Closing the Affection Gap: How Principals Foster Teacher-Student Relationships in Urban Middle Schools with Disadvantaged Populations
Open Access DepositedThis study investigates principal practices that contribute to cultivating essential qualities—trust, care, and relatedness—within positive teacher-student relationships in diverse urban middle schools. While acknowledging the indirect influence of principals on these relationships, this research emphasizes how their behaviors and practices can directly impact the dynamic between teachers and students. The study aims to answer the main research question: How do principals foster positive teacher-student relationships in disadvantaged urban middle schools? Subsequently, the study explores subquestions related to the principals' perspectives on their role and the specific practices motivating the development of teacher-student relationships. Historically, minority students from high-poverty families have been underserved in educational settings, affecting their potential and opportunities. Despite efforts through educational policies like the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act, the specific needs of these students still require attention. The study emphasizes the pivotal role of school principals in identifying and addressing both teachers’ and students’ needs. Utilizing self-determination theory, this research underscores the importance of meeting students' basic psychological needs for trust, care, and relatedness to create a safe learning environment. While existing research on teacher-student relationships primarily focus on elementary schools, this study addresses the gap in understanding such dynamics in middle schools, recognizing the unique challenges posed by adolescence. Using a qualitative methodology, urban middle school principals were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. The results of this study revealed four major themes that inform principal practices for fostering authentic teacher-student relationships. First, principals must build rapport with teachers by intentionally making positive connections in and out of the school building. Second, to address the unique needs of a minoritized student population, principals must set expectations for an inclusive environment that empowers and values all students and their lived experiences. Third, principals must maximize opportunities to build cultural competence in teachers through professional development supports specific to each teacher’s needs and collaboration. Fourth, principals must continue to evaluate and monitor schoolimprovement goals focused on building a supportive and inclusive learning environment for students. As student populations become increasingly diverse, educators must prepare to support all students, particularly in urban middle schools, facing unique challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, resource shortages, and high discipline rates.
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