed, many don't. This is not acceptable."
What does work?
Based on current research evidence, the most effective strategies for increasing the likelihood that students will be connected to school include ideals school reformers have advocated for years:
- Implementing high standards and expectations, and providing academic support to all students;
- Applying fair and consistent disciplinary policies that are collectively agreed upon and fairly enforced;
- Creating trusting relationships among students, teachers, staff, administrators, and families;
- Hiring and supporting capable teachers skilled in content, teaching techniques, and classroom management to meet each learner's needs;
- Fostering high parent/family expectations for school performance and school completion; and
- Ensuring that every student feels close to at least one supportive adult at school.
Jan Erskine, MSTA education reform specialist, says MSTA has long recognized the importance of building a culture where connectedness and caring are predominate factors. "The vision of the MSTA School Improvement Work Group, for example, incorporates these concepts of shared ownership, pervasive caring and sustained commitment to improve student achievement,"she said.
"As advocates for high achievement for both teachers and students, MSTA engages school communities by shining a light on each and every stakeholder in the education process," Erskine continued. "Without a buy-in from the entire education community, in the form of real engagement, connection, and action, we won’t get any closer to a solution for our schools.”
Connectedness and the minority achievement gap
"It's not surprising," said Larry Dolan, MSTA school reform specialist, "that when minority students report that their teacher cares about them, encourages them to do well, sets high academic standards, and is perceived by the student as someone who wants to help them, the gaps in student achievement all but disappear."
"We know that teacher quality is key to understanding the minority achievement gaps," added Dolan, who, with Erskine, is responsible for MSTA's school improvement plan. "The work of Dr. Ronald Ferguson, who spoke on student connectedness at the 2004 NEA Convention, gives us a clear sense of what specific teacher characteristics motivate students to meet their potential. Guess what? It all comes back to Ted Sizer's comment about relationships"
Nurturing relationships
How can we create more classrooms where students feel teachers care for them, encourage them, and demand that they do well? One clear answer is to create a level of collaboration and collegiality that can allow teachers to learn and support each other.
Once teachers feel connected to each other, perhaps they can enhance their level of connectedness to their students. Students who perceive their teachers as creating a caring, well-structured learning environment in which expectations are high, clear, and fair are more likely to feel connected to their schools.
The work of the Wingspread group emphasizes that all
school staff administrators, teachers, coaches,
para-professionals, support personnel, custodians,
cafeteria employees, bus drivers play a critical role in
making students feel that they belong in school. It also
notes that the positive effects of school connectedness cut
across racial, ethnic, and income groups.
Robert Blum offers numerous strategies for improving
school connectedness, many focused on creating an
environment where meaningful relationships can get started
and be nurtured.
"The research is overwhelming on what needs to be done," Blum said. "We need to engage kids in their own education and make them want to be a part of school. If we do that, we'll improve their prospects for academic success and reduce the likelihood that they'll become involved in a whole raft of dangerous behaviors."
According to Blum's studies, school administrators should:
- Commit to authoritative rather than authoritarian leadership.Articulate a clear academic mission.
- Set high academic standards and expectations.
- Ensure that an adult is assigned to know and watch out for every student.
- Create small learning environments.
- Reduce noise levels in the lunchroom.
- Assure that parents are well-informed.
In addition, teachers should:
- Apply consistent classroom management techniques, with clear rules and consequences.
- Give all students an equal opportunity to participate in class discussions.
- Involve students in curriculum planning and choosing group assignments.
- Encourage peer-assisted teaching and collaborative learning.
- Develop routines and rituals for the class.
"Location, location, location" may be the mantra for
real estate investors, but in the field of education,
relationships and a strong sense of connection with their
school can make all the difference for students of any age,
ethnicity, or socio-economic status.
