Schools across the country are still grappling with the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing chronic absenteeism, which remains well above pre-pandemic levels, is a particularly daunting challenge (FutureEd, 2023). While there is no single reason why more students are missing more days of school, it’s clear that increasing students’ sense of connection and belonging at school is central to making them feel more welcome, engaged, and motivated to make it to class.
Studies consistently show that increasing students’ connectedness to school leads to positive outcomes, including reduced absenteeism, higher test scores, and increased graduation rates (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). According to Attendance Works, a nonprofit working to reduce chronic absenteeism, students feel connected to school when:
- They know there is an adult at school who knows and cares about them.
- They have a supportive peer group.
- They engage at least some of the time in activities they find meaningful and that help others.
- They feel seen and welcome in school. (2023)
In other words, schools must be intentional about supporting each student’s sense of inclusion. And when done well, the work to create an environment of connection and belonging pays off. A recent study by The Grad Partnership found that schools using relationship-centered interventions as part of student success systems saw a reduction in chronic absenteeism of more than five percent in one year (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2024).
Over the past few years, many schools have implemented programs to promote student well-being, including increased access to counseling and new curriculum focused on supporting whole child development. But there are additional opportunities to build systems and structures that can help educators know their students more deeply, build stronger relationships, and make learning more relevant to students’ lives—all of which can help to build stronger connections to school.
At the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), we partner with organizations to translate research on the science of learning and development into effective classroom practices and tools that help educators address day-to-day challenges. Today, this prominently includes addressing the gaps in connection and engagement that can lead to absenteeism. Just as we know that there is no single explanation for the rise in chronic absenteeism, we recognize that no single program or approach will create and sustain an environment of connection and belonging. But here are three innovative initiatives that show distinct promise and give schools new ways to deepen students’ engagement with their education.
Relationship-Building Tip: Ask each student how they like to be recognized for their hard work.
1. Seeing Students’ Potential
When schools know more about the individual strengths and aspirations of their students, they can better support student success. Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) works with schools nationwide to help them identify students from historically underrepresented backgrounds with the potential to succeed in advanced coursework (such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate), design outreach plans to engage them, and create support systems to ensure they succeed.
The EOS approach starts with the Student Insight Card, which provides 43 unique insights for each student with data from a survey developed to understand students’ interests, aspirations, challenges, and barriers to enrolling in higher-level courses. The survey helps schools better understand their students and design ways to engage highly capable students in advanced coursework.
EOS has worked with over 900 schools to help more than 70,000 students enroll in advanced courses who would otherwise be unlikely to enroll. For example, after Verona Area High School in Wisconsin adopted the EOS model in the fall of 2013, AP enrollment increased among low-income students and students of color by 25 percent in one year. Over the next nine years, the district enrolled more than 500 students of color and low-income students in AP courses. In New York City, schools working with EOS increased enrollment in AP/IB courses by an average of 16 percent—or 3,400 students—over six years, while increasing or maintaining course and exam pass rates (Equal Opportunity Schools, 2022).
Enrolling more students with the interest and aptitude in advanced coursework expands opportunities for Black and Latino students to succeed in higher education and STEM fields. The work of EOS also demonstrates that schools can take a systematic approach that signals to students that educators care about their future and believe in their abilities, a key part of strengthening connection.
2. Expanding Graduation Pathways
In New Mexico, Future Focused Education (FFE) is part of a statewide effort to redesign graduation requirements and connections to the workplace to better prepare students for the future. The goal is to make learning more relevant and engaging by building new high school graduation pathways grounded in the unique needs of communities and the workforce.
FFE actively works with 47 local education agencies across New Mexico and expects that number to grow. As part of this collaboration, community members come together to create a graduate profile that defines the knowledge and skills that local educators, business, and community leaders believe are important as students transition to adulthood. The profile includes measures of academics and career readiness, as well as skills that honor students’ cultural and linguistic identities.
FFE recently supported these efforts in the Peñasco School District, where district leaders engaged community members of the small rural school district to create a culturally informed profile. This new graduate profile gives the school district a roadmap to improve student engagement and increase enrollment.
Capstone projects allow high school seniors to demonstrate that they have mastered the skills in the graduate profile. During these months-long projects, students dive deep into topics that interest them, conduct research, and present their findings in public exhibitions of learning to school, family, and community.
These practices give students greater agency over their education, allowing them to connect school to their interests, identities, and communities. When students are engaged in their learning, they are more motivated to tackle challenges that stand in the way of their goals.
Teachers need support in building trusting relationships with all of their students, especially in middle and high school.
3. Building Teacher-Student Relationships
Educators recognize the impact of positive relationships with students on connection and belonging. A recent survey of teachers found that 78 percent rated building stronger connections with their students as a highly effective strategy for boosting student engagement (Gradient Learning, 2023).
Yet teachers face challenges in building trusting relationships with all of their students, especially in middle and high school where each teacher may see more than 100 students per day. In collaboration with Gradient Learning, CZI brought together learning scientists, educators, students, and community partners to develop Along, a digital communications platform that supports relationship building between teachers and students. The tool gives teachers a meaningful and easy-to-use way to check in with each student and collect feedback that can shape their instruction. Along is grounded in research that shows that when students have positive relationships with their teachers, they are more likely to feel motivated and engaged in school, develop positive social and emotional competencies, and perform better academically.
With Along, teachers can connect with students by asking them research-informed questions designed to find out how they think and experience the classroom. For example, teachers might ask how students like to be recognized for their hard work. These insights can shape how teachers interact with students, and the feedback loop signals to students that their perspectives and voices are valued.
In a 2023 survey of more than 700 teachers and students who actively used Along, 89 percent of teachers agreed that Along helps in finding the capacity to build relationships with their students. Similarly, 72 percent of students agreed that Along helps their teachers get to know them (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, 2023).
Creating Lasting Change
Connection can play a part in drawing students to school and combating chronic absenteeism—but it must be consistently woven into the fabric of the school day. By supporting conditions in schools where students see adults as partners in their learning, respecting their interests, and creating meaningful experiences both in and out of school, students are more engaged and excited about their learning.
Educators also need help to make these shifts. Tools like Along and resources from organizations like Equal Opportunity Schools and Future Focused Education can provide teachers and school leaders with the necessary support to address the needs of their students. Working with partners like these has reinforced our belief at CZI that with the right supports, educators can cultivate authentic, unique connections with students that are a critical part of addressing the absenteeism crisis.
Reflect & Discuss
➛ What steps have you taken in your school or classroom to increase students’ sense of connection and belonging? Where do you think there is room for improvement?
➛ In your view, how are opportunities for advanced coursework and student engagement related? How is your school or district supporting such opportunities?
➛ What specific strategies do teachers in your school or district use to build strong developmental relationships with students? What supports do they need?
