The Brookings institution has recently begun to release data from a study that echoes Dr. Hallowell’s findings regarding the importance of students’ connectedness to school. Their National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth) drew data from a nationally representative sample of about 12,000 students in grades 7-12 in the early 1990’s and has many researchers calling for significant reforms to the way schools are structured.

The study found that students begin to disengage from school at middle school age, and that “something significant happens between 7th and 9th grade that adversely affects many students,” says Laurence Steinberg, a Temple University psychology professor. He said the results are not reflective of a general tendency of students to disengage as they get older, because similar drop-offs are not reported after 9th grade. The following chart illustrates some of the significant results:

Steinberg comments that this disengagement “has something to do with the nature of junior high schools or middle schools, or with the lack of fit between the way these institutions are structured and the developmental needs of young teenagers.” He suggests that “a broader policy focused on adolescents, not secondary education,” is needed.

The Brookings study also looks specifically at students’ feelings of connectedness to their schools, and, not surprisingly, finds that connectedness to school is critical to a teenager’s well being. Results indicate “students are less likely to engage in drug use, violence and early sexual activity when they attend schools with caring teachers and tolerant discipline policies, [and with] well-managed classrooms and ample opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.”

The effects of school size, class size, and teacher education are not nearly as important as the environment within the classroom. Researchers at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health who analyzed the Brookings data tell us, “When teachers are empathetic, consistent…and allow students to make decisions, the classroom management climate improves.” The overall level of school connectedness was also lower in schools that suspend students for relatively minor infractions through zero-tolerance policies, “we found that students in schools with those types of discipline policies actually report feeling less safe at school than do students in schools with more moderate policies.” These authors feel that the findings “underscore the need to invest in programs that promote good education and good health.” The Brookings Institution study will be published next year, but details can currently be found at www.brookings.edu.

Sources:
“Detachment Starts in Middle School, Study Finds,” by Lynn Olsen. Education Week, May 29, 2002.
“School ‘Connectedness’ Makes for Healthier Students, Study Suggests,” by Darcia Harris Bowman. Education Week, April 24, 2002.

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