Pride Surveys’ Top 9 Blog Posts of 2019

As we close out the calendar year, we like to take a look back at the resources we provide our valued colleagues and clients. By taking some time to reflect on what people are engaging with we can learn from and focus on the things that are most important to you, our reader. The topics that our readers are most engaged in are issues that bring together students, the community, and the schools. The intersection of those three points drives discussion that can help all three understand each other.

The Top Most Visited Blog in 2019

Coming in at number one, Why Community Involvement in Schools is Important, was our top most-read blog post ever. It’s no surprise, as this blog details the three groups that collectively have the biggest impact on students’ futures, that of teachers, parents, and the community, and how the community, in particular, provides critical resources that impact the success of local students. Read on for easy ways to encourage community engagement and how to make community involvement a priority for your school.

School Survey Blogs

Blogs about surveying take up the next four spots on our list. These four blog posts, in particular, are about critical survey topics that have resonated with our readers.

School bullying is, unfortunately, an ongoing topic, and the blog All About School Bullying Surveys for Students identifies the purpose and goals of student bully surveys, what they measure, the right types of questions you need to be asking students, and the importance of these surveys. If you are experiencing a bullying issue in your school, we highly recommend you read more about this.

What part do parents and guardians play in identifying level of engagement, school life, safety, drug use and more? A huge part. The School Surveys for Parents blog post identifies what the parent surveys measure, the challenges with these surveys, the purpose they serve, and tips for better implementation of these crucial resources. Learn more about how to increase parental involvement and input.

We live in a digital age. How does technology impact surveys and their results? We dove into these important questions in the Online Student Surveys vs. Paper Surveys blog post. The analysis of the pros and cons of each type of survey implementation remains relevant. Read on to see what may be the best fit for your institution.

The fourth most-read school survey blog post this year was What is a School Climate Survey? These surveys measure the overall climate of schools and educate the teachers, faculty, and administration about how to use data-driven results to improve upon their schools. Learn more about what these surveys measure, why they are important, and the best ones for your school here.

The Importance of Positive Relationships and Engagement

Next on our list are three frequently read blog posts that focus on the importance of community, parent, and teacher involvement in students’ lives and how coalitions can and do improve communities as a whole.

One of the most important relationships that exists within the school system is that of the teacher and student. The blog post 4 Benefits of Positive Student-Teacher Relationships identifies ways these relationships promote academic success, help mitigate behavioral problems, help students develop improved self-worth, and how they assist the educators with their professional growth.

In addition to the relationship students have with teachers, the communication and partnership between teachers and parents are also instrumental to success. Tips for Strong Parent-Teacher Cooperation and Communication builds the case for why these relationships are important and how teachers, schools as a whole, and parents can help cultivate them. This topic is ever-evolving, and one we will continue to focus on in the coming year.

From a community engagement perspective, The Power of Youth Empowerment Programs in Communities post takes into consideration the invaluable impact these programs can have on students, examples of the various programs that exist, how to go about obtaining funding, and the data needed to back up the case for funding. Read more about these programs by visiting the blog post.

The Drinking Age in the United States

The final most-read blog we are focusing on is the long-debated legal drinking age. In the post The Drinking Age Debate: Pros and Cons of Lowering the Legal Drinking Age we analyze the pros and cons of keeping it as-is or lowering it, a topic that remains and will remain relevant for the foreseeable future. The back and forth on this issue has been simmering for a long time and the people debating it have been on both sides of the issue with the older generation remembering the drinking age being set at 18 and the younger having the age set at 21 since their birth. Regardless of your opinion, it’s an interesting debate.

If there are ways we can support your community or school next year or topics you would like to learn more about, please contact us.

How Students Can Lessen School Stress

A competitive classroom emphasizes individualistic learning, though it can also help cultivate school stress. Students absorb material individually. Teachers test and quiz them, evaluating their performances with letter grades and percentages. Competition has its benefits. It can motivate students to try harder. It can also help students prepare to embrace real-life challenges and, on occasion, cope with failure. Teachers also receive clear, reliable, and quantitative data for evaluating students. In particular, it allows teachers to identify and address individual problems more efficiently. Academic competition, however, can be taken too far, and it can have negative consequences for students.

