Student-Teacher Relationships are the interactions between a student and teacher in a classroom with the content that is before them.

Positive teacher-student relationships have these characteristics:

• Two-way trust and respect
• Honor who kids are and what they bring to the class
• Industrious and interesting work
• Ambitious learning goals
• High expectations
• Feel prepared for what comes next
• Balance of teacher control and student autonomy
• Hard work and fairness

Assumptions and Beliefs about positive student-teacher relationships:

• Positive student-teacher relationships impact student achievement
• Student-teacher relationships can improve

Articles of Interest

These articles provide background information and suggestions for building positive student-teacher relationships.

Even Geniuses Work Hard by Carol S. Dweck
This article summarizes research by Carol Dweck and associates on how views of intelligence and learning lead to different school outcomes.It describes the importance of developing a growth mindset, the belief that intelligence can develop over time. MSAN districts use the work of Carol Dweck in mentoring and induction programs.

Connections Count: Improving Family and Community Involvement in Secondary Schools
The National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) provides research-based, promising practices for improving community and family involvement.  A framework is provided for six types of involvement:  parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community.

Students as Allies in Improving Their Schools
This study summarizes survey findings from students in major urban areas on how to improve student engagement. Many of the students' suggestions have to do with concrete ways to improve student-teacher relationships, for example, having a person to go to for support and advice, or implementing fair and meaningful discipline policies.

Research Studies

These are research studies that provide evidence of the impact of positive student-teacher relationships on student learning.

Behaviorally At-Risk African American Students: The Importance of Student-Teacher Relationships for Student Outcomes
The research from this study indicates that behaviorally at-risk African American students want positive relationships with their teachers and indicate that how students feel about their relationships with their teachers is important in predicting a number of student outcomes. The critical role of school psychologists in improving student-teacher relationships is described.

Still Separate and Unequal: Examining Race, Opportunity, and School Achievement in “Integrated” Suburbs
In this article, the ways in which race, class and educational opportunities intertwine to reinforce racial achievement gaps are examined.  In particular, in the contemporary U.S., students navigate a racialized educational terrain in which structural, institutional, and symbolic advantages and disadvantages are distributed unequally based on race.

Teacher Relationships
This Spotlight describes key relationships in which teacher participate when fulfilling their official roles. Research-based understandings about the nature, quality, and effectiveness of the teachers' interactions are presented within the key contexts of the classroom, school, home, and community.

Other Resources

This section includes links to websites, podcasts, etc. that provide additional information on building and sustaining positive student-teacher relationships.

The Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University
This website includes multiple resources related to reducing race as a predictor of academic achievement. There is an extensive video library and multiple resources that support the importance for student-teacher relationships as well as community and parent engagement in the educational process.

Improving Students' Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for LearningTeacher's Modules
This link includes teacher modules, ideas, and short video clips showing examples of the impact of strong student-teacher relationships.

DSI, the Teaching Diverse Students Initiative, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center has website with a collection of research-based tools and resources designed to improve the teaching of racially and ethnically diverse students. Under Learning Resources, there are a number of links to resources about Student-Teacher Relations, featuring the following topics:

• Adopting an Anti-Racist Framework
• Cross-Racial Understanding and Reduction of Racial Prejudice
• Cultural Assumptions
• Educator Check-In on Abilities
• Educator Check-In on Culture
• Educator Check-In on Effort
• High Expectations Need High Levels of Support
• Home Visits Can Enhance Teachers' Understandings
• How Teachers Can Learn from Communities and Parents
• Importance of a Trusting Atmosphere
• Know Your Students Well
• Recognizing Individual Characteristics
• Showing Caring While Having High Expectations
• Stereotype Threat
• Teacher-lead Discussions of Race