Connect for Success
The Untapped Power
of Schools: a workshop
Robert Wm. Blum, MD, MPH, Ph.D.
William H. Gates Sr. Professor and Chair
Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Lynne Michael Blum MS, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Adjunct
Department of Mental Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Session 1: Why School Connectedness?
 What is School Connectedness?
 How does it impact behaviors as
well as education?
 Why does it matter?
What is school connectedness?
•Sense of belonging, being part of school;
•Liking school;
•Perceiving teachers as supportive and
caring;
•Having good friends at school;
•Being engaged academically;
•Experiencing fair and effective discipline;
•Participating in extra-curricular activities.
Prior research from Add Health
has shown a strong association
between school connectedness
and every risk behavior
Methods
The Sample

The National Longitudinal Study of
Adolescent Health




A stratified random sample of 80 high schools
with primary feeder schools
N=134 schools (127 participated in school
survey)
N=71,515 students in 7th through 12th grade
N=127 school administrator surveys
Methods
School Characteristics

Size
42 to 5422 (average=642)

Public
82.7%

Class size
10 to 39 (average=23)

Location



Rural
Suburban
Urban
18.6%
59.6%
21.8%
Substance Use
Students who feel connected to school
are less likely to use substances
Level of Substance Use
(SD Units)
1.5
1
Frequency
of Use:
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Marijuana
0.5
0
-0.5
Not at All
Very Little
Somewhat
Quite a Bit
Levels of connectedness
Very
Emotional Distress
Students who feel connected to school
experience less emotional distress
Level of Emotional Distress
(SD Units)
1.5
1
Emotional
Distress
Suicide
0.5
0
-0.5
Not at All
Very Little
Somewhat
Quite a Bit
Levels of connectedness
Very
Violence or Deviant Behavior
Students who feel connected to school
engage In less violent or deviant behavior
Level of Violence or Deviant Behavior
(SD Units)
1
0.5
Deviant
Behavior
Violence
0
-0.5
Not at All
Very Little
Somewhat
Quite a Bit
Levels of connectedness
Very
Pregnancy
Students who feel connected to school
are less likely to become pregnant
Percent ever Pregnant
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
Not at All
Very Little
Somewhat
Levels of connectedness
Quite a Bit
Very
Results
Factors Associated with School Connectedness
THE SCHOOL



School size mattered
…classroom size did not
School type is not associated with
connectedness
…public, private, parochial
Location of school is not associated with
connectedness
…urban, suburban, rural
Results
Factors Associated with School Connectedness
TEACHERS


Teacher experience was not associated
with connectedness.
Having a master’s degree was not
associated with connectedness.
Results
Factors Associated with School Connectedness
SCHOOL CLIMATE
& Teacher Engagement/ Caring
The single strongest association with
connectedness was school climate
Initiated Cigarette Use
Predicted Percent at Three Levels of Teacher Support
18
16
14
12
10
16.5
14.3
12.2
- 1 s.d.
Mean
+ 1 s.d.
8
6
4
5.3
2
0
None to Occasional
3.8
2.8
None to Regular
Multinomial logit models adjusted for social belonging, race/ethnicity, income, gender, family
structure, emotional distress, relationship with parents, hx of peer suicide, hx of family suicide
Initiated Getting Drunk
Predicted Percent Three Levels of Teacher
Support
18
16
14
12
10
13.4
11.3
- 1 s.d.
Mean
+ 1 s.d.
9.5
8
6.2
6
4.5
4
3.2
2
0
None to Occasional
None to Regular
Multinomial logit models adjusted for social belonging, race/ethnicity, income, gender, family
structure, emotional distress, relationship with parents, hx of peer suicide, hx of family suicide
Seriously Considered or Attempted
Suicide
Predicted Percent at Three Levels of Teacher Support
18
16
14
12
10
- 1 s.d.
Mean
+ 1 s.d.
8
6
4
5.5
5.0
4.5
2.2 1.7
2
0
None to Ideation
1.3
None to Attempt
Multinomial logit models adjusted for social belonging, race/ethnicity, income, gender, family
structure, emotional distress, relationship with parents, hx of peer suicide, hx of family suicide
Initiated Violence
Predicted Percent at Three Levels of Teacher Support
18
16
14
12
- 1 s.d.
Mean
+ 1 s.d.
10
8
6
4
7.5
6.0
4.7
2
0
Multinomial logit models adjusted for social belonging, race/ethnicity, income, gender, family
structure, emotional distress, relationship with parents, hx of peer suicide, hx of family suicide
Students are Disengaged
By high school, 4060% of all students
are chronically
disengaged from
school.
Klem & Connell, 2004
Students are more likely to be
connected to school when expectations
are…
•High
•Fair
•Clear
Engaged students are more likely to…
•Pay attention;
•Do more than is expected;
•Have higher grades and test
scores.
The Academic Benefits of Teacher
Support
Comparing academic advancement in
reading and math among 3rd graders with
high and low teacher support:
Reading: 1.5 yrs vs. 0.5 yrs advancement
Math: 1.67 yrs vs. <1 yr advancement
School Disengagement
Two thirds of all teens who wind up pregnant
or in the juvenile justice system have early
warning signs of school disengagement
The Relationship Between Skipping
School and Later Delinquency (OR)
ONSET OF SERIOUS CRIMINAL CRIMES
Class Skipper
4.12
Minor Truant (1-3 days)
4.03
Moderate Truant (4-9 days)
6.84
Chronic Truant (>9 days)
12.15
School climate, teacher caring,
and social connectedness are
closely intertwined.
Connection Matters
Second to home, school is the most
important environment in the lives of
young people.
Feeling engaged at school is critical for
both academic and social success.
Wingspread Declaration
“Students are more likely to succeed
when they feel connected to school.
School connectedness is the belief by
students that adults in the school care
about their learning as well as about
them as individuals."
By the end of today…
We will work together to build strategies for
your school and classroom
Before lunch


