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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
Connect for Success
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 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
The Sample
Methods
Size 42 to 5422 (average=642)
Public 82.7% Class size 10 to 39 (average=23)
Location Rural 18.6% Suburban 59.6% Urban 21.8%
School Characteristics
Substance Use
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Not at All Very Little Somewhat Quite a Bit Very
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Marijuana
Levels of connectedness
Students who feel connected to school are less likely to use substances
Frequency of Use:
Lev
el o
f S
ub
sta
nce
Use
(S
D U
nit
s)
Emotional Distress
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Not at All Very Little Somewhat Quite a Bit Very
EmotionalDistress
Suicide
Students who feel connected to school experience less emotional distress
Levels of connectedness
Lev
el o
f E
mo
tio
nal
Dis
tres
s (
SD
Un
its)
Violence or Deviant Behavior
-0.5
0
0.5
1
Not at All Very Little Somewhat Quite a Bit Very
DeviantBehavior
Violence
Students who feel connected to school engage In less violent or deviant behavior
Levels of connectedness
Lev
el o
f V
iole
nce
or
De
via
nt
Beh
avio
r (S
D U
nit
s)
Pregnancy
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
Not at All Very Little Somewhat Quite a Bit Very
Students who feel connected to school are less likely to become pregnant
Levels of connectedness
Per
cent
eve
r P
regn
ant
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
ResultsFactors Associated with School Connectedness
THE SCHOOL
Teacher experience was not associated with connectedness.
Having a master’s degree was not associated with connectedness.
ResultsFactors Associated with School Connectedness
TEACHERS
The single strongest association with
connectedness was school climate
ResultsFactors Associated with School Connectedness
SCHOOL CLIMATE & Teacher Engagement/ Caring
Initiated Cigarette Use Predicted Percent at Three Levels of
Teacher Support
16.5
14.3
12.2
5.33.8
2.80
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
None to Occasional None to Regular
- 1 s.d.Mean+ 1 s.d.
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 DrunkPredicted Percent Three Levels of
Teacher Support
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
None to Occasional None to Regular
- 1 s.d.Mean+ 1 s.d.6.2
11.3
9.5
4.53.2
13.4
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
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
None to Ideation None to Attempt
- 1 s.d.Mean+ 1 s.d.
2.2
5.0 4.5
1.7 1.3
5.5
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
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
- 1 s.d.Mean+ 1 s.d.7.5
6.04.7
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, 40-By high school, 40-60% of all students 60% of all students are chronically are chronically disengaged from disengaged from school.school.Klem & Connell, 2004Klem & Connell, 2004
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
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
Triad of Engagement
Interpersonal connectedness with school staff and peers
An engaging environment that is physically 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-on-one 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 non-judgmental 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" (i.e., small learning communities, magnet schools, or career academies).
Use multidisciplinary team teaching, instead of changing classes. Teachers are given prep release.
Use paraprofessionals Implement looping: Have the same groups of
teachers stay with the same students across the school day and school years.
Every teacher a mentor: use group mentorship formats
Small Group Activity: At your table take a large post-it sheet and fill in the table below (10 min.)
Interpersonal Connection obstacles in school/classroom
Proposed solutions
Ex:
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.
1
2
3
4
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?
THE BEHAVIOR SAFETY ZONETHE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SAFETY ZONE
Section 4 The Triad of Engagement: Creating a Safe Environment
Creating a Behavior Safety ZoneConnectedness 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."
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
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.
Three Elements of Academic Engagement1.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 High academic expectations and rigor coupled with support for learning;coupled with support for learning;•Positive adult-student relationships;Positive adult-student relationships;•Safety: both physical and emotional.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
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 decision-making 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 self-
efficacy By helping others it builds self-
esteemTo 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
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
Students are safe
Students are challenged
Meaningful connection to adults
Strong bonds to school
Positive peer relationships
Effective and available support
Emotionally intelligent and culturallycompetent
Responsible and persistent
Cooperative team players
Contribute to school and community
Physically safeEmotionally and socially safe
Treated fairly and equitably
Avoid risky behaviorsSchool is safe and orderly
High expectationsStrong personal motivation
School is connected to life goals
Rigorous academic opportunities