Educators have known for years that social, emotional, and cognitive processing are all neurologically intertwined and that school connectedness has long-lasting protective effects for adolescents. We know from the research (and from our day-to-day experiences in learning environments) that students don’t learn as much when they feel uncertain about their belonging. We know that when kids of all ages and stages feel like a part of their community, they are more likely to thrive.
While this may seem intuitive, the Centers for Disease, Control, and Prevention (CDC) only recently officially recognized that improving adolescent health requires an understanding of young people’s environments and how these environments affect their behaviors and experiences. As a result, the latest iteration of their Youth Risk Behavior Survey includes a question about “school connectedness,” which they define as the feeling among students that people at their school care about them, their well-being, and success.
In its recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report, only 61% of students in the CDC survey reported feeling close to people at school. My organization, Challenge Success, collaborated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education to develop a survey of our own in 2003, the Challenge Success-Stanford Survey of Student Experiences (CS Student Survey), which was completed by 31,000 high school students from 50 schools across the country in the 2022-2023 school year. This survey collects data on belonging and connection in school through a variety of dimensions. Here’s what we found:
A sense of belonging is a necessary foundation to a sense of well-being, and a sense of well-being is one of the traits we most want for our young people (not to mention the rest of us!). I want to share a tested strategy for helping kids develop a sense of belonging in school: “Wellness and Enrichment Days.”
One of our school partners in New Jersey, Morris County School of Technology (MCST), has taken a proactive approach to supporting student well-being, engagement, and belonging by implementing Wellness and Enrichment Days (WED Days) three times each quarter. Initially introduced as a response to data from the CS Student Survey and “I Wish” Campaign, WED Days have become a cornerstone of MCST’s approach to student well-being by fostering an environment of support, connection, and agency. Because many students reported high levels of academic stress due to workload and putting pressure on themselves, WED Days aimed to reduce academic stress by providing unstructured time as well as opportunities for support.
WED Days take place three times per quarter, or a total of 10 to 12 times per school year. During these designated days, the school refrains from introducing new academic content. Instead, the focus shifts towards providing both academic support and time to build interpersonal connections.
In the first part of the day, students rotate through their normal classes, but rather than “doing class” they can seek assistance from teachers and peers, work in groups on projects or other collaborative tasks, or work individually to get caught up on school work. Teachers do not introduce new content during this time or give tests. Following the class rotation, students meet in advisory groups and have a shared lunch period to promote social connections and downtime. The advisory time is focused on building relationships and social-emotional skills through structured activities such as the One Trusted Adult curriculum.
For the rest of the day, students are encouraged to explore and share their interests through enrichment workshops. These workshops are led by both students, educators, and outside facilitators, and are pre-approved by the principal. To lead a workshop, students and teachers submit a proposed topic on an area of interest. Topics included:
Students also have the option to go to a designated space for group or individual work time. This choice-based time allows students to explore subjects that spark their curiosity, build connections within their school community, and develop a sense of agency over making sure their needs are met. Students sign in to their workshops or the designated work area depending on how they choose to spend their time. An overview of the full WED Days schedule is below:
| Block | Length | Description |
| 8:00 – 8:25am | 25 min | Attendance + Class 1 |
| 8:29 – 8:49am | 20 min | Class 2 |
| 8:53 – 9:13am | 20 min | Class 3 |
| 9:17 – 9:37am | 20 min | Class 4 |
| 9:41 – 10:01am | 20 min | Class 5 |
| 10:05 – 10:25am | 20 min | Class 6 |
| 10:29 – 10:49am | 20 min | Class 7 |
| 10:53 – 11:18am | 25 min | Advisory Groups or Individual Work Time |
| 11:22 – 12:05pm | 43 min | Lunch & Downtime |
| 12:09 – 12:34pm | 25 min | Advisory Groups or Individual Work Time |
| 12:38 – 1:03pm | 25 min | Advisory Groups or Individual Work Time |
| 1:07 – 2:56pm | 1 hr 49 min | Student Choice: Enrichment Workshops or Individual/Group Work Time |
The success of WED Days is demonstrated through the voices of the students. In the words of one student, “I am so incredibly stressed with all the school work I am given, my teachers are nice but the WED day is what helps most.”
More broadly, a poll conducted by MCST revealed that these designated wellness days have positively impacted students’ lives. A majority of the students reported a reduction in school-related stress as well as strengthened connections to their teachers and peers (see figures 1 and 2)
Figure 1: Impact of WED days on school-related stress
Figure 2: Impact of WED days on connections between students and staff members
Regular self-care, support, and connection opportunities helped the school community prioritize student well-being and put student needs at the center. Students expressed a newfound sense of belonging and appreciated the chance to interact with teachers on a more personal level and find connections with peers who shared similar interests.
MCST is continuing to refine the WED Day schedule this school year and hopes to continue improving the student experience by intentionally soliciting student feedback and ideas. Elevating student voice is central to our work with schools and a powerful lever for positive change. We encourage all schools to deepen their understanding of the needs and experiences of students and implement policies and practices that are responsive to those needs. WED Days serve as a strong example of how schools can prioritize student well-being and belonging, while centering the voices of students. While not every school has the ability to implement a similar approach, we encourage schools to consider even small steps they can take to include students in addressing their needs and challenges.
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