Interpersonal Connectedness
Assessing School Climate and
Connectedness
After lunch

Physical and emotional safety

Academic Engagement
Section 2
INTERPERSONAL CONNECTEDNESS
Making School Connectedness
Happen
The Triad of School Engagement
Triad of Engagement

Interpersonal connectedness with school

An engaging environment that is physically
staff and peers
and emotionally safe
 Academic engagement - high expectations,
support for learning, and flexible, relevant
instruction
The elements of the Triad are highly
interrelated
When schools excel in the triad of
engagement, students feel
supported, safe, and capable of
solving academic and personal
challenges.
Create personal connections
When school fosters positive
relationships between students and
adults a climate of respect and safety
is created which in turn fosters
student academic engagement.
When students feel connected to at least one
significant adult in their education, they
experience:

Positive academic attitudes and values

Satisfaction with school

Engagement in academic work

Better school attendance

Learning

Better academic performance
What teachers can do to create
connectedness




Know each student’s educational strengths
and weaknesses so as to maximize
strengths.
Use assignments to encourage students to
share stories about themselves.
Establish a regular time at least weekly for
students to share thoughts and concerns.
Ask questions and spend time listening.
Adults who connect…





Listen
Compliment
Are not guided by prejudice
Do not assume
Treat students fairly
Adults who connect (cont.)…
•
•
•
•
Get to know their students' needs
Are welcoming
Respect students' input
Show each student they believe in
them
Adults who connect (cont)…



Treat students with respect: public
compliments and private, supportive
corrections.
Advise and mentor students: meet one-onone with students to work on goals.
Empathize with and coach students who
face problems.
Individual Exercise
Take 3-5 minutes and jot down on a
piece of paper one strategy that you
use or know of that would provide a
personalized touch between yourself
and students in your class or school.
Share your idea: pass it to the person
next to you.
2:1 For every one dose of adult directions and
lecture, take two doses of kid discussion and
conversation.



The goal is to lecture less, talk less, direct
less and…
Ask more questions using reflective
listening.
Wait for a response when a question is
asked because sometimes kids are slow to
respond.
Dare to get personal


Get to know your students personally-not only their academic faces, but their
personal faces.
Make the classroom and the school a
place where kids feel you know their
stories and you know what’s happening
to them.
A Personal Touch



Make sure that there is someone who
knows every student by name;
Greet students by name in the hallways,
classroom, lunchroom, as they get off the
bus.
Look students in the eye
Hibbin’s Story
I went to a big school where many adults
never learned my name. On the first day of
sixth grade, I was met outside the building
by the new school principal. As he greeted
all the students, he said to me, 'Hi, I'm Mr. So
and So and I'm glad you're here; welcome
back.' I was shocked….It made me feel I
belonged to a place where people cared
whether or not I was there.
A strategy for elementary school
children




At start of the year students write a few
paragraphs about themselves, their family,
likes and dislikes
Students are encouraged to bring in photos
that can be scanned into the document
The document can be printed and provided
to students and parents
The document can be added to over the
school year
Other personalizing strategies for
elementary school children


