School Climate: #ConnectTheDots Brief
The Role of School Connectedness
“School climate has been called the fourth leg of school success” (Doll, 2010) and school connectedness is an
integral factor in a positive school climate. The ability of teachers and staff to connect with students, with each
other, and with families contributes to student well-being, engagement and academic achievement. School
connectedness involves actual and perceived relationships that create a sense of community, safety, and security
amongst adults and students within a building. School connectedness intersects with school climate in that
without a warm and welcoming school climate, students are not likely to feel connected to others and, conversely,
school connectedness ultimately reinforces a positive school climate (Abbott, O'Donnell, Hawkins, Kosterman, &
Catalano, 1998).
A Few Brief Research Facts
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Increasing student engagement and sense of community in the school reduces problem behaviors, increases
associations with prosocial peers, and improves academic performance (Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004).
Interventions that foster students' engagement in school have been shown to reduce high school dropout.
(Reschly & Christenson, 2006)
Interventions to increase students' bonding to school promote academic success by reducing barriers to
learning. (Catalano, Haggerty, Oesterle, Fleming, & Hawkins, 2004).
What Can Be Done to Enhance School Connectedness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) identifies the following strategies school personnel can
employ to enhance school connectedness:
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Create environments that engender trust and that convey a genuine sense of caring amongst the faculty,
staff, students, and families.
Forge family-school partnerships that empower families to be actively involved in their children's academic
and school lives.
Provide students with the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral skills they will need to be engaged in
the schooling process.
Value the cultural ways of being students bring with them and work to provide culturally competent instruction
to optimize their potential for success in the classroom.
Provide teachers and staff with the necessary professional development intended to augment their selfefficacy in connecting with students and families and in meeting the educational needs of all students.
The Role of the School Psychologist
School psychologists, as school-employed mental health professionals with specialized training in learning,
instruction, educational and family systems, and child development, are integral members of the school
community. They provide services that not only foster positive school climate, they bring expertise in building and
enhancing the relationships that lead to greater school connectedness: adult to adult, adult to student, student to
student, school to family, and school to community. School psychologists employ evidence-informed practices
and interventions that can lead to greater self-efficacy in administrators, teachers, students, and families that
enhance collaboration and involvement.
Related Resources
Connecting Students to Schools to Support Their Emotional Well-Being and Academic Success – Communiqué
School Psychology Awareness: Making Connections – Activities to enhance school connectedness from School
Psychology Awareness Week 2011
School Connectedness: Improving Students' Lives – Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
Helping Your Children Feel Connected at School: Information for Parents and Families (pdf) – Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
References
Abbott, R. D., O'Donnell, J., Hawkins, J. D., Hill, K. G., Kosterman, R., & Catalano, R. F. (1998). Changing
teaching practices to promote achievement and bonding to school. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68,
542–552.
Battistich, V., Schaps, E., & Wilson, N. (2004). Effects of an elementary school intervention on students'
“connectedness” to school and social adjustment during middle school. Journal of Primary Prevention, 24,
243–262.
Catalano, R. F., Haggerty, K. P., Oesterle, S., Fleming, C. B., & Hawkins, J. D. (2004, September). The
importance of bonding to school for healthy development: Findings from the Social Development Research
Group. Journal of School Health. Journal of School Health, 74, 252–261.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective
factors among youth. Atlanta, GA: Author.
Doll, B. (2010). Positive school climate. In A. S. Cantor, L. Z. Paige, and S. Shaw (Eds.), Helping children
rd
succeed at school and at home (3 ed., pp. S4H7-1-S4H27-4). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School
Psychologists.
Klem, A., & Connell, J. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and
achievement. Journal of School Health, 74, 262–273.
Spier, E., Cai, C., & Osher, D. (2007, December). School climate and connectedness and student achievement in
the Anchorage School District. Unpublished report, American Institutes for Research.
Spier, E., Cai, C., Osher, D., & Kendziora, D. (2007, September). School climate and connectedness and student
achievement in 11 Alaska school districts. Unpublished report, American Institutes for Research.
Reschly, A., & Christenson, S. L. (2006). School completion. In G. G. Bear & K. M. Minke (Eds.), Children's needs
III: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp. 103–113). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School
Psychologists.
Share How You #ConnectTheDots
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