Competition can become a more or less constant feature of the school environment. Students are already under pressure with high school grades, standardized test results, and extracurricular activities dictating college admissions. With recent educational initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and Common Core, testing becomes an ever-present feature of the school experience. Students are either taking tests or, with individual teachers and schools being evaluated by the results, preparing to take them. There are legitimate concerns about prioritizing test preparation at the expense of intrinsic learning and subjects such as art or current events. But always-competitive classroom environments may be exacerbating teenage stress.

Stress in school has become a major issue affecting a large percentage of students. An NYU survey found that 49 percent of high school students overall and 60 percent of female students perceived they were under a “great deal of stress” daily.^[1] In an APA survey, American teens incredibly reported higher stress levels than American adults.^[2] Chronic stress can lead to serious mental health issues. Depression among students appears to be on the rise. The rate of major depressive episodes reported by teenagers increased by 37 percent from 2005 to 2014.^[3] Managing the interplay between stress and school can require a holistic effort from students themselves, parents, and schools.

Students can take essential steps on their own to help manage their stress. Maintaining good health can be an excellent way to relieve stress. Getting regular exercise and eating a nutritious diet are important factors. Avoiding smoking can also cut down on stress. Contrary to its portrayal in popular culture, smoking can ratchet up feelings of anxiety and tension by reducing the production of serotonin. Teenagers also need adequate downtime. That could be something formal like meditation, or just ensuring they take regular breaks from schoolwork and other organized activity. Sleeping the right amount can also be imperative. Teenagers need about 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep per night.^[4]

Parents can play a vital role in this process too. Parents can reinforce stress-reducing habits for their children via simple steps such as serving healthy food or limiting screen time. A particular concern for parents is making sure their children do not become overscheduled. Burdening them with lessons, sports, and activities at all hours may round out a college application in theory. In practice, though, it can leave children with little time for rest and essential unstructured development. Parents can also model healthy behavior in their own lives. Children often develop stress-handling habits by observing the relationship between their parents and stress.

Schools can take impactful steps to help parents and students with stress. Some limits on the sheer amount of homework students receive may be helpful. In a survey of high-performing high schools, students reported receiving more than three hours of homework per night.^[5] Students that spent more time on homework in that study reported greater stress. While homework has benefits, the optimal amount of it, according to one study, may be significantly less than is being assigned, about 90 to 100 minutes per night.^[6] Homework started to lose its effectiveness beyond that point.

Movement can also help alleviate student stress. Teachers can encourage students to move around the classroom for activities. Schools can ensure that students receive a sufficient recess period and resist cutting that period short to devote more of the school day to tested core subjects.

The most important step for parents and teachers may be observing students, keeping open lines of communication, and listening to their concerns. Children are not adults. They may be feeling severe effects from undue stress in their lives without the language to express the problem or even the conceptual framework to recognize that something is wrong.

It can be difficult getting honest answers to difficult questions from our students. This is one of Pride Surveys’ strengths. We’ve surveyed students for more than 30 years, enabling decision-makers, parents, and community leaders to gain vital insight into their thinking, concerns, and emotional state. If you’re interested in using our surveys to help better understand the students in your area, take some time to browse all that we offer. If you have any questions, or you would like to know more about our process and why our surveys have been utilized for three decades, contact us today and we’ll be happy to discuss your challenges and the potential solutions Pride Surveys can provide.

^[1] “A multi-method exploratory study of stress, coping, and substance abuse among high school youth in private schools.” Retrieved 18 July 2019 at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01028/full

^[2] “American Psychological Association Survey Shows Teen Stress Rivals That of Adults” Retrieved 22 July 2019 at https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress

^[3] “National Trends in the Prevalence and Treatment of Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults.” Retrieved 18 July 2019 at https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/6/e20161878

^[4] “Sleep Disorders in the Older Child and Teen” Retrieved 19 July 2019 at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/ccf/media/files/Sleep_Disorders_Center/09_Adolescent_factsheet.pdf

^[5] “Non-Academic Effects of Homework in Privileged, High-Performing High Schools” Retrieved 19 July 2019 at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220973.2012.745469

^[6] “Adolescents Homework Performance in Mathematics and Science: Personal Factors and Teaching Practices” Retrieved 19 July 2019 at https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/edu-0000032.pdf

How Do You Build a Strong Community Coalition?