VIP Day (or week): where every student has
a day or week where they are the focus of
the class– bring in pets (or photos), family
members, songs, clothes and food from
their family’s country of origin
Personal Crest: with 4 quadrants: likes and
dislikes (e.g., food), favorite class, self
portrait, family portrait
Personalizing strategies for
elementary and middle school


Have students compile a guide for new
students that introduces the school from a
student perspective.
Use cross-age mentoring e.g., middle grade
students with elementary
Personalizing strategies for Middle
school years (cont)…



Use writing assignments such as: “If I were
principal….”
Have students create a time line of their
lives– major events (from their
perspectives) and post them on the walls.
Recognize and celebrate achievements
large and small.
Personalizing Strategies for High
School Students


Be willing to provide honest, clear, and nonjudgmental feedback on personal
behaviors (e.g., “I am concerned since I
often smell cigarette smoke on your
clothes…”)
Indicate your availability to listen by asking
questions (e.g., “I have been concerned
since you often look sad and distracted.
What’s up? Can you talk about it?”)
Other strategies that personalize the
school environment



Help students develop behavioral and
academic goals and provide a monitoring and
reward system.
Use popsicle sticks to call on students rather
than having them raise their hands.
Create a goal for yourself such as to increase
praise or develop new approaches to critical
feedback.
The Teacher of the Year
When asked what she did to become the
Teacher of the Year, a New Jersey school
teacher said: “ I made it my goal that
between Thanksgiving and Christmas I
would call every parent in my class to say
one thing nice about their child. For some it
is the only positive call they ever got from
school.”
Personal Concern starts at the top
The evidence is clear that when
the school leadership is
concerned about staff, they in turn
are more likely to show concern
for the students.
Evidence-based ways to structure the
school environment to enhance
personal connections

Create a small school culture -"schools-within-a-school"

Use multidisciplinary team teaching, instead of changing
(i.e., small learning communities, magnet schools, or
career academies).
classes. Teachers are given prep release.

Use paraprofessionals
Implement looping: Have the same groups of teachers

Every teacher a mentor: use group mentorship formats

stay with the same students across the school day and
school years.
Small Group Activity: At your table take a
large post-it sheet and fill in the table below
(10 min.)
Ex:
1
2
3
4
Interpersonal Connection
obstacles in school/classroom
Proposed solutions
There is no time in the school
day to personally connect with
students.
Once a week, have “Lunch Bunch”:
invite kids to bring their lunches to
your classroom to eat and play games.
Section 3
ASSESSING SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS
IN YOUR SCHOOL
What data does your school have to assess climate
and connectedness?
 School Climate data from:
students
teachers
parents



What data are missing?
Whose voice is most important in assessing
school climate?
What matters most in collecting more
information: process or data?
In Your School….



How will you know if students in your
school are connected? How do you
measure it?
What can students do to increase
connectedness to school? Improve
climate?
What about teachers, what can they do?
Administrators? Parents?
Activity (10 min)
Discuss with your team what
information you think is needed
that you do not have so as to
improve school climate. Why is it
needed? And from whom should
you get it?
Frieberg’s Assessment of School Climate




Noise in the lunch room
Hallway monitor treatment of students who
are where they don’t belong
The presence (or absence) of doors and
toilet paper in bathroom stalls
Grafitti on school walls
School Climate Assessments: categories
for consideration

Safety (physical, emotional, academic)

Bullying/Teasing/Social Isolation

Trust/Respect/Caring

Racism and racial segregation

Parent/School relations
School Connectedness

Commitment (e.g., school spirit)

Attachment/Belonging

Involvement/Participation

Belief about school rules and policies

Power and Authority
Central Themes of School Connectedness









Academic Engagement
Belonging
Fairness of rules
Liking School
Student Voice
Participation in activities
Peer relationships
Safety
Teacher support
Small Group Activity (10 min.)
Looking at the various types of
information that can be collected
that relate to school
connectedness and school
climate, which do you think will be
most important for your school
and why?
Large Group Activity
Lunch
Section 4 The Triad of Engagement: Creating a Safe
Environment
THE BEHAVIOR SAFETY ZONE
THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SAFETY ZONE
Creating a Behavior Safety Zone
Connectedness increases when



The lunchroom, playground, and hallways
are emotionally and physically safe, not
behavioral minefields for students.
Unstructured common area activities are
monitored by staff members who ensure
respect and order.
Noise levels are moderated in shared
spaces.
Creating Pride in the School Facilities

