Why School-Connect?

Research shows that social and emotional skills are fundamental to success in school and the workplace. Students need a supportive learning environment in which they feel known, valued, and motivated.

School climate affects learning. 

Students who feel connected to school and their teachers are more likely to attend class, enjoy school, and excel academically. Conversely, those who feel anonymous, unsafe or unsupported at school are more likely to disengage – both socially and academically.

• By high school, as many as 40% - 60% of students – urban, suburban, and rural - become chronically disengaged from school (Steinberg et al., 1996).

• A recent survey of high school dropouts found top reasons for not finishing school were: a lack of connection to the school environment, a perception that school is boring, feeling unmotivated, academic challenges and real-world events (Bridgeland et al., 2006).
  

• School culture affects all students; Many intellectually capable students will under-perform to avoid peer rejection while other students will act out to gain peer support (Ford et al., 2008; Bishop et al., 2004).

• Students on the fringe of the school community are at greater risk for self-detrimental behavior. “School-connectedness” is an important protective factor against emotional distress, violence, substance use, academic apathy, and dropping out (Resnick et al., 1997; Wingspread Declaration, 2004).

Ninth grade is a critical year for students.

The stakes are high in high school. Graduation rates, college admittance, and opportunities in the workforce are greatly determined by the ability of students to navigate the personal and academic challenges of high school.  Many students struggle to find their footing in this more demanding environment.

• Students’ grades are most likely to suffer in ninth and tenth grade. On average, only 60% - 75% of incoming freshmen will graduate from high school in four years (Laird et al., 2007).

• Students need guidance and practice in skills essential to school and workplace success. Research shows that creating smaller, more collaborative and personalized learning environments for freshmen increases the percentage of ninth graders progressing to tenth grade (Bernstein et al., 2008).

Many high school graduates are unprepared for college or the workplace.

Of the students who graduate from high school, many lack sufficient skills for success in college and the workplace.  These deficits include social and emotional skills critical to today’s economy: the ability to self-motivate, communicate effectively, work in teams, solve problems creatively, and adapt to changing conditions.  In a 2005 survey (Hart, 2005)

• 42% of college professors reported that students were unprepared for college-level courses.  

• 45% of employers reported disappointment with high school graduates’ job readiness.

• 40% of high school students reported feeling inadequately prepared for either college or the workplace.

Bernstein, L., Millsap, M.A., Schimmenti, J., & Page, L., (2008).  Implementation study of smaller learning communities: final report. Washington, D.C.: US Department of Education.

Bishop, J.H., Bishop, M., Bishop, M., Gelbwasser, L., Green, S., Peterson, E., Rubinsztaj, A., & Zuckerman, A. (2004). Why we harass nerds and freaks: A formal theory of student culture and norms. Journal of School Health, 74, 7. 235-251.

Bridgeland, J.M., Dilulio, J.J., Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts.  A report by Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Seattle, WA: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Caster-Lotto, J. & Barrington, L. (2006). Are they really ready to work?: Employers’ perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st Century U.S. workforce.  A study commissioned by the Conference Board, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, & The Society for Human Resource Management . Retrieved from www.conference-board.org July 24, 2008.

Ford, D. Y., Grantham, T. C., & Whiting, G. W.  (2008) Another look at the achievement gap:  Learning from the experiences of gifted black students.  Urban Education, 43(2), 216-239.

Laird, J., DeBell, M., Kienzl, G., & Chapman, C. (2007). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2005 (NCES 2007-059). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Orfield, G. (2004). Dropouts in America: Confronting the graduate rate crisis. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Hart, P.D. & Research Associates. (2005). Rising to the challenge: Are high school graduates prepared for college and work? A study of recent high school graduates, college instructors and employers. Washington, D.C.: Achieve, Inc.

Resnick, M.D., Bearman, P.S., Blum, R.W., Bauman, K.E., Harris, K.M., Jones, J., Tabor, J., Beuhring, T., Sieving, R.E., Shew, M., Ireland, M., Bearinger, L.H., & Udry, J.R. (1997). Protecting adolescents from harm. Findings from the national longitudinal study on adolescent health. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 10, 823–832.

Steinberg, L.D., Brown, B.B., & Dornbusch S.M., (1996). Beyond the classroom: Why school reform has failed and what parents need to do. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Wingspread Declaration Conference Participants with the Center for Adolescent Health and Development at the University of Minnesota (2004). Wingspread declaration: A national strategy for improving school connectedness. Journal of School Health, 74, 7. 233-234.