While there are many ways to help a community thrive, one of the more effective strategies for sustaining a healthy community is to build a strong community coalition. The reason behind this is due to what’s inherent in every effective community coalition: buy-in.

A coalition is a voluntary, formal agreement and collaboration between groups or sectors of a community in which each group retains its identity, but all agree to work together toward a common goal.[1] Coalitions bring together leaders from every sector of the community — education, business, religious, nonprofit, and more — to come up with a holistic plan to influence outcomes on a specific problem — drug use among the youth, for example.

Knowing the problem or issue you want to focus on is the first step in building a community coalition. Once you’ve identified the issue, then the actual creation and implementation of a community coalition begins.

Outline Your Mission

Once you’ve identified a problem, how is your soon-to-be coalition going to help solve it? What’s your mission, exactly? A good community coalition mission statement allows you to quickly convey your goals to potential members, beneficiaries, or funders.

“In order to build a community coalition that will function as a unified whole, members must be committed to the coalition’s mission. A well-written mission statement will let new members know precisely what type of alliance they are joining and what they will be expected to support.” [2]

A community coalition’s mission will drive nearly every decision it makes. Don’t assume the mission statement is something to brush off or will take little effort in crafting. It matters.

Knowing Who Should Be Involved

One of the first steps in actually building a strong community coalition is to know who should be at the table. Not everyone needs to be included, but not having the right people will doom your coalition from the beginning.

“Coalitions with less diverse membership may communicate and work more quickly because members’ objectives may be more alike. These coalitions, however, may be weaker in their ability to comprehend other factors that contribute to the problem that lay beyond the purview of their member organizations.”[3]

One major aspect of a strong community coalition is its sustainability. Can the coalition remain intact and working to solve the initial problem? We can never predict the future, but thanks to a study commissioned by the federal government, we do have some common characteristics of strong community coalitions that have staying power.

“The results of this study are consistent with others indicating that strong leadership has a direct and positive influence on the sustainability of coalitions. Sustained coalitions were more likely than not sustained coalitions to have a Board of Directors (60% compared to 26%, p<.10).”[4]

Promote and Share Your Work

We live busy lives and have a difficult time staying up to date on local issues. Don’t be afraid to share the work your coalition is doing with those within the community. Too often good work done via a strong community coalition goes unnoticed in large part due to the coalition not informing the public.

“Even those who are not members of the coalition can provide useful information and assistance at coalition meetings, hearings, rallies, fundraisers, media events, community forums, and other gatherings. These types of interactions are great opportunities for the coalition to share information, exchange ideas, and strengthen its bonds with the community.”[5]

Leveraging local media outlets and other community leaders — even those not taking part in your coalition — has a lasting effect on the impact your coalition is doing. Never forget that.

Get the Data You Need to Help Make Decisions

Most successful community coalitions have access to great data. At Pride Surveys, we can help provide your community vital data directly from those who need your coalition’s help.

The benefit of working with a survey company for community coalitions is that we can gather necessary information through anonymous and effective survey tools to go beyond subjective information to fact-backed data. With this information, coalitions are in a better position to secure future funding from a variety of sources.

Pride Surveys has been partnering with community coalitions for the last thirty years and has a wealth of experience in helping coalitions work with schools and community members to get the data that they need. Find out why more coalitions, including multiple “CADCA Coalitions of the year,” trust Pride Surveys for their data collection over any other survey company. Reach out and contact us with any questions you have about who we are and what we do at 800-279-6361.

