Programs and Practices That Influence School Connectedness for Secondary Students: A Systematic Review

School connectedness has been identified as a strong protective factor for student outcomes. While there exists a large body of research on the importance of school connectedness, evaluations of the extant literature on the programs and practices that influence school connectedness are limited. Using the guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), this systematic review was conducted to synthesize and evaluate the existing research on the programs and practices that are successful at increasing secondary students’ school connectedness. Twenty-three studies were identified that were consistent with the inclusion criteria. Data regarding participant demographics, as well as program descriptions and outcomes, were extracted using a data extraction protocol. Thematic coding was utilized to determine common program features. Results from this review highlight the successful programs and practices that are likely to increase school connectedness for secondary students, such as targeted instruction regarding connectedness and intentional mentorship. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.