The Importance of Human Connection in Education
During the summer ISTE conference, buzzwords like “AI” were presented as the panacea for all educational hurdles. From student engagement to teacher exhaustion, AI seemed to have all the answers. However, a particular interaction after a panel discussion on improving the high school experience, provided a refreshing perspective. A district administrator thanked the panel specifically for not presenting AI as the magic bullet solution. This conversation underscored an essential truth that often gets overlooked in our race for technological solutions: attendance at school is a human decision rooted in genuine relationships.
Addressing the Core Issue
Research by Challenge Success, a partner of the Stanford Graduate School of Education, paints a grim picture of student engagement. Analysis of data from over 270,000 high school students spanning 13 years revealed that only 13 percent were thoroughly engaged in learning. A staggering 45 percent of students were merely “doing school,” going through the motions without finding joy or meaning in their education.
This issue is not a post-pandemic phenomenon but rather a long-standing problem that is directly linked to attendance issues. The California Safe and Supportive Schools Initiative identified school connectedness as a fundamental factor in school attendance. When high school students have even a single strong relationship with a teacher or staff member who understands their lives outside of academia, attendance rates improve significantly.
Several school districts addressing this issue are using data to facilitate more meaningful connections for adults, as opposed to merely adding more technology. For instance, one California district saw 32 percent of at-risk students improve their attendance after implementing targeted, relationship-based outreach. Here, the key is not in automated messages but in using data to help educators identify disengaged students early and offer actual support.
Strengthening Student Relationships
The first step is not to jump onto the AI bandwagon but to focus on relationship mapping. Harvard’s Making Caring Common project emphasizes that a positive and trusting relationship with a caring adult could be the most crucial element in a child’s life. Relationship mapping helps districts systematically identify students who lack these vital adult connections in school.
The process is straightforward: Staff identify students who lack positive relationships with school adults, and volunteers commit to cultivating stronger relationships with these students throughout the year. This approach combines the best of both worlds: technology provides insight into who needs support, and authentic relationships provide the motivation to attend school.
It is important to note that successful school-family partnerships that address chronic absenteeism require structures that prioritize student consent and agency, support underrepresented students, and provide a broad range of experiences. It is essential to view students as whole individuals with complex lives, rather than merely data points in an attendance algorithm.
Choosing the Right Approach
As a new school year begins, we are faced with a choice. We can continue to chase shiny new startups and develop increasingly sophisticated systems to track and predict student dropout. Alternatively, we can remember that school attendance fundamentally boils down to whether a young person feels connected to something meaningful at school.
The most effective districts do not choose between high-tech and high-touch – they use technology to enable more meaningful face-to-face connections. They use AI to identify students who need support and then hire caring adults to support them. They automate logistics so teachers can focus on relationships.
AI, while optimized for many things, cannot replace the basic human need to belong, to feel seen, and to believe that visibility matters. The solution to chronic absenteeism lies in our relationships, not our servers. It’s time we start measuring and investing in both.
Dr. Kara Stern, SchoolStatus
Dr. Kara Stern is the director of education at SchoolStatus, a portfolio of data-driven solutions that help K-12 districts improve attendance, strengthen family communications, support teacher development, and simplify daily operations. She is a former teacher, principal and holds a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from NYU.
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