[1] “Join or Start a Community Coalition.” Retrieved 22 May 2019 at https://www.cadca.org/join-or-start-coalition

[2] “Strength in Numbers: A Guide to Building Community Coalitions.” Page 9. Retrieved on 22 May 2019 at https://www.communitycatalyst.org/doc-store/publications/strength_in_numbers_a_guide_to_building_community_coalitions_aug03.pdf

[3] “Developing Effective Coalitions.” Page 9. Retrieved on 22 May 2019 at http://www.preventioninstitute.org/publications/developing-effective-coalitions-eight-step-guide

[4] “An Assessment of the Sustainability and Impact of Community Coalitions once Federal Funding has Expired.” Page 9. Retrieved on 22 May 2019 at https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/76601/rpt.pdf

[5] “Strength in Numbers: A Guide to Building Community Coalitions.” Page 12. Retrieved on 22 May 2019 at https://www.communitycatalyst.org/doc-store/publications/strength_in_numbers_a_guide_to_building_community_coalitions_aug03.pdf

How Opioids Work and What They do to Teenagers

We used this space to educate and inform community leaders, parents, and teenagers about how drugs affect teenage bodies. We’ve done the same for alcohol, as well. Now we want to break out and specifically discuss the greatest drug threat in America today: Opioids.

You’ve most likely heard about opioids in the news, and sadly many of you probably know someone who has dealt with the devastating effects in America’s ongoing battle against opioid addiction and abuse.

In 2012, there were 467,000 people in the United States addicted to heroin, a powerful street opioid, yet in the same year, more than 2 million Americans were abusing opioid painkillers.[1]

This tracks with the general trend in the United States, writ large, as 2017 saw a 10% increase in overall drug overdose deaths, as more than 70,000 Americans died in from a drug-related overdose that year.[2]

Unfortunately, the trend line for opioid use among teenagers — as well as the mortality rate — is only getting worse. In a 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers found, “Over 18 years, nearly 9,000 children and adolescents died from opioid poisonings, and the mortality rate increased nearly 3-fold.”[3]

Understanding Why Teens Use Drugs

Before we dive into what happens to teenagers when they use opioids, we first must understand why teens might reach for drugs in the first place.

Our teenage years are challenging in many ways, both physically and mentally. The rapid ascent toward adulthood is in constant combat with the whims of youth, which often leads to poor decision making.

This internal battle often leads to teenagers looking for an escape from the pressures they face. Sometimes this escape is entirely innocent, like a book or a movie. Other times, however, it can lead to drug use.

As for why this happens, we can thank biology for the rate at which our brains develop. According to the Partnership for Drug Free Kids, “The part of the brain that controls reasoning and impulses — known as the prefrontal cortex — is near the front of the brain and, therefore, develops last. This part of the brain does not fully mature until the age of 25.”[4]

Parents and mentors need to understand why teenagers are susceptible to falling into drug use. Staying active in their lives by asking questions about their thoughts and feelings keeps teenagers engaged and less likely to seek refuge in illicit drugs, while simultaneously keeping parents and mentors involved, as well.

Why are Opioids so Addictive?

The science behind opioids —prescription painkillers, heroin, fentanyl — is a large reason why we’re facing an epidemic of abuse and addiction in America. These drugs are powerful, and they impact the brain in ways it wants us to replicate, which necessitates an increased dosage.

Opioids attach to pain receptors on nerve cells in your brain and your body, essentially turning them off for a period of time. This is why they were first invented, as a way of managing severe pain from injury or a medical procedure.

“Opioids can make your brain and body believe the drug is necessary for survival,” according to the American Association of Anesthesiologists. “As you learn to tolerate the dose you’ve been prescribed, you may find that you need even more medication to relieve the pain — sometimes resulting in addiction.”[5]

When you no longer trip those impulses in the brain, the brain, and the body take over and push you back toward the opioid, leading to addiction.

The Impact of Opioid Addiction on Teenagers

Once addicted, overuse of opioids — legal or illicit — begin to break our bodies down. Infections in the heart lining can occur, while respiratory depression can lead to slowed breathing, which is potentially fatal.[6]

Abusing opiates can also weaken your immune system, leading to a greater chance of falling ill to viruses your body would otherwise be able to ward off.[7]

Talk to Your Teenagers and Look Out for Signs of Drug use

Parents and mentors of teenagers need to understand the signs of opioid and other drug use as well as how prevalent their use may be within the community writ large. Because of the risk factors that go along with drug use, any type of drug can be harmful to the body, whether it is misuse of prescribed medications or illicit substances.

