District leaders are under pressure to improve attendance, accelerate learning, and support student well-being. A growing body of research points to a deceptively simple solution: ensuring students feel connected at school.
A new set of insights from 30 award-winning district leaders, educators, counselors, and youth program leaders nationwide offers a clearer picture. Each was recognized as a “belonging champion by for their excellence and impact with elementary-aged students.
Their experiences represent a broad range of learning and a set of concrete, repeatable practices. When implemented consistently and systematically, those practices link to measurable gains in attendance, engagement, behavior, and academic outcomes.
Uneven experiences
Decades of research have established that students who feel connected to their school are more likely to attend, engage, and achieve. Research released in 2026 finds that belonging has an effect size of 0.46 across attendance, achievement, and behaviorplacing it above average among school-based interventions.
And yet, belonging remains unevenly experienced. National data suggest that only about 42% of high school students report a strong sense of connection at school, with even lower rates in some grade bands.
Among the educators recognized as belonging champions, the link between connection and outcomes is not theoretical. When belonging champions were asked if they saw belonging connected to a variety of outcomes:
- 71% reported improved student engagement
- 58% reported improved academic performance
- 54% reported improved attendance
- 75% reported improved behavior
- Nearly all (96%) cited stronger peer relationships
What it looks like in practice
Across contextsfrom large districts to after-school programsthe practices driving these outcomes share a common trait: they are small, structured, and embedded into daily routines.
1. Build systems, not just classroom activities: In Guilford County, North Carolina, district leaders have scaled these practices through professional learning and shared routines across schools. The result: a districtwide decrease in low-performing schools alongside increased academic achievement.
Similarly, in Clark County, Nevada, leaders model the same practices with adultsstarting professional development training with connection routinesto ensure consistency from classrooms to central office.
2. Make connection visible and predictable: At the Academy of Dover Charter School, James Nye and his team made a simple shift: every adult greets students, every day, in every hallway.
You see students come in frowning, then smile after theyre greeted, Nye said. Thats how you know youre setting them up for a successful day.
This aligns with evidence that predictable routines increase students sense of safety and readiness to learn. Even brief, positive interactions with adults can reduce disruptive behavior and increase engagement.
3. Protect time for connection: Many leaders described classrooms dedicating just a few minutes each day to structured check-ins or discussions.
Ashley Vaughan, a district leader in New Jersey, emphasized that even brief, intentional time for peer connection can shift classroom dynamics: It builds trust and understanding between students, which positively impacts all aspects of the classroom.
In Pennsylvania, student support coordinator Rachel Haring saw students become more willing to participate and ask questions after consistent routines were introducedbehaviors closely tied to academic growth.
4. Design for peer connection: In Long Beach, California, district SEL facilitator Mary Seidman randomly assigns student partners during activities. The goal is to push students beyond their comfort zones and expand their network of peers.
Over time, she has seen students become more comfortable collaborating, listening, and contributingeven with unfamiliar classmates.
This progress matters academically. The research says when students feel socially integrated, they are more likely to take academic risks and persist through challengetwo key drivers of achievement.
Why this is working
The throughline across these examples is that it isnt about programs. Its about what drives learning. All the research tells us that when students feel accepted, valued, and connected, they are more likely to:
- Participate actively in class
- Take academic and social risks
- Persist through challenges
When they do not, they are more likely to disengageregardless of the quality of instruction. In other words, connection is not separate from learning conditions.
Alejandro Diasgranados, a teacher in Washington, D.C., put it more directly: Students dont miss class when they feel like they belong.
From idea to implementation
What makes the work of this group of educators notable is that the entry point is not a major initiative, but a set of consistent practices.
For schools grappling with engagement and attendance, the implication is straightforward: ask if connection is being built into the daily experience of your districts students in ways that are visible, consistent, and scalable.
Because that is where the results are coming from. As one district leader advised: start small but start intentionally.
