Overview

Educators’ work to improve students’ daily experiences with Cultivate begins with focusing on one learning condition. A variety of factors might contribute to the decision—including opportunities for growth, work already underway, other initiatives, capacity or readiness, or even other data. 

Research shows that each condition is related to students’ learning and well-being, so improvement work connected to any learning condition can benefit students. 

Educators can focus improvements within a learning condition using a suite of resources for each learning condition:

Affirming Identities 

Recognition and affirmation of student identities 

Students feel more connected to and motivated in classes that recognize and affirm their backgrounds and identities. 

Classroom Community 

Sense of community and mutual support among classmates 

Students feel safe to engage and succeed in school when the classroom environment encourages a sense of community and fosters mutual support among classmates. 

Feedback for Growth 

Nature and quality of teacher feedback to improve student work 

Students learn more effectively when their teachers set high expectations, recognize progress, and offer respectful, critical feedback to help students improve. 

Learning Goals 

Accessibility and connectedness of instructional goals 

Students learn more effectively when it is clear to them what they are supposed to be learning and how it fits into the big ideas of that subject area. 

Meaningful Work 

Level of interest and relevance of classroom learning for students 

Students are more motivated to learn when the work in class feels interesting and relevant to them. 

Student Voice 

Opportunities for and responsiveness to student ideas and input 

Students take ownership of their learning and are more actively engaged in their schoolwork when they have choices, share their ideas, and feel heard. 

Supportive Teaching 

Breadth and quality of teacher’s instructional support for learning 

Students learn more effectively and are more likely to feel valued when their teachers provide them with the instructional support to be successful. 

Teacher Caring 

Strength and quality of teacher’s one-on-one relationships with students 

Students engage more deeply in their work when they feel like their teacher likes and cares about them. 

Well-Organized Classroom 

Clarity and helpfulness of classroom systems and routines 

Students learn more effectively and are more motivated when the teacher develops routines and systems that contribute to the smooth functioning of the classroom.