SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS 1

Can Schools Impact Students Lives Beyond Academics?

Kimberly Zavala

Los Angeles Leadership Academy

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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS

Abstract

This report summarizes the research on the school's impact on students lives beyond academics.

Students spend most of their time at school, and school can affect their mental and physical

health. This paper defines the importance of schools and what happens inside of school, that

changes the students lives. This is important because it explains and shows how students lives

change throughout the years in school. Since the purpose of school is to educate the students, yet

there are more things which students learn other than just English and Math. This research paper

will also explain how teacher-student relationships, and the socio-economic status of schools are

important to the students life. According to CASEL, It is estimated that 40 to 60 percent of

urban, suburban, and rural high school students become chronically disengaged from school

not counting those who already dropped out (Klem & Connell, 2004) (Weissberg, 2008).

Students going to an urban school have a higher percentage of dropping out. This research paper

is open to students, teachers, parents and anyone who would like to read it.

Keywords: School, an institution for educating children

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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS
Can Schools Impact Students Lives Beyond Academics?

Teens spend most of their time at school or doing activities related to school. While the

purpose of school is the academic development of the students, school can also affect the

students physical and mental health and social development. Although, it might not seem that

the socio-economic status of the schools might be important nor the relationships that students

have with teachers, they are both very important for students because as stated by Gallagher

(2013), Students in high-poverty urban schools may benefit from positive teacher-student

relationships even more than students in high-income schools, because of the risks associated

with poverty. Schools impact students lives beyond academics by offering healthy teacher-

student relationships, creating a balanced school resource environment, and by reducing child

obesity rates.

Teachers- Student Relationships.

The support of other peers and teachers at school are an important part for a student.

Students are more likely to be academically motivated if they feel that they are cared for and feel

connected with others at school. According to Gallagher (2013) Social capital in a classroom

setting is defined as caring teacher- student relationships where students feel that they are both

cared for and expected to succeed. Having a caring teacher- student relationship, can reduce

high school student dropouts and can help them want to explore college.
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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS
Offering healthy student-teacher relationships can increase the academic rigor and

improve test scores and grades, teachers can also model responsibilities and shape the life of a

student. According to Brooks Furthermore, teacher encouragement is among the verbal and

social persuasions Bandura (1977) theorizes to have a direct impact on students selfefficacy.

Teachers should encourage students in a way that they feel cared about. As stated by Gallagher

(2013), Teachers who support students in the learning environment can positively impact their

social and academic outcomes, which is important for the long-term trajectory of school and

eventually employment. The support of a teacher is important to students lives because it will

benefit them in the future.

Socio- Economic Status.

The socio-economic status of a school is important because many students that go to a

high-poverty urban school dont have many opportunities as a student that goes to a high-income

school. As stated by Gallagher (2013), Students in high- poverty urban schools may benefit

from positive teacher- student relationships even more than students in high- income schools,

because of the risks associated with poverty. While other students in high- income schools, they

have more opportunities and are more likely to succeed in life.

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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS
Students that attend low-income urban schools, lack the help of which they need to be

able to finish high school and continue to college. As stated by Gallagher (2013), Low-income

students often have neither the support they need to complete high school nor access to the

information they need to pursue education high school. Ok the other hand, Bayerl (2014), states

On average, children who grow up in poverty have weaker executive functioning skills, but it is

important to underscore that poverty itself does not cause cognitive and behavioral limitations

stress does. Therefore, it is not poverty that stops students from learning, it is stress, caused by

problems at home.

Reduce Obesity.

One of the major issues that adolescents are facing is obesity. Some schools have the

capacity to reduce child obesity rates. According to Brown and Marin (2008), Some schools are

changing the types and availability of snack foods available within the school to improve

nutrition and reduce obesity. Schools have health classes for students, as well as physical

education classes for exercise, and nutrition/ lunch during school.

According to Childtrends.org, Between 2003 and 2007, 27 states have passed laws

intended to improve school nutrition and 24 states have enacted laws to improve physical

education in the schools (Brown & Marin, 2008). It has now been a law for certain schools to

help students have a balanced diet, in order to reduce obesity. In other schools, it is also a law to

provide a physical education class so the students can get their daily exercise.

Conclusion
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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS
This research concludes that schools have a major impact on students lives. Since students spend

most of their time at school rather than at home, students are more influenced by what they see at

school. Therefore, schools can affect the mental and physical health of a student. According to

Hornbeck, a research concluded The evidence shows that are doing as good or better a job

today than 25 years ago, when the dropout rate, for example, was 50% and many of those

youngsters were non-English-speaking kids and poor and black. As a result, schools have done

a better job in having students be more productive and having better relationships with teachers,

in order for them to feel secure about wanting to learn and continue school. Schools impact

students beyond academics helping reduce obesity, having good teacher- student relationships,

and creating a balanced school environment.

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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS

References

Bayerl, Katie (2014). In and beyond schools

Jobs for the future and the California advancement project. Retrieved from

http://www.issuelab.org/resources/18384/18384.pdf

Brooks, L. Rachelle. The Role of High School Experiences and Influences in the

Development of PsychoSocial WellBeing

theop.princeton.edu . Retrieved from

http://theop.princeton.edu/reports/wp/Brooks_VanNoy_updated.pdf

Brown, Brett and Marin, Pilar (2008). The school environment and adolescent well-being:

beyond academics.

childtrends.org Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/wp-

content/uploads/2013/04/child_trends-2008_11_14_rb_schoolenviron.pdf

Gallagher, Emily (2013). The Effects of Teacher-Student Relationships: Social and Academic

Outcomes of Low-Income Middle and High School Students.

NYU Steinhardt. Retrieved from

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2013/fall/gallagher

Hornbeck. J.D David (1991). The interaction of school

and adolescent development.

National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1809861/pdf/bullnyacadmed00011-

0057.pdf

Weissberg Joseph A., John Payton Roger P., Durlak Allison B., Dymnicki Rebecca D., Taylor
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SCHOOLS IMPACT ON STUDENTS LIVES BEYOND ACADEMICS
Kriston B., Schellinger Molly Pachan (2008). The positive impact on social and

emotional learning for kindergarten to eighth grade students.

CASEL. Retrieved from http://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PDF-4-the-

positive-impact-of-social-and-emotional-learning-for-kindergarten-to-eighth-grade-

students-executive-summary.pdf