Pride Surveys developed its Risk and Protective Factor (RPF) student perception survey, a hybrid version of the Communities That Care (CTC) Youth Survey and the Pride Questionnaire for Grades 6 to 12 to measure the risk factors that show the strongest correlation to drug use. It contains the Core Measures required by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for their Drug-Free Communities Grant that went into effect February 2013 and asks about incidences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use plus perceptions of availability and disapproval of use from parents and friends.

The benefit of choosing a survey company is that we take the guesswork out of the surveying process to ask the difficult questions. For more than thirty years, Pride Surveys has been helping schools collect data on teen substance abuse perceptions and drug use trends in their communities through scalable survey products. We offer multiple drug-free community survey options as well as student risk perception surveys designed to help assess teen substance abuse and risk, including our student surveys for grades 6-12, and our supplemental surveys like the Drug-Free Community Survey Supplement.

Browse the different types of scalable student surveys we offer and find out why Pride Surveys is the best choice to help you survey your school. Questions? Give us a call at 800-279-6361 or contact us here.

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[1] “The Effects of Opiates on Your Body.” Retrieved on 18 March 2019 at https://drugabuse.com/featured/the-effects-of-opiates-on-the-body/

[2] “New Data Show Growing Complexity of Drug Overdose Deaths in America.” Retrieved on 19 March 2019 at https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p1221-complexity-drug-overdose.html

[3] “US National Trends in Pediatric Deaths from Prescription and Illicit Opioids, 1999-2016.” Retrieved 18 March 2019 at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2719580

[4] “Brain Development, Teen Behavior and Preventing Drug Use.” Retrieved on 18 March 2019 at https://drugfree.org/article/brain-development-teen-behavior/

[5] “Opioid Treatment: What Are Opioids?” Retrieved on 18 March 2019 at https://www.asahq.org/whensecondscount/pain-management/opioid-treatment/what-are-opioids/

[6] “The Effects of Opiates on Your Body.” Retrieved on 19 March 2019 at https://drugabuse.com/featured/the-effects-of-opiates-on-the-body/.

[7] Ibid.

Tips for Strong Parent-Teacher Cooperation and Communication

As many schools across the country prepare for the start of the back-to-school season, it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos of school supply and classroom shopping, end-of-summer assignments, creating lesson plans, and meet-the-teacher nights. However, one of the most impactful steps you can take (as a parent or as a teacher) is to take some time to focus on establishing a good parent-teacher relationship at the outset of the school year. This will help lay the foundation for healthy parent-teacher cooperation and communication throughout the year.

Why Parent-Teacher Cooperation is Important

Strong parent-teacher cooperation in and outside of the classroom has a number of short- and long-term benefits for students. Research has indicated that there are positive academic outcomes stemming from parent involvement.^[1] In fact, parent involvement remains a strong predictor of academic achievement at all levels, from kindergarten through high school, as these children have fewer grade retentions and are more likely to graduate.^[2]

For Schools: How to Promote Parent-Teacher Cooperation

Some of the most effective ways that schools can foster healthy communication and collaboration between parents and teachers is delineated in a research-based framework developed by Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University:^[3]

•Parenting: Assist families with parenting skills, family support, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions to support learning at each age and grade level.

•Communicating: Communicate with families about school programs and student progress. Create two-way communication channels between school and home that are effective and reliable.

•Volunteering: Improve recruitment and training to involve families as volunteers and as audiences at the school or in other locations. Enable educators to work with volunteers who support students and the school. Provide meaningful work and flexible scheduling.

•Learning at Home: Involve families with their children in academic learning at home, including homework, goal setting, and other curriculum-related activities.

•Decision Making: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy activities through school councils or improvement teams, committees, and other organizations.

By establishing policies and procedures that address the above initiatives, schools can begin establishing a school-wide community and culture that promotes positive parent-teacher cooperation and communication.

For Teachers: How to Develop Strong Parent-Teacher Partnerships with Your Students’ Parents

As a teacher, you likely understand the impact that a students’ home life can have on the school day. By establishing relationships built on strong parent-teacher cooperation and communication, you can partner with parents to help students succeed inside and outside of the classroom.

