News Release
Developmental Assets Have a Powerful Influence on Student Achievement, New Research Finds
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. (October 6, 2003)—Students from many different
backgrounds and cultures are more likely to do well in school and have
a higher GPA if they have more “developmental assets,” according to new
research from Search Institute.
Using data from several community-level studies, researchers found that
middle and high school students who experienced more positive
relationships, opportunities, and personal strengths—known as
“developmental assets”—were more likely to have high GPAs, regardless
of their family income level, family composition, or race-ethnicity.
This relationship holds true in both cross-sectional and longitudinal
studies.
“These new findings suggest that an emphasis on overall development may
actually have as much or more positive impact on academic outcomes in
the long run as more obvious and traditional strategies for boosting
achievement,” write authors Peter C. Scales and Eugene C.
Roehlkepartain. “Developmental assets may serve as a reminder that
boosting student achievement is, yes, about achievement. But it is also
about boosting students to be successful in their overall growth and
development.”
This research was released in the premiere issue of
Search Institute Insights & Evidence,
a free, Web-based periodical designed to address critical issues in
promoting healthy children, youth, and communities. To download the
summary or complete report (no charge) and to sign up for future issues
, go to:
www.search-institute.org/research/Insights.
Search Institute Insights &
Evidence will be published approximately six times per year by
Search Institute, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization with a
mission to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote
healthy children, youth, and communities.
