Aside from bullying at school, another socio-behavioral learning area worth considering is school connectedness or sense of school belonging. Students who feel connected to school - i.e., who believe adults and peers care about their learning and about them as individuals - are consistently less likely to be bullied, to engage in violence and substance use, and to experience depression; they also show better attendance, engagement and academic outcomes. Effects are robust across many studies, but strength and causal interpretation depend on measurement, timing, and school/contextual moderators (stacks.cdc.gov).

School connectedness/belonging is commonly defined as "the belief by students that adults and peers in the school care about their learning as well as about them as individuals," or more psychometrically as the psychological sense of school membership (feeling accepted, respected, included, and supported). 

Empirical evidence shows its consistent findings and high level of protective effects in the following areas:

A. Mental Health. Higher school connectedness predicts lower depressive symptoms and better general functioning in adolescents; some longitudinal studies show that connectedness predicts future mental health even after controlling prior symptoms (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16597213/).

B. Bullying & Victimization. Connectedness functions as a protective factor - students with higher connectedness report less victimization and bullying, and it buffers some negative effects of bullying. Recent systematic work also highlights this protective role thoughj mediation pathways vary by study (https://pmc.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/articles/PMC10037103/)

C. Behavioral and Academic Outcomes. Connectedness is associated with lower absenteeism, lower fighting/vandalism, reduced substance use, and higher school engagement and achievement. Reviews and policy summaries argueit is a strong, malleable protective factor (casciac.org).

Evidence-based approaches, interventions or strategies may increase connectedness. Policy syntheses point to multi-component, school-wide strategies rather than single lessons:

1. Adult-Student Relationships: mentopr progra,ms, teacher caronmg/expectatiomns, adbisory/homeroom systems (Wingspread/CDC Recommendations- stacks.cdc.gov).

2. Classroom Approaches: regular class meetings, social-emotional learning (explicit SEL instruction), cooperative learning and inclusive practices increase belonging and peer support (data.calschls.org).

3. School Climate and Safety: anti-bullying policies implemented school-wide, clear adult intervention when bullying occurs, consistent enforcement combined with restorative practices (stacks.cdc.gov).

4. Extracurricular Engagement: participation in clubs, sports and activities correlates with stronger belonging and lower risky behaviors (search institute).

For schools, researchers, and policymakers, the following practical implications provide ways on how this evidence may be used.

A. Measure connectedness routinely by using validated scales like PSSM (YOUTHREX Research & Evaluation eXchange).

B. Prioritize relationship building by providing teacher training on caring classroom practices as this has good evidence for downstream mental health and engagement benefits (PSM).

C. Embed SEL & whole-school strategies as this improves interpersonal skills and, when paired with school-wide climate work, increases connectedness and reduce negative outcomes (data.calschls.org).

D. Use longitudinal evaluation to test whether increases in connectedness precede reductions in bullying and mental-health problems to strengthen causal claims (PubMed)

E. Be culturally responsive & monitor equity to assess whether interventions close gaps for vulnerable groups like students with disabilities and minority youth (PMC).

REFERENCES:

CDC/Eingspread Report (2009): School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth.

Goodenow, C. (1993): Thje Psychological Sense of School Membership Among Adolescents: Scale Development and Educational Correlates.

Shochet, I.M., et al. (2006): School Connectedness and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms- Longitudinal Evidence.

Koepershoek et al. (2020) - Meta-Analytic Review: The Relationship bewteen School Belonging and Students' Motivational, Spocial-Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Outcomes.

Goetschius et al. (2021): School; Connectedness as a Protective Factor Against Victimization and Adversity (open access)

Review: mental health, bullying, and school connectedness (2024): Donaldson et al., British Educational Research Journal.

Links:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/5767...

https://bibliotecadigital.mineduc.cl/bitstream/handle/20.500.12365/17469/goodenow1993.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi,nlm.nih.gov/16597213/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02671522.2019.1615116

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10037103/

https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3985

https://data.calschls.org/resources/S3-WhatWorksBrief4.Connectedness-final.pdf