The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) shows a strong association between school connectedness and a variety of risk factors, researchers say. A Congressionally mandated, Federally funded study, Add Health is the largest, most comprehensive survey of adolescents ever undertaken in the United States.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota analyzed data from the study and found that students who feel connected to school are less likely to use substances, engage in violent behavior, experience emotional distress, or become pregnant.

In the study, school connectedness was defined as students’ positive answers to questions regarding whether they feel close to people at school, feel part of school, feel safe at school, and feel that teachers treat students fairly.

Robert Blum, professor and director of Minnesota's Adolescent Health Program and a study co-investigator, explained that he and his colleagues set out to discover what contributed to teens feeling connected to their school. Why do some adolescents feel attached to school while others don’t? What individual and school characteristics predict connectedness?

When looking at factors that affected school connectedness, researchers found that school size mattered, but classroom size did not. In addition, the location of the school (rural, suburban, urban); the type of school (public, private, parochial); and the number of years of the teachers’ experience also were not factors in whether a student felt connected to his or her school.

The single strongest factor associated with school connectedness was school climate. Well-managed schools and classrooms where expectations for individual responsibility are clear, teachers consistently acknowledge all students, and students are actively involved in classroom management fostered school connectedness.

In addition, students with social groups that were integrated (by both gender and race) had higher school connectedness. This was particularly true when social integration was structured and supported by the school.

“What goes on in the classroom is key to keeping kids from becoming disenchanted with school,” said Blum. “It doesn’t matter whether you have 20 or 30 kids in a class. It doesn’t matter whether the teacher has a graduate degree. What matters is the environment that a student enters when he walks through the classroom door.

“Do students treat each other with respect? Do they get along well with the teacher? Do they pay attention in class and complete their assignments on time? These are the important questions.”

The study’s analysis of school connectedness is based on written surveys filled out during the 1994-95 academic year by 71,515 students in 127 schools. In addition, administrators at participating schools completed questionnaires about school policies and procedures, teacher characteristics, and student body characteristics. Future analysis of Add Health survey data will address questions about how families, schools, peers, and communities affect adolescent behavior and health.

Robert Blum is professor and director of the Center of Adolescent Health and Development, University of Minnesota. This article is based on his presentation, “Promoting Student Connectedness to School: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health,” at the 2002 National Technical Assistance Meeting, Washington, DC.