Personalize the learning environment and instructional process to foster belonging¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The guide's fifth schoolwide recommendation creates a personalized learning environment that fosters belonging and a climate where students and teachers know one another and can offer academic, social, and behavioral encouragement. Suggested structures include small learning communities, team teaching, smaller classes, extended time through schedule changes, and extracurricular participation. The panel rated the evidence moderate.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Structural changes such as small learning communities, team teaching, or smaller classes
• Schedule changes creating extended classroom time

Constraints¶

• Schoolwide reforms may take years to produce measurable improvements, even if implemented effectively

Target Learners¶

• All students in middle and high schools, especially schools with high dropout rates

Target Learning Goals¶

• Sense of belonging, reduced anonymity, and increased school engagement

Related Strategies¶

• Provide academic support and enrichment to improve academic performance of at-risk students
• Assign trained adult advocates with low caseloads to students at risk of dropping out
• Implement programs to improve students' classroom behavior and social skills
• Provide rigorous and relevant instruction connecting academics to postsecondary options
• Build Relationships with Each Student
• Classroom Climate Routines
• Use group roles, rotating roles, shared rubrics, and product-and-process debriefs to foster belonging in group work
• Target school-climate improvement within individual schools and communities, using schoolwide behavior systems, social-emotional learning, and compensatory supports
• Design schools for strong, personalized relationships through small learning communities, looping, advisory systems, teaching teams, and longer grade spans
• School-level strategies for improving school climate
• Interventions targeting both brilliance beliefs and belonging concerns to foster educational equity

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Dynarski, M., Clarke, L., Cobb, B., Finn, J., Rumberger, R., and Smink, J. (2008). Dropout Prevention: A Practice Guide (NCEE 2008-4025). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/PracticeGuide/9.