Relationship Ready Schools
A research-informed, systems-level approach that embeds Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework into the fabric of schools.
Every day in schools, relationships happen by instinct, habit, and heart. Teachers greet students at the door. Counselors check in. Principals walk hallways with purpose. These moments matter, but in today’s climate, connection alone isn’t enough. Belonging must be built by design, not left to chance.
The Relationship Ready Schools apporach is designed to empower educators, school leaders, and district teams to co-create schools where each and every student feels known, nurtured, and valued. By centering student and adult relationships and redesigning systems that prioritize connection, this experience provides the tools and strategies needed to cultivate environments where relationships fuel growth, belonging, and improved student outcomes.
Relationship Ready Schools is a research-informed, systems-level and classroom experience that offers multiple entry points, a phased-approach, and data-informed progress, all while building on the strengths of the school, as well as the supporting district and school improvement plans.
Flexible and adaptable, meeting schools and districts where they are and building on their unique strengths and contexts.
Actionable, delivering recommendations, measures, and activities that complement and enhance existing school practices.
System-level, focusing on transforming school cultures and systems, not just individual relationships, to amplify the collective strength of the school community.
"Over the last two years, as Skyview has collaborated with Search Institute, chronically absent students declined by 6%, reading achievement improved by 5%, and math achievement improved by 10%."
Transforming Student Outcomes with Purpose
Relationship Ready Schools offers a multi-faceted approach that recognizes and builds upon school strengths, focusing on enhancing leaders’ and educators’ capacity and strengthening school-wide relational climates.
Professional Learning Experiences: Workshops and learning experiences designed to celebrate and enhance existing relational strengths while introducing new strategies for building even stronger connections.
Data-Informed Growth: Using surveys and data not just to identify areas for improvement but to recognize and celebrate existing positive relationships and build on those successes to make context-specific progress.
Coaching Support: Providing targeted coaching services that recognize the expertise within the school and offer collaborative guidance for high-quality implementation.
Focus on Lived Experiences: Ensuring that the work amplifies the voices of each and every member of the school community, celebrating the diversity of relationships.
Learning Community Platform: Providing a central hub to consolidate resources and communication channels to share successes and best practices among educators and schools.
Schools' Strengths. Proven Frameworks. Co-Creation.
Learn more about the Relationship Ready Schools journey towards systemic, sustainable change.
The Relationship Effect
Together, throught the Relationship Ready Schools approach, we co-develop and co-design system-level and classroom experiences, grounded in collaborative work and drawing from the combined expertise of educators and Search Institute.
Enhances ongoing efforts and initiatives
Reduces staff burnout and turnover
Improves student well-being, attendance, motivation and engagement
Builds student resilience and leadership capacity
Strengthens school climate and equity outcomes
Supports long-term, systems-level change rooted in evidence
When you have a teacher who's very forthcoming and is very like, "here's where you guys are. I love that you guys are reading this. This is really interesting. I want to learn more about it.” [...] When you have people who are willing to talk to each other and engaging and are really interested and really craving for that education, it creates this really beautiful belonging sense.
Student
High School, Midwest
Frequently Asked Questions
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Centering relationships is not a luxury. It’s the foundation for lasting learning, well-being, and connection. When students experience strong, trusting relationships with adults in schools they are more engaged, more motivated, and more likely to thrive, academically and personally.
Developmentally relational climates do not just benefit students, they support educators too. Teachers working in relationally rich environments consistently report higher job satisfaction and lower burnout rates.
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We can’t wait for perfect conditions. Relationships cannot be left to chance. Students and staff alike are navigating stress, disconnection, and hyper-change. Relationship Ready Schools provides an intentional, research-informed approach to build relational trust, creating the psychological safety that drives engagement, well-being, and learning.
Research shows developmental relationships serve as a powerful enhancer in students' thriving journeys, acting as catalysts that amplify and nurture the potential within each and every young person.
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Relationship Ready Schools turns relational intuition into schoolwide intention, and intention into measurable impact.
Grounded in a partnership approach that begins with taking stock of what schools have and do today and what is working well, coaches through what is needed, and activates collaboration to re-design environments where students, staff and community thrive.
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Relationship Ready Schools is flexible and adaptable, offering multiple entry points, meeting schools and districts where they are. It is a co-designed, multi-faceted approach, grounded in collaboration, combining relationships-mapping, job aids, coaching, targeted learning experiences, data, resources and strategies.
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Relationship Ready Schools is not another program. It is a research-informed, systems-level approach that embeds the Developmental Relationships Framework into the fabric of the school. It strengthens and enhances what already works, MTSS, SEL efforts, and academic engagement, by aligning them around the shared goal of connection, trust, and belonging.
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The Relationship Ready Schools approach is flexible and adaptable, offering multiple entry points, meeting schools and districts where they are and