•Avoid “dumping”: This is a scenario in which a frustrated or upset teacher gets in touch with parents and “dumps” the problem onto them. Instead, try the “three call method” to establish a positive, working relationship with parents. Early in the year, teachers should try to call each student’s parents to set the framework for a partnership. The second phone call should focus on something positive that the child has done, such as a good grade on a math test, excellent behavior during a class period, or something similar. Then, on the third call, if necessary, the teacher can present the parents with a problem. “In this way, parents and teachers have already established a trusting, workable relationship that significantly diminishes blaming.”

^[4]

•Prioritize Parent/Teacher Conferences: “Parent-teacher conferences give you the opportunity to boost communication about their child’s progress. Similarly, it affords you the opportunity to extend the communication lines beyond the four walls (i.e. between home and school, as well as develop strategies and plans for the students’ future together.”

^[5]

•Make Yourself Available: At the outset of the school year, inform parents that you are available to discuss any questions or concerns that they may have. Whether that means being accessible via phone, text, or email between certain hours or having weekly office hours in which parents can schedule in-person appointments is up to you. The most important part is establishing your availability and your willingness to work with parents to help their child succeed.

^[6]

For Parents: How to Foster Positive Relationships with Your Child’s Teachers

Developing positive parent-teacher cooperation is a two-way street, and there are a number of proactive steps that parents can take to help cultivate this relationship.

•Approach the relationship with respect: “Treat the teacher-parent-child relationship the way you would [treat] any really important one in your life. Create a problem-solving partnership instead of confronting a teacher immediately with what’s wrong.”

^[7]

•Let your child develop their own relationship with the teacher.

^[8]

It’s important for parents to give their child space and time to develop a relationship with their teacher that is independent of their own. Try to reserve your own opinions and judgments, especially if they are not positive, so that your child is not influenced by them.

•Communicate in the most effective way possible for both you and the teacher. This may mean sending a quick e-mail or a handwritten note in your child’s school folder. Or it may mean scheduling before- or after-school, in-person meetings for a quick chat. By maintaining open lines of communication in a respectful and efficient way, you can help develop a healthy and productive parent-teacher relationship.

^[9]

Improving Parent-Teacher Cooperation and Communication in Your School

One of the best ways to evaluate the current state of parent-teacher cooperation in your school is through anonymous surveys. These assessments, available for both teachers and parents, offer a big-picture perspective on a number of key data points, such as teacher perceptions of parental involvement with student behaviors and parent perceptions of school and family engagement.
Regardless of how you approach the parent-teacher relationship at the outset of a new school year, one fact remains clear: “the key to successful parent-teacher collaboration is to become a team. This collaboration is the most powerful tool in helping a child be successful at school…As parents and teachers learn the value of this collaboration, they can create an environment that supports the ability for all students to succeed.”^[10]

[1]Patrikakou, Evanthia N. “The Power of Parent Involvement: Evidence, Ideas, and Tools for Student Success.” Center on Innovation & Improvement. Retrieved from http://education.praguesummerschools.org/images/education/readings/2014/Patrikakou_Power_of_parent_involvement.pdf on August 11, 2016.

[2]Ibid.

[3]Epstein, J. L. and K. Salinas. 1992. School and Family Partnerships Encyclopedia of Education Research, 6th edition, New York: Macmillan.

[4]“Curwin, Richard. “Parents and Teachers: The Possibility of a Dream Team.” Edutopia.org. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-teacher-collaboration-richard-curwin on August 12, 2016.

[5]“Cox, Janelle. “Parent-Teacher Collaboration Strategies That Work.” TeachHub.com. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/parent-teacher-collaboration-strategies-work on August 15, 2016.

[6]Ibid.

[7]“The Parent-Teacher Partnership.” PBS.org. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/parent-involvement/parent-teacher-partnership/ on August 12, 2016.

[8]Ibid.

[9]“Talking with Teachers.” PBS.org. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/parent-involvement/talking-with-teachers/ on August 12, 2016.

[10]“Cox, Janelle. “Parent-Teacher Collaboration Strategies That Work.” TeachHub.com. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/parent-teacher-collaboration-strategies-work on August 15, 2016.

