Bossing Student Achievement

Many times when we think about how and why kids succeed in school we think about demographic factors. These thoughts are often supported by experts. The researchers and experts often talk about the importance of factors such as gender, family composition, socioeconomic status and race or ethnicity and how they factor into success in school. However, a recent study by the Search Institute entitled “Boosting Student Achievement” reveals that the number of developmental assets possessed by a student is twice as important as any of those factors in determining success in school. For example, students with 31-40 developmental assets are about five to twelve times as likely to be successful as those students with 0-10 developmental assets.

The report defines success in school as percent of students failing at least one class, but student’s GPAs are also significantly higher the more assets students posses. Research on standardized tests is still in the early stages, but the preliminary evidence suggests that the presence of developmental assets is a significant predictor of standardized test scores as well. Evidence also suggests that a high number of developmental assets positively impacts student’s achievement levels for up to three years.

I know that the developmental asset model seems kind of ambiguous to some. However, this study also cites amazing results in performance just by raising awareness of the developmental assets and then by creating positive asset-driven interventions with that awareness. For example, the study cites St. Louis Park Minnesota. This community and their school district undertook massive developmental asset training sessions of personnel and staff who worked with youth. As a result, they made several no and low-cost changes based on the developmental asset model. These results were amazing over the three year study. In 1999, 44% of ninth grade students received at least one failing grade. By 2002, that percent had decreased to 20%

The power of the developmental asset model is that it is not a costly program. It allows us as a community to improve the lives of our youth, not by implementing costly programs, although programming and the developmental asset model certainly multiplies the effect, but by shifting our attitudes about the way we interact with and support the youth of our community.

With this model, knowledge is power. Many members of our community have received training in the developmental assets, and I hope that many of you will in the future. Knowledge is step one in the process. Then we must make the appropriate changes and commitments to better the lives of the youth in our community.

Huntsville’s Promise will come speak to your group to talk about the developmental assets and about how you can help develop these assets in our community. Part of the presentation talks specifically about how Huntsville youth stack up in terms of these assets. If you want more information about the Developmental Assets, how Huntsville youth fair, or about the Boosting Student Achievement study, please check out www.huntsvillespromise.com or http://www.search-institute.org, or call me at 291-5950.

12.12.04