Survey: As Acton students advance, sense of ‘belonging’ wanes
“We’ve had so many incidents with hate and bias, it would be hard to believe that kids wouldn’t have a lower sense of belonging.”
A recently released survey shows many Acton students feel a strong sense of belonging in the early stages of their education, but that may wane as they reach high school.
And some, like those in the METCO program, which brings urban students to suburban schools to increase diversity and opportunity, are less likely than their peers to say they feel included.
“We’ve had so many incidents with hate and bias,” said School Committee METCO representative Ayesha Lawton, “it would be hard to believe that kids wouldn’t have a lower sense of belonging.”
The public schools’ annual Panorama survey asked faculty, students, and families questions about engagement, community, and demographics.
The latest survey got responses from 97% of staff, 67% of students, and 47% of families.
“We continue to see student engagement as an area for growth,” schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter told The Acton Bridge in an email, adding, “Overall, we are celebrating that families, students, and teachers feel positive about their school environment.”
Copy-of-Panorama-Acton-Carlisle-Survey-Outcomes-1
Gauging engagement
Elementary and middle school students reported feeling a strong sense of belonging. That included students across gender identities.
The survey asked students: “When you are at school, how much do you feel like you belong?” Elementary students answered 90% favorably, and middle school students were 92%.
Elementary and middle school students also reported a high level of engagement, responding favorably — elementary at 85% favorable and middle school 79% — when asked, “In your classes, how excited are you to participate?”
Hunter said answers are on a scale of one to five. Three and above is considered “favorable.”
Engagement and sense of belonging declined as students got older. Asked about belonging, 73% of high school students responded positively. Just 38% said they were excited to participate in classes.
Asexual and queer students, students with disabilities, and low-income students — reported lower levels of belonging than their peers.
For high school, 33% of students who selected “other” in sexual orientation answered favorably. Low-income students answered 61% favorably, and students with disabilities 64%.
METCO students reported the lowest sense of belonging among residents of Acton, Carlisle, Boston, and “other” in the survey, with 61% answering positively.
A common trend
Feelings of disconnection as students age are not unique to Acton, says Charisse Murphy, executive director of the Shine Initiative, a non-profit focused on youth mental health in Worcester, Middlesex, Suffolk, and Berkshire Counties.
“I think the lack of a sense of belonging is happening statewide. It’s happening nationwide,” Murphy said. “We are seeing and hearing similar things from our youth … this isolation as they get older.”
Murphy, a former METCO student herself, said navigating two different communities can deepen that challenge.
“I remember being asked, ‘Where do you belong most?’” she said, “and I didn’t feel like I belonged in either.”
A declining population
Both Michelle MacDougall, the K-8 School Board METCO representative, and Lawton also pointed to the size of the METCO student population at the high school as a contributing factor.
As students exit the program — through families moving or deciding METCO isn’t right for their child — and are not replaced, the number of Boston students shrinks by the time they reach CCHS.
“It’s sad that we only have 31 [METCO] students right now,” Lawton said. “You can’t have a sense of belonging if there’s 31 students in such a large school.” CCHS has roughly 1,150 students enrolled, per state data.
By high school, “they’re not feeling like they have this big community of Boston students,” MacDougall said. “They just have a small group of kids in a big high school. You can feel alone.”
She said that, currently, Acton schools accept new METCO students only in kindergarten, and METCO representatives have been working with Hunter to expand acceptance to higher grade levels.
Closing the gap
Murphy suggests the best way to support METCO students is to have more people available who come from a similar background.
“If you’re struggling and you don’t have someone who understands that experience,” she said, “it’s really difficult to have that discussion around mental health.”
Luckily, she said, students are willing to seek help.
“Young people want to talk about their mental health,” Murphy said, “and they’re looking for the spaces to do so.”
