Resilience, School Connectedness and Achievement

On June 23, 2006, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell; Bonnie Benard, Senior Program Associate, WestEd; and Greg Austin, Program Director of WestEd's Health and Human Development Program, video taped a presentation on the relationship between academic success and youth development. Benard examined the various aspects of a "supportive school environment" and its relationship to students' academic success. Austin provided an overview of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) Student and Staff School Climate surveys and the relationship of CHKS resilience indicators to Academic Performance Index (API) and Scholastic Aptitude Test-9 (SAT-9) scores and other measures of academic performance and school behavior. The presentation provides detailed information that will assist school and district staff as they implement youth development strategies.

Bonnie Benard

Bonnie Benard, Senior Program Associate at WestEd, presents an overview of the published research studies from the previous 40 years that show a relationship between youth development and academic achievement.

• Part 1: Resilience, School Connectedness and Academic Achievement (WMV; 01:10)
  • Text Transcription of Part 1 Bonnie Benard Video
• Resilience, School Connectedness and Academic Achievement

Greg Austin

Greg Austin, Program Director of WestEd's Health and Human Development Program, provides an overview of the relationship of CHKS resilience indicators to API and SAT-9 scores and other measures of academic performance and school behavior.

• Part 2: Student and Staff Data from the California Healthy Kids Data System (WMV; 01:12)
  • Text Transcription of Part 2 Greg Austin Video
• Student and Staff Data from the California Healthy Kids Data System