California Safe and Supportive Schools

Supporting Students’ Social and Emotional Connectedness During Remote Learning

Student-Staff Relationships

School Connectedness and Academic Achievement in California High Schools

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The CalSCHLS School Connectedness Scale is an important differentiator between low-performing and high-performing high schools and has value as an indicator of school quality. School connectedness appeared to have increased in California recently, but it still declined markedly after students left elementary school with a substantial majority of high school students not feeling highly connected to their schools. The lowest rates of both connectedness and test scores occur in low-income schools.

Opportunities for Meaningful Participation in School

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Student interest, engagement, and motivation are fostered by providing students with opportunities to participate in meaningful, personally relevant activities in school. This factsheet addresses how these opportunities are related to student well-being and school climate improvement.

Climate Connection Toolkit

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The Climate Connection Toolkit outlines no- and low-cost, practical strategies for examining a school’s climate. It is designed to extend the utility of What Works Briefs for school climate improvement, created as part of the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) initiative, which outline research-based recommendations for universal and targeted school climate improvement policies, practices, and programs. The self-contained activities in the Climate Connection Toolkit, some of which were inspired by S3 grantees, are organized to assist school personnel in their ongoing efforts to improve the quality of relationships shared within and between adult and student groups on their campuses.

Lessons Learned from California’s Safe and Supportive Schools Project

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Over the course of the California Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) Project, the California Department of Education gained valuable insights into strategies that are effective in improving school climate in some of the most challenged high schools in the state. This What Works Brief describes the S3 framework and summarizes six of the key lessons learned:

  1. Go slow to move fast
  2. School leaders set the tone
  3. Empower adults and connect with young people
  4. Focus on norms first
  5. Prioritize meaningful actions and “quick wins”
  6. Changing relationships and engagement takes time and commitment