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Student advisories have dedicated time and space during the school day, may be part of a course and focus on a range of objectives.
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The most effective student advisories serve more than one purpose. They may be part of a course or focus on one or more of the following objectives:
Goals may have a school-wide focus that change over the course of the school year. Student advisory time is:
Most advisories are a combination of:
Some advisories involve all grades, while others are a group of peers in the same grade. In larger schools, student advisories can be small communities that create an environment where every student is well known by at least one adult working in the school.
The teacher advisor is often an advocate for this group of students and a point of contact for the family. In many schools, all teaching staff, including administrators and specialists, serve as teacher advisors.
For an advisory to be effective, it must reflect and contribute to the overall culture of the school. An advisory requires:
Student advisories are connected to improving high-school completion rates. They also impact students’ post-school outcomes, including pursuing post-secondary opportunities.
Other documented benefits include:
Student success is connected to positive relationships with school leadership.
Every student needs to have a relationship with at least one adult in the school characterized by:
Success can increase for students when they are well known by at least one adult in the school.
Trust, respect, mutual obligation and concern can have powerful effects on relationships between educators and students, academic achievement and overall well-being.
The following are key components that can lead to a successful student advisory:
Student advisories will look different at different schools, depending on the needs of the students, the resources and the priorities of the school community.
The following fictional stories are examples of what student advisories might look like in practice.
Student advisory time is focused on developing leadership skills. Once a week, students work in groups for one hour to participate in service learning activities. Teacher advisors create opportunities for students to explore leadership qualities and develop goals and personal action plans. Advisory time is also used to reflect on progress and participate in learning activities that support common goals.
At a large Grade 9 to 12 high school, student advisories meet twice a week for 35 minutes. Each group consists of 15 to 20 students in the same grade. The teacher advisor stays with the group throughout the 4 years of high school. The focus of this advisory varies by grade level.
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