Adolescents who feel connected to school


and perceive the adults there to be caring are more likely to be


academically and socially engaged. Here’s how to foster that connection.


T 16 16 Leadership


he research is clear on the im- portance of student connected- ness to school. When students believe the adults at their school


genuinely care about them as individuals and care about their learning, they are more engaged and more likely to be academically successful. Middle school is a critical time for stu-


dents to feel connected to school, but these grade levels present greater challenges to all of us working to foster student connected- ness. It is well documented that the transi- tion from elementary to middle school is a time when students feel less attached to school, and their perception of caring adults at school drops significantly (Search Insti- tute, 2006). Students who are disconnected in school


report more incidents of maltreatment such as harassment from their peers (Eisenberg, Neumark-Sztainer & Perry, 2003). Adoles- cence is a time when peer relationships be- come more important, and those relation-


ships can positively or negatively impact a student’s behavior and feelings about school (McNeely & Falci, 2004). The good news is that those who partici-


pate in extra-curricular activities, receive high grades, and do not skip school feel more attached to school (McNeely, 2002). Furthermore, adolescents who feel con- nected to school and perceive their teachers as fair and caring are less likely to participate in health-risk behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol or marijuana use, sexual activity, violence, or suicidal thoughts (McNeely & Falci, 2004; Search Institute, 2006). But what does it mean for a student to


feel connected to his or her school commu- nity? At Terman Middle School in Palo Alto Unified School District this is a data-driven question. In the fall of 2010, Palo Alto Uni- fied School District partnered with Project Cornerstone to conduct a survey that among


By Katherine Baker and Bhavna Narula


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