Check & Connect

Initiative Description: Check & Connect is an intervention model designed to promote student engagement with school through relationship building, problem solving, and persistence
Behavioral and academic indicators of engagement (e.g., attendance, suspensions, course failures) are collected and documented routinely by the monitors and summarized each month on the Check & Connect Monitoring Sheet . Checking involves (a) systematic assessment of alterable signs of student engagement, such as attendance, behavior referrals, and academic progress, and (b) regular evaluation of these indicators of engagement to ensure a prompt response when students are exhibiting signs of school withdrawal. The connect component refers to the personal connections that monitors make with students, families, and school staff in the implementation of this intervention.

Study Results: Student and interventionist perceptions of the closeness and quality of their relationship were found to be associated with improved engagement in terms of school attendance

Reference: Anderson, A. R., Christenson, S. L., & Sinclair, M. F. (2004). Check & Connect: The importance of relationships for promoting engagement with school. Journal Of School Psychology, 42(2), 95-113. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2004.01.002

Level of Evidence: Good