The Importance of Student Sense of Belonging (IES)
Two-page infographic from IES’s Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest shares five promising strategies for teachers interested in nurturing relationships to support students’ sense of belonging.
School Connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth
The March 2009 CDC report, School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth, is a synthesis of research from the fields of education, health, psychology, and sociology, and includes detailed examples of six evidence-based strategies to promote school connectedness:
The GRAD Partnership Chronic Absenteeism Toolkit
A collection of GRAD Partnership resources for addressing chronic absenteeism in schools.
Core Practice Continuum: Supporting Student Agency (Turnaround for Children)
Turnaround’s Core Practice Continuum for Student Agency is a tool designed to prompt reflection and empower growth across roles in a school by providing rich descriptions of quality and categorically different images of practice across levels that lead to student agency. The Core Practice Continuum for Student Agency is intended for use by individual educators who engage with students in various ways in a school community, including teachers, student support staff, instructional support staff, school leaders and administrators. The continuum is intentionally framed to show a developmental progression of practice and pathways to improvement.
The Four Core Components of Student Success Systems
High-quality student success systems combine four essential elements so that secondary schools are empowered, in an inclusive way, to graduate all students on a pathway to adult success through higher education and job training. Read the four briefs below to learn more about each of the components.
Six Actions Principals Can Take to Meet Student Needs in a Post-Pandemic World
All students deserve the opportunity to succeed in school and graduate from high school prepared for the future. But when student needs are so great, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Student success systems take the guesswork out of student support. This two-page resource outlines six steps school leaders can take to implement student success systems.
Proven Strategies that Schools Can Use to Address Chronic Absenteeism: Learnings from The GRAD Partnership
New resource lays out a core set of evidence-based practices that schools have successfully used to address chronic absenteeism.
Rural College Equity Toolkit
Despite similar graduation rates, rural students attend college at a much lower rate than their urban and suburban counterparts (AASA Rural Equity Report, 2017; Flora & Flora, 2013). In some states, this gap in postsecondary enrollment reaches as high as 20% (Pierson & Hanson, 2015). This issue appears to have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of rural students filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) decreased by a whopping 18% from 2019 to 2020 (FSA, 2019-2020). These patterns are especially prevalent in highly competitive postsecondary programs (Byun, Irvin, and Meece 2015; Koricich et…
What Works: School Connectedness
California Safe and Supportive Schools brief summarizes evidence on the importance of school connectedness, with practical tips for what teachers and adults can do right now, as well as universal and targeted support approaches
Cal-HOSA’s Blueprint to Student Mental Wellness and Career Pipeline
In the school environment, mental health problems adversely affect students’ attention span in the classroom, aptitude for learning or study, and engagement in intramural and extramural activities; a situation intensified among students from vulnerable populations. Early detection combined with appropriate services and resources can change a child’s trajectory from a path of severe mental health issues to one of wellness and full participation in school and community life. This comprehensive guide for educators draws on the importance of connectedness and student-centered standards of practice, both core component of high-quality student success systems. It offers lesson plans and worksheets to…