How Do We Measure School Connectedness?

 School connectedness is also called positive orientation to school, liking school, school attachment, school bonding and school connection. All of these terms describe the same thing: students who are intellectually, socially and emotionally engaged with their schools. There is no single accepted way to measure school connectedness. Researchers measure school connectedness by asking students the extent to which they agree or with statements such as:

We measure school connectedness by asking questions like these:

  • I feel close to people at this school.
  • Adults at my school care about people my age.
  • I trust adults at my school
  • At school there is a teacher or some other adult who believes I will be a success
  • Adults at my school don't respect what people my age think.

What is School Connectedness?

School connectedness is a characteristic of students who feel supported and cared for as learners and as individuals by the adults and students in their school. It is a quality of students who feel that they are safe in their schools and that they are challenged academically. School connectedness influences how children and adolescents feel about themselves and how they make decisions. Research indicates that school connectedness is one of the few factors that consistently and positively influences social, health, and educational outcomes for adolescents. Unfortunately, research has found that between 40% and 60% of students feel disconnected from school and that disengagement increases with age and grade.

There are many features of schools that facilitate student connection:

  • clear and consistent discipline policies that make sparing use of expulsions and suspensions
  • high academic standards
  • qualified and enthusiastic teachers
  • interactive, cooperative classrooms and relevant, challenging curriculum
  • schools that reach out to the family and community.

The characteristics of schools and the characteristics of students reinforce each other.  Individual students are more likely to feel connected to school if they:

  • have close friends and have friends of different race and gender
  • have strong ties to adults at school
  • feel intrinsic motivation to succeed, participate in extracurricular activities, and like school.

Why Does School Connectedness Matter?

Increasing school connectedness has valuable outcomes in the school, in the community and in the lives of individual students.

Adolescents who report higher levels of connection are:

  • Less likely to smoke cigarettes
  • Less likely to smoke marijuana
  • Less likely to drink alcohol
  • Less likely to feel depressed or attempt suicide
  • More likely to delay first sexual intercourse
  • Less likely to be disruptive in class

Schools that report higher levels of connectedness also report:

  • Lower levels of violence
  • Less vandalism
  • Lower drop-out rates
  • Improved academic performance overall
  • Higher educational motivation overall