Decorate common spaces with student art

Clean graffiti immediately



Rotate the assignment of maintaining
aspects of the facility, creating a peace
garden
Establish a parent volunteer group for
beautifying the school grounds
Hold school clean up day in conjunction
with Earth Day or planting shrubs and trees
in conjunction with Arbor Day.
Establish a protective discipline system
•
Provide a fair and just discipline program
•
Involve students in creating the system
•
Consistently to enforce consequences
•
•
Engineer the discipline system so that it is
compassionate, teaches appropriate
behavior and allows for corrections
Ensure that ALL adults in school are
accountable for respectful behavior toward
each other and students
Positive Behavioral Interventions
and Supports (PBIS)




PBIS emphasizes changing the school
environment, teaching new skills, modifying
student and adult behavior, and removing the
secondary gains that tend to come with problem
behavior.
Establishes uniform expectations and rules for
student behavior and posts those rules;
Teaches students appropriate, pro-social
behaviors;
Rewards students when they are "caught doing
something good."
PBIS VIDEO
What Teachers can do

Establish a behavioral Magna Carta for the
class together with students

Use infractions as teaching opportunities

Provide respectful and clear feedback

Use non-aggressive strategies to correct or
extinguish unacceptable behavior
School as an Arena of Comfort
CREATING A SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
SAFETY ZONE
Individual Activity (3-5 min)


When you think of school as an emotional
safety zone, what kinds of things come to
mind?
List 2-3 things that you could do to enhance
school as an emotional safety zone.
Creating School as an Arena of
Comfort




Create a cultural celebration day where students
can share the language, food, costumes, and
culture of their family’s country of origin
Showcase everyone’s work… not just the “best” in
the class
Use the “popsicles” or fishbowl to call on
students rather than hand raising
Provide a “complaint box” where students can
share their concerns
Safe to make mistakes





Encourage "redo's" on papers and tests.
Remember, the goal is that students learn not that
they get it right the first time around
Make time to meet with students to help them
learn from mistakes
Provide correct responses when grading papers
Never tolerate students making fun of others who
get answers wrong
Create an environment of tolerance for all levels
of learning
Use the classroom and playing field
to teach conflict resolution



Use role play to explore conflict resolution
options
Use literature and history and discuss
alternatives to resolving the conflict
Use conflicts that arise at school as
teaching moments to explore possible
alternatives that could have been learned
The school should be safe from
bullying



Boys are more likely to bully through
physical aggression and girls through
isolation
Discuss bullying at PTAs and encourage
parents to inform school when they
suspect their children are being victimized
Teach respect and coping skills in the
classroom
School-wide Inclusiveness Programs





Implement a student-run, year-round welcome programs
for new students
Create structures that enable friendships by increasing
students' social awareness.
Implement social and emotional learning programs to
help create social awareness among students
Provide alternatives to lunchroom loneliness: Run club
meetings during lunch where students can take their
lunches and work on the club activities or create a lunch
bunch where activities are held.
Structure activities on the playground (for younger
students), led by older student volunteers who can run
structured play activities.
And now…
… A BREAK
Section 5
ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT
Three Elements of Academic
Engagement
1. Set high academic and
behavioral standards.
2. Implement flexible
teaching methods.
3. Make subjects relevant.
Center for the Social Organization of Schools
Johns Hopkins University
School connection is the belief by students that
adults in the school care about their learning as
well as about them as individuals. The critical
requirement for feeling connected include
students’ experiencing…
•High academic expectations and rigor
coupled with support for learning;
•Positive adult-student relationships;
•Safety: both physical and emotional.
#1 Set high behavioral and academic
standards




Provide school-wide tutoring and other
learning supports
Provide school-wide academic incentive
programs based on “as soon as” strategies
Provide supports for teachers that frees
them from trivial administrative tasks so as
to focus on individual assessment and
instruction
Establish individual student educational
goals and monitor progress toward them
Establish Professional Learning
Communities



This strategy provides an environment fostering
collegial support and "synergy of efforts."
Staff teams meet regularly to receive training and
assist one another in planning more effective
lessons, critiquing student work, and solving the
common problems of teaching.
For more information, visit www.nsdc.org,
National Staff Development Council.
Low Expectations of Students…

Is commonly experienced by students

Sends the message of incompetence

Is seen as disrespectful by students

Can lead to a school environment
characterized by disrespect
The key elements of an effective
school
High Expectations coupled with
High Supports
High Expectations help students
achieve their Personal Best



