On kidsdata.org, indicators of school connectedness come from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) through a partnership with WestEd, which developed and administers the CHKS, and the California Department of Education. These indicators, available by gender, grade (7th, 9th, and 11th, and non-traditional students), and race/ethnicity, include:
"Non-traditional" students are those enrolled in Community Day Schools or Continuation Education. According to EdSource, nearly 10% of public school students in California are enrolled in these programs.
When students feel connected to their schools (i.e., they feel treated fairly, close to people, happy, part of, and safe at school), they are more likely to succeed academically and engage in healthy behaviors. Specifically, school connectedness is associated with better school attendance, retention, and test scores, and lower rates of emotional problems, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts/actions, substance abuse, early sexual initiation, violence, and other risky behaviors (1).
Schools can foster student connectedness by promoting caring and supportive relationships with adults, consistently communicating high expectations for youth (i.e., that they can and will succeed), and providing opportunities for meaningful participation in the school environment (2).
For more information on school connectedness, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.
Sources for this narrative:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/adolescenthealth/pdf/connectedness.pdf
- WestEd. (2010). California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS): California school district secondary school survey results Fall 2009/Spring 2010, Core Module A. Retrieved from “Core Narrative” at http://chks.wested.org/reports
Students’ sense of connectedness to school largely depends on the level and nature of adult support, peer groups, and the school environment. At the school level, classroom management, discipline policies, school size, and providing youth with opportunities to participate in and contribute to activities during and after school all can affect the level of student connectedness. Education leaders can pursue policies that enhance school connectedness, thus increasing a key protective factor correlated with better school outcomes and less risky behavior. (1)
According to research and subject experts, policy options that could improve school connectedness include:
- Creating learning environments that allow for better connections between students and caring adults, which can include creating smaller learning environments (1, 2, 3)
- Developing fair and consistent school discipline policies that are equitably enforced (1, 2, 3)
- Improving the classroom climate, such as facilitating student
self-management (e.g., monitoring and regulating their own behavior) and
decision-making, and valuing empathy and consistency among teachers (1,
2)
- Creating clean and pleasant school physical environments that set student expectations for safety and positive relationships (1)
- Creating opportunities for parents to participate actively and meaningfully in their children’s academics and their school, and creating trusting relationships between parents and school staff (1, 3)
- Providing students with a range of skills necessary to be engaged in school, e.g. problem-solving, interpersonal, self-regulatory, and academic skills (2), and setting high expectations along with the support necessary to meet them (3)
- Offering professional development and appropriate decision-making authority to teachers and school administrators so that they can be more supportive of students’ multi-faceted needs (1, 2)
For more policy ideas and information, see WestEd, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Education’s database of Signature Practices of Distinguished Schools. Also see Policy Implications on kidsdata.org under Bullying/Harassment at School, Pupil Support Service Personnel, and Truancy, Suspensions & Expulsions.
Sources for this narrative:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/adolescenthealth/pdf/connectedness.pdf
- McNeeley, et al. (2002). Promoting school connectedness: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of School Health, 72(4), 138-146. Retrieved from: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/Promoting%20School%20Connectedness%20Evidence%20from%20the%20Natl%20Longitudinal%20Study%20of%20Adolescent%20Health.pdf
- The American School Health Association. (2004). Wingspread declaration on school connections. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 233-234. Retrieved from: http://www.jhsph.edu/wingspread/Septemberissue.pdf
About half of California 7th, 9th, and 11th graders reported a high level of agreement that teachers or other adults at school had high expectations of them (47-56%) in 2008-10. However, only 31-38% expressed a high level of agreement that those adults cared about them, and just 13-17% reported a high level of agreement that they had opportunities for meaningful participation at school. Levels of total school assets (a summary measure that includes student reports of caring adults, high expectations, and meaningful participation) vary by demographic group. Consistently, 7th and 11th graders more often express a high level of school assets than 9th graders. Of all groups of students, non-traditional males least often report a high level of school assets. Among racial/ethnic groups, reported levels of school assets are highest among white students and lowest among Latino students.
School connectedness (a summary measure that includes student reports of being treated fairly, feeling close to people, feeling happy, feeling a part of, and feeling safe at school) varies by grade and race/ethnicity. Consistently, 7th graders more often report a high level of school connectedness than 9th and 11th graders. Also, white and Asian students more often express a high level of connectedness than students in other racial/ethnic groups. However, from 2004-06 to 2008-10, the percentage of students with high levels of school connectedness rose for all racial/ethnic groups, as well as for all grade levels and for both boys and girls.