The Cultivate system draws on research showing that the learning conditions in a classroom have profound implications for students’ development—they shape students’ daily experiences, learning beliefs, learning and academic success, and well-being. 

The nine Learning Conditions that matter for students’ development are: 

  • Affirming Identities: Recognition and affirmation of student identities 
  • Classroom Community: Sense of community and mutual support among classmates 
  • Feedback for Growth: Nature and quality of teacher feedback to improve student work 
  • Learning Goals: Accessibility and connectedness of instructional goals 
  • Meaningful Work: Interest and relevance of classroom learning for students 
  • Student Voice: Opportunities for and responsiveness to student ideas and input 
  • Supportive Teaching: Breadth and quality of teacher’s instructional support for learning 
  • Teacher Caring: Strength and quality of teacher’s one-on-one relationships with students 
  • Well-Organized Classroom: Clarity and helpfulness of classroom systems and routines 

Cultivate gives students the opportunity to provide feedback on each of these dimensions in one of their core classes. The survey also asks students to share what they believe about themselves as learners in that same class. Are they able to report: 

  • I am valued 
  • I am empowered 
  • I am capable 
  • I can grow 
  • I find class purposeful 


Cultivate Supports 
To provide clear and actionable data and insights, the Consortium Learning & Development Group partnered with UChicago Impact, in consultation with educators, to create a dynamic online reporting system that helps educators explore students’ perspectives, respond to their students’ experiences, build relationships, and partner with students for improvement. 

Ultimately, the goal is for educators to use their Cultivate report as a starting point to engage in conversation with colleagues and—crucially—with students. To this end, the reports feature a suite of support tools for each Learning Condition—including detailed guides with research and recommendations, protocols for participatory data analysis, and observation checklists.