Can school structures improve teacher-student relationships? The relationship between advisory programs, personalization and students' academic achievement

Abstract

This study focused on the relationships between student-perceived levels of personalization, students' opinions about advisory period, and academic outcomes. Surveys were administered to 10,044 students over three consecutive years at 14 redesigned small schools and survey responses were linked to students' weighted single-year grade point averages and English Language Arts standardized test scores. Results of a series of multi-level models indicated that more positive perceptions of personalization were predictive of better academic outcomes. Student perceptions of the advisory period were related to academic achievement as well, but in the opposite direction: more positive feelings about advisory period were associated with worse academic outcomes. These results are consistent with qualitative work suggesting that higher levels of personalization are associated with higher levels of academic achievement, improved school culture, and more student engagement. However, these results also suggest that the relationships among advisory period, personalization and academic outcomes are not as straightforward as was previously thought.