4 Benefits of Positive Student-Teacher Relationships

Positive and healthy relationships between teachers and students can be extremely beneficial at all levels of an educational establishment, within the classroom and across the school environment as a whole.^[1] From improved self-esteem to increased engagement, there are a number of benefits of establishing positive student-teacher relationships between educators and pupils of all ages. Educators and students can experience these benefits with the use of methods that include communicating positive expectations, demonstrating caring, and developing classroom pride.^[2] As positive student-teacher relationships continue to develop, the long-lasting effects benefit not only students and teachers but parents and administrators as well.^[3]

1. Promote Academic Success with Positive Student-Teacher Relationships

The presence of positive student-teacher relationships alone does not translate to academic success, but students that establish a strong bond with their teacher do perform better than students whose relationships with teachers involve some sort of conflict.^[4] Teachers can help improve academic success in students by clearly expressing positive expectations for each student, presenting students with equal opportunities to participate in class discussions, and expressing to students that they are confident in their ability to succeed when it comes to their coursework.^[5]

2. Avoid Behavior Problems through Healthy Student-Teacher Relationships

Another one of the benefits of healthy student-teacher relationships is a classroom that is free of behavioral disruptions, which leaves teachers more time to instruct their class.^[6] Positive student-teacher relationships help to establish a learning environment in which educators and students display mutual respect for one another, rather than exchanges that involve conflict.^[7] Achieving this balance is dependent upon the manner in which a teacher addresses students when they misbehave and in general, as it is a determining factor in how students respond.^[8] Teachers should be sure to maintain a calm demeanor when communicating with a student, avoiding frustration. Some examples of correcting student behavior in a non-confrontational manner include:

• • Speaking with students privately about their behavior in order to avoid embarrassment.
• • Acknowledging students’ feelings in order to understand the cause of their behavior.
• • Reviewing school policy or classroom guidelines so that students are aware of the rules they have violated.
• • Following up discussion with immediate consequences for students that misbehave.
• • Checking on students after they have been disciplined for their actions.^[9]

In order to prevent a behavior problem from occurring again, the problem must be addressed. This highlights the importance of student-teacher relationships in which student behavior is corrected in a manner that encourages them to reflect on how they have misbehaved and what steps they can take in the future to change it.^[10]

3. Help Develop Self-Worth and Improved Student Mental Health

Healthy student-teacher relationships are often most beneficial for specific categories of students, including male students, those suffering from learning difficulties, and students with low economic status.^[11] In order to help students develop a sense of self-worth, it may sometimes be necessary to seek out opportunities to give them praise with acknowledgments of academic and even athletic accomplishments.^[12] Students with low self-esteem, often those considered at-risk, will react positively to positive reinforcement from their teacher, providing students with a sense of pride.^[13]

4. Positive Student-Teacher Relationships Assist Educators with Professional Growth

Students aren’t the only ones that benefit from healthy student-teacher relationships. One primary benefit for the educator is that, as teachers work strategically to develop these relationships, they improve their interpersonal and professional skills as well. Teaching is a profession that requires the ability to clearly communicate information even during stress-inducing scenarios. It is important for teachers to find ways to successfully manage stress, in order to express concepts and avoid frustration.^[14] For some educators, improving their interpersonal communication skills helps to reduce stress and develop positive student-teacher relationships, in addition to positive relationships with parents and co-workers.^[15] An added benefit of improved interpersonal skills includes personal and professional growth, which may be positively reflected in an educator’s level of communication with students and the amount of student engagement that occurs as a result of it.^[16]

Positive Student-Teacher Relationships Create Thriving Classrooms

Clearly, there are many significant benefits of positive student-teacher relationships. When students feel a sense of classroom pride and teachers are able to effectively communicate with their class, engagement occurs. A classroom in which students and teachers can focus on education rather than disturbances is one in which they both can thrive.

[1]“Educator’s Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems.” Ascd.org. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105124/chapters/Developing_Positive_Teacher-Student_Relations.aspx on June 30, 2016.

[2]“Educator’s Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems.” Ascd.org. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105124/chapters/Developing_Positive_Teacher-Student_Relations.aspx on June 30, 2016.

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