As schools continue to navigate the shifting challenges of our time like chronic absenteeism, declining engagement, and growing student needs, it’s tempting to look for a new program, platform, or policy that can fix it all. But if we look closely at what truly drives both attendance and achievement, the answer isn’t new at all.
It’s connection.
Students show up where they feel seen. They work harder for adults who care about them. They take risks, academically and emotionally, when they believe they belong.
The truth is, learning has always been relational. As human beings, we are built for connection. Before students engage with content, they engage with people. The trust they feel in their teachers and the sense of safety they feel in their classrooms are the foundation for everything else that follows.
Belonging isn’t an “extra.” It is the curriculum.
When students feel connected, they’re more likely to attend school, contribute to discussions, take feedback, and persevere through challenges. When they don’t, even the best lessons can fall flat. No literacy initiative or math intervention can make up for a student feeling invisible.
And in a time when schools are under immense pressure to accelerate learning and close gaps, it’s worth remembering: connection isn’t a distraction from rigor; it’s the path to it.
A Personal Reminder
I think back to my own high school experience to understand this more deeply. I was generally a pretty good student; I was pretty much an A-B student with an occasional C, and I knew how to “play school.” But French class was completely different.
My French teacher didn’t make any effort to connect with me or anyone else. It was all about covering content. I was so disengaged that I would lean back in my chair with my foot on my desk, openly showing I didn’t care what the teacher thought. I barely retained any French beyond “deux copies, s’il vous plaît” because we had to write every assignment twice! Even without an education degree, I knew that repeating assignments like that was a waste of time and didn’t help me learn.
I often wonder how different it could have been if that teacher had shared a little about themselves or tried to get to know us. Just a small connection, a moment of interest or curiosity, could have completely changed my engagement. That experience stays with me as a constant reminder: students need to feel seen before they can learn.
Student Voice: The Heartbeat of Belonging
There’s no better way to build belonging than by listening to students. Students want to know that their experiences, opinions, and ideas matter, not just on special occasions or through surveys, but in the everyday rhythm of learning.
Ask them simple, powerful questions:
- “What helps you learn best?”
- “What part of today’s lesson helped you most and what was confusing?”
- “How can I be better for you”
- “What would make this classroom feel like a place where you belong?”
And then listen; show them you are listening by applying what you are learning about them and how to better meet their needs. Gather their feedback on activities, projects, and even classroom routines. Use their insights to refine lessons and create space for reflection. When students see their feedback turn into action, they begin to trust that their voices have weight.
This doesn’t cost money. It costs intentionality. Here are a few no-cost ways to amplify student voice and agency:
- Exit tickets or reflection prompts that ask what helped them learn (or what didn’t).
- Student-led conferences or goal-setting sessions where students talk about their growth and next steps.
- Choice in assignments or project formats, giving students autonomy in how they demonstrate learning.
- Classroom norms or agreements that are co-created with students, so they have ownership of the environment they learn in.
- Student advisory groups or feedback circles that meet monthly with school leaders to share insights and ideas.
Every time a student’s idea is heard and acted on belonging deepens. And when belonging deepens, motivation follows.
Why This Still Matters
In a world where educators are asked to do more with less, where public trust in institutions is fragile, and where division often overshadows shared purpose, schools remain one of the last truly communal spaces. Every day, they model what belonging looks like in action: adults greeting students by name, teachers offering grace after a hard day, principals showing up in hallways just to listen.
Those moments don’t show up in test scores or dashboards, but they are the heartbeat of a healthy school and definitely contribute to achievement. Connection is not a soft skill. It’s the strategy that sustains hope for both students and adults. So as this school year unfolds, let’s not forget what has always been true:
- Before students can learn, they need to feel they belong.
- And before they believe in the work, they need to believe they matter.
A Call to Educational Leaders
For school administrators and leaders, this is your moment to model what connection-centered leadership looks like. Walk the halls and ask students what helps them learn. Invite them into conversations about what school feels like for them. Make listening, not compliance, the hallmark of your culture.
Encourage teachers to try one new practice that centers student voice. Celebrate small shifts. Create the conditions for curiosity, agency, and care to thrive. When leaders make belonging a priority, it sends a powerful message:
Everyone here matters, and everyone here has something to contribute.
Because when connection becomes the curriculum, everything else follows: engagement, attendance, achievement.
