Relationship Centered Schools (RCS) campaign

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Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

A youth-led school-transformation initiative run by Californians for Justice that supports relationship-building, student voice, and staff investment in secondary schools.

Components

• Three principles of the Relationship Centered Schools campaign: The Relationship Centered Schools (RCS) campaign, launched in 2015 by Californians for Justice, is a youth-led school transformation initiative organized around three guiding principles. The report states that the campaign "centers three principles to guide action and school improvement: (1) create space for relationship-building, (2) value student voice, and (3) invest in staff." These principles direct how youth organizers, educators, and district leaders collaborate to restructure secondary schools so that students of color and students from low-income backgrounds are known, supported, and able to reach their potential. The campaign has sought to spur transformation in 11 comprehensive high schools across four California regions. (Hernández et al. (2023))
• Relationship-centered schooling framework from the science of learning and development: This brief organizes school redesign around relationship-centered schooling, drawing on 'Design Principles for Schools: Putting the Science of Learning and Development Into Action.' It holds that 'Connections between students and school adults are at the core of relationship-centered schooling' and that positive relationships should be consistent and individualized, trustful, respectful, and reciprocal, and focused on all aspects of young people's development. The framework names four student-facing structure domains—small learning communities, safety and belonging, culturally sustaining and relevant education, and student voice and agency—plus staff collaboration and family engagement structures. (Hernández et al. (2024))

Claims

• Students—particularly those facing significant social, economic, and academic impediments—demonstrate stronger academic, social, and emotional development in smaller learning settings [+W]
• Schools where staff maintain strong relationships and collaborate frequently are more effective in supporting student learning and well-being, and collaboration and teacher leadership approaches contribute to staff retention [+W]

Related Products and Programmes

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Key Sources

• Hernández, L. H., & Rivero, E. (2023). Striving for relationship-centered schools: Insights from a community-based transformation campaign. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/621.856
• Hernández, L., & Darling-Hammond, L. (with Nielsen, N.). (2024). Cultivating relationships in secondary schools: Structures that matter. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/cultivating-relationships-secondary-schools-brief

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	relationship-centered-schools-rcs-campaign
title	Relationship Centered Schools (RCS) campaign
description	A youth-led school-transformation initiative run by Californians for Justice that supports relationship-building, student voice, and staff investment in secondary schools.
status	review
product_kind	programme
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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