Relationships First: Creating Connections that Help Young People Thrive

By Eugene Roehlkepartain, Kent Pekel, Amy Syvertsen, Jenna Sethi, Theresa Sullivan, & Peter Scales
August 1, 2017

This report looks at the importance of building strong relationships to create a thriving student-centered culture. It includes an overview of the Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework which defines the elements of an effective relationship, as well as the actions and dispositions adults should display, written from the student perspective. It examines results from a 2016 survey of 25,395 students, grades 6 – 12, in a large, diverse U.S. city. It also includes concrete action steps to improve relationships at any school or youth serving organization.

As technology takes a more prominent role in the personalization of education, schools must dedicate even more energy to nurturing human relationships. Strong relationships help students build resilience, social emotional skills, academic success and civic participation. Educators, school leaders, and student support staff will find many suggestions in this report.

Source Organization: Search Institute

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