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Community School Programming and Short-Term Student Outcomes 6.1.E. - Page 23 Students' Experiences in Community Schools Students' attitudes about learning and school are critical to their academic success (see Data and Methods section for more detail). Research has also established that engagement and motivation tend to decrease for students starting in middle school. This section examines data from the two surveys described earlier—one about in-school experiences and attitudes for all middle school students in RCSD and another about after school settings for students in grades 3 through 8. Overall, students' reports of feeling cared for in school have increased slightly over the last three years in the community schools. The first set of bars in Exhibit 11 show that the percent of students at community schools who reported feeling cared for at school went from 35%in 2009 to 37%in 2010 and 39%in 2011. The second set of bars follows a cohort of 6th grade students over three years and shows that reports of feeling cared for declined, going from 35%in 6th grade to 31%in 7th grade and 28%in 8tn grade. English learners in this same cohort (the third set of bars)have initially higher reports of feeling cared for in 6th grade compared to other 6th graders in the community schools,but the difference narrows over time, with English learners'reports of feeling cared for declining over the next two years more on average than other students. IExhibit 11: Percent of Students Reporting Feeling Cared for in the Community Schools,2008-09 to 2010-11 100% 80% 60% 45% � 37% 39% 0 37% 40% 35/0 35/0 31% 0 30% 28/o 20% 0% All Students 2008-09 6th Grade EL Students in 2008-09 6th Grade ■2008-09 ❑2009-10 ❑2010-11 Exhibit 12 shows that middle school students held some different perceptions of their in-school and out- of-school environments. For instance, middle school students who took both the classroom and after school survey were substantially more likely to report feeling cared for in their after school programs than in school. Also, although the majority felt that staff both in and out of school challenged them to think and do meaningful work, this belief was stronger in school. There were no significant differences between in school and after school environments for students' beliefs in their competence to do their work or their experiences of staff promoting mutual respect. Reflections on Practice:How are schools'practices reflected in the survey results? Are there specific practices or policies that could be causing positive survey results? Are there practices or policies that could improve other areas reflected in the survey? If so, are there ways to promote consistent use of these practices across all program providers and staff at your community school? Redwood City Community Schools Evaluation:2010-11 Evaluation Report Page 11