The study’s author, Robert Blum, draws two separate but significant conclusions from the data collected from surveys of 72,000 junior high and high school students. First: School size and classroom management, not class size, correlate to youths feeling a stronger connectedness to school. Second: Substance abuse, emotional distress and violent behavior decrease with stronger feelings of connection to school. Center for Adolescent Health and Development, McNamara Alumni Center, University of Minnesota Gateway, 200 Oak St. SE, Ste. 260, Minneapolis, MN 55455. (612) 626-2820, www.allaboutkids.umn.edu.