Expectations and support have to be
determined student by student.
Expect students to reach their personal
goals, not necessarily the goals for average
students.
Support underachieving as well as gifted
students and help them meet their highest
personal best
Grading



Allow re-tests and re-writes… the goal is
information acquisition and skill
development not test proficiency
Provide the correct responses so that
students can learn from errors
Make time to meet with students after class
or school to provide feedback
#2 Flexibility is key



Students don’t all learn in the same way or at the
same pace
School leaders that encourage teachers to
adapt teaching styles to mesh with learning
styles and needs of students create supportive
learning environments
Reward teachers for innovative teaching
methods
School systems that encourage
flexibility…






Provide teacher training, in-service opportunities, and
coaching to help teachers keep pace with innovative
instructional methods.
Encourage teachers to address all learning styles.
Vary their assessment methods to meet the needs of the
students.
Use strategies to encourage use of higher-level
reasoning skills, not just memorization skills.
Adjust the curriculum to accommodate to transfer
students.
Accommodate to the learning needs and strengths of
students
Accomodation

Schools that accommodate allow students
to demonstrate what they know using the
modalities that work best for them. This
may mean:
--oral examinations
--untimed testing
--separate room for testing of highly
distractible students
Raising Healthy Children
Raising Healthy Children is a program that
engages the emotions, elements of
movement and novelty during learning. It
encourages questioning.
One strategy is:
Think-pair-share where, during oral language
exercises, students "think" by correcting
mistakes in the sentences, "pair" with a partner to
explain their corrections, and then "share" the
correct answers with the class.
#3 Relevance and learning
We learn when the information has meaning
in our lives.


Relevance comes through getting students
involved in their learning.
Relevance comes when knowledge is
drawn from the students’ life stories.
Relevant Instruction



If there are students with chronic illnesses
or disabilities in the class teach history by
including influential figures with those
conditions.
Read literature about heroes who the
students can identify with.
Teach writing by having students write
their autobiographies and/or keep diaries
Engaging schools use Active Learning
Active learning places students in
activities that demand decisionmaking and problem-solving skills (for
example, it uses assignments where
students need to investigate answers,
interview people, visit sites, and report
back).
Service Learning makes instruction
relevant




It provides an opportunity for hands-on
learning and perspective taking
It teaches skill-building
Through problem solving it builds selfefficacy
By helping others it builds self-esteem
To be effective there must be adult mentorship and
an opportunity to process experiences
Service Learning is associated with…

Lower dropout and suspension rates and
improved engagement with school

Less alcohol consumption

Improved attitudes toward older people

Increased civic engagement as adults

Increased attention to the news

Better work attitudes

Increased attendance and persistence in
schoolwork.
Small Group Activity (10 min.)

In your group, brainstorm two or three
examples of Academic Engagement
strategies:

How to communicate high expectations

Increase flexibility of instruction

Increase relevance of instruction
Section 5
CONCLUSION
Positive school climate includes…
•
•
•
Emphasis on academic achievement;
Positive relationships between students
and teachers;
Respect for all members of the school
community;
•
Fair and consistent discipline policies;
•
Attention to physical safety;
•
Family and community involvement.
Connected students…
•
•
Like school;
Say that teachers provide positive
feedback;
•
Say teachers listen to them;
•
Believe that all students are treated fairly;
•
Feel safe;
•
Don’t experience prejudice.
Characteristics of Well-managed
Schools and Classrooms



Expectations are clear for individual
responsibility and conflict resolution
Teachers consistently acknowledge all
students
Students are actively involved in
classroom management

Discipline is authoritative not authoritarian

Social integration of students is structured
Increasing the number of students
connected to school is likely to impact
critical accountability measures, such as…
Academic performance;
Incidents of fighting, bullying, or
vandalism;
Absenteeism;
School completion rates.
Strong scientific evidence demonstrates
that increased student connection to
school promotes
1. Educational motivation;
2. Classroom engagement;
3. Improved school attendance.
These three factors in turn increase academic
achievement. These findings apply across racial,
ethnic and income groups.
Creating Conditions for Learning
Students are supported
Students are socially capable
Meaningful connection to adults
Strong bonds to school
Emotionally intelligent and culturally
competent
Positive peer relationships
Effective and available support
Responsible and persistent
Cooperative team players
Contribute to school and community
Students are safe
Students are challenged
Physically safe
Emotionally and socially safe
High expectations
Strong personal motivation
Treated fairly and equitably
Avoid risky behaviors
School is safe and orderly
School is connected to life goals
Rigorous academic opportunities
Their Futures are in your hands!