Student Engagement in School

I came across a sobering (but not very surprising) result from a Gallup survey of students.

The survey asked students in elementary school, middle school, and high school if they were "engaged in school".

While we can argue about the the actual definition of "being engaged", most of us would agree that relevance, purpose, meaning, and enjoyment are major aspects of being engaged.

Anyway, 80% of elementary school students say they are engaged at school.

Middle school students: 60%

High school students: 40%

As the head of school of an elementary/middle school, I was pleased to read that for high schools that had student engagement averages well above the 40% mark, the most common reason given was "well, our high school feels and operates more like an elementary school".

The reasons for student engagement declines in middle and high school are not surprising.

Elementary schools typically build upon a child's innate sense of curiosity. Most days in an elementary school classroom are filled with new discoveries, wonder, and excitement. Plus, while parents still often want to compare and rank kids' academic performance and aptitude, elementary school remains a time when kids are on a more personal, individual journey. Also, students in early elementary school in general are less self-conscious and typically do not compare themselves to others.

Clearly this begins to change as students move into the later elementary years through middle and high school. Most of us can probably remember when we began to compare ourselves to others: "I'm not a good writer, I'm not good at sports, Will anyone want to date me". Comparison and self-doubt set in.

As kids mature and begin to question their abilities, schools then begin to "sort and rank" more than they did in elementary school. Courses become much more content focused. There is usually much more teacher-directed learning, e.g., lecturing, notetaking. Textbooks, which are used sparingly in elementary school, are the norm in high school classes. Assessment in high school is more "pencil and paper tests" and less experiential, project-oriented. In general, school is much more sedentary.

In other words, school becomes boring and more of a chore to survive, even fake your way through: I remember teachers telling me to "at least pretend you're interested".

A hoped-for student outcome in Orchard's middle school is continued engagement and interest in the learning process. This is accomplished by being child-centereed and child-focused, giving students voice and choice in what they learn, how they learn it, and how they demonstrate their understanding.

Until more high schools look to elementary/middle schools to help them make learning more relevant, exciting, and interesting to students, high school surveys will continue to show low scores on student engagement.