{"id":157354,"date":"2024-01-05T10:14:14","date_gmt":"2024-01-05T15:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/districtadministration.com\/?p=157354"},"modified":"2024-01-05T10:25:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T15:25:00","slug":"building-student-engagement-through-teacher-student-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/districtadministration.com\/building-student-engagement-through-teacher-student-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers need time, technology and strategies to personalize a student\u2019s journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among K12 district leaders, there are growing concerns about declining student engagement. I\u2019ve worked with thousands of school districts across the country and many leaders have expressed that the challenge extends well beyond a post-COVID pandemic fallout.<\/p>\n

Students are struggling with what is happening around them at school and at home, including managing their mental health and stress. District leaders are concerned about student well-being as well as how a lack of engagement is connected to other issues.<\/p>\n

Research shows engagement levels are closely connected to academic outcomes. Additionally, district leaders report that a lack of engagement plays a role in behavior issues, chronic absenteeism and a lack of academic progress. In a recent survey<\/a>, 58% of district leaders connected disengagement to learning loss.<\/p>\n

\n

More from DA<\/strong>: Education in 2024: Partners break down 8 big learning trends<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

To recapture student engagement and get students back on track, district leaders need to support teachers with the strategies, technology and time to personalize a student\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

Enabling deeper student connections<\/h2>\n

Boosting student engagement starts with supporting teachers in what they do best: connecting with their students. Research demonstrates strong learner-educator connections<\/a> can lead to students earning higher grades, building a deeper connection to school and feeling included and respected. These factor into engagement as well.<\/p>\n

Focusing on the student-teacher relationship doesn\u2019t mean telling teachers to connect and engage students, and then walking away. Nor is it about finding the best technology to take over as much teaching as possible.<\/p>\n

Instead, district leaders need to give teachers the support they need to create personalized learning experiences. Yes, technology is an essential piece of enabling personalized approaches efficiently, but students still perform best when teachers are driving instruction.<\/p>\n

District leaders need to introduce technology that enables teachers to shape the experience, including:<\/p>\n