How the Christian Brothers of the Midwest District Examined Belonging in Their Schools Using Springtide’s Custom Research
INDUSTRY
Education, grades 9–12
CLIENT
Christian Brothers Midwest District (CBMD)
CHALLENGE
To understand the level of belonging experienced by CBMD students
About the Christian Brothers Midwest District (CBMD)
The Midwest District is home to 12 high schools and 3 middle schools located throughout the Midwest. Their mission is defined by the five core principles of Lasallian schools:
- Provide a high-quality education
- Foster inclusive communities
- Establish respect for all persons
- Demonstrate concern for the poor and work for social justice
- Nurture faith in the presence of God
Project Overview
The CBMD wanted to better understand the sense of belonging that students experience in their schools. Additionally, CBMD hoped to quantify and assess students’ thriving, measuring the impact of the overarching Lasallian mission.
To do so, they brought in Springtide’s Custom Research team to design and administer a custom survey for CBMD high school students. The survey:
- Measured the extent to which students felt as though they belonged and thrived in CBMD schools
- Identified ways to foster greater student thriving and overall well-being
- Assessed how students perceive and experience the five core Lasallian principles
- Uncovered influences on students’ spiritual and faith development
- Identified links between belonging and academic success
Methodology
The surveys were administered through individual schools in the district. Springtide’s custom research team provided active support to each school as they distributed the surveys. We successfully gathered nearly 5000 survey responses across eleven schools.
Results
Key Findings
Our custom research revealed that CBMD high schools are cultivating a high sense of belonging and thriving among their students. Students who responded “Yes” when asked “Do you identify as Lasallian?” were especially likely to report high levels of belonging and thriving. Students who agreed that their school follows the core Lasallian principles tended to have higher levels of belonging and thriving than students who disagreed.
Most students at CBMD schools felt connected to their faith, saying that they were comfortable discussing their faith in the school environment—a crucial aspect of a Lasallian school’s mission. While students see family members as most influential on their faith lives, students also named teachers among their faith influences. Springtide’s research helped show that teachers throughout CBMD schools—not only religion teachers—foster faith formation thriving among students.
Study results also showed that students who felt more of a sense of belonging reported slightly higher grades than those of peers who answered otherwise. A similar trend emerged for confidence in college acceptance: students who felt they belonged had more confidence overall in their prospects for academic success. This is critical to the success and mission of an organization that desires to see holistic flourishing among their student body.
Outcomes
CBMD leaders poured over the overall district findings as well as those delivered individually to each school. Six months after the report delivery, CBMD faculty members presented their district’s findings about belonging at an education conference. One principal remarked, “I love these reports. I hope we can continue it each year, so I can compare cohort data.”
After collecting data in the first year, CBMD extended the study for another year, wanting to compare year-over-year results. Springtide administered a follow-up survey almost immediately, gathering a second year’s worth of data to identify trends on belonging, flourishing, and faith within the student body.
