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 and include student reports of:
- Caring adults at school
- High expectations by teachers and other adults
- Opportunities for meaningful participation at school
- Total school assets (a summary measure that captures caring relationships, high expectations, and meaningful participation at school)
- School connectedness (another summary measure, comparable to a national survey, that includes student reports of being treated fairly, feeling close to people, feeling happy, feeling a part of, and feeling safe at school)
School environments can play a critical role in fostering resilience – the ability to thrive in spite of adversity – among children and youth. (1) Resilience is associated with healthy development and the avoidance of risky behavior, such as abuse of alcohol and other drugs, early sexual activity, and suicidal thoughts/actions. Research has identified three key factors that promote resilience in young people, thereby protecting them from risk and helping them succeed; all of these factors can be cultivated in school environments:
- Caring relationships with adults: Supportive connections to others who model and support healthy development and well being
- High expectations by adults: Consistent communication of direct and indirect messages that youth can and will succeed
- Opportunities for participation and contribution: Involvement of youth in relevant, engaging, and interesting activities with opportunities to contribute
Research also has shown that students' feelings toward school are related to academic performance, violent or disruptive behavior, substance use, and emotional problems. Students who say they feel connected to school (such as believing that adults at school care about them) are less likely to exhibit problems in these social and behavioral areas.
Sources for narrative:
1. WestEd. (2008). "California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) Survey Content Guidebook for Module A."
http://www.wested.org/cs/chks/print/docs/chks_reportnarratives.html
2. "Wingspread Declaration: A National Strategy for Improving School Connectedness." (2004). Journal of School Health, 74(7), 229-299. http://www.jhsph.edu/wingspread/Septemberissue.pdf
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. 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). http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/Promoting%20School%20Connectedness%20Evidence%20from%20the%20Natl%20Longitudinal%20Study%20of%20Adolescent%20Health.pdf
- Journal of School Health. (2004). Wingspread Declaration on School Connections. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rstudy/64
California students in grades 7, 9, and 11 are more likely to report that teachers and other adults at school have high expectations of them (43-57% in 2006-08) than they are to say that those adults are caring (29-39%), or that opportunities for meaningful participation at school are available to them (12-16%). Levels of “total school assets” – a summary measure that includes student reports of caring adults, high expectations, and meaningful participation – consistently are highest for 7th-grade girls (37% reported high levels of total school assets in 2006-08) and lowest for non-traditional male students (22%). Non-traditional students are those enrolled in Community Day Schools or Continuation Education.
School connectedness, which includes student reports of being treated fairly, feeling close to people, feeling happy, feeling a part of, and feeling safe at school, varies by race/ethnicity. Caucasian/White and Asian American students consistently are most likely to report high levels of connectedness (49% and 45%, respectively, in 2006-08), while African American/Black students are least likely to report high levels (32%). However, from 2003-05 to 2006-08, the percentage of students reporting high levels of school connectedness increased for all racial/ethnic groups, as well as for all grade levels and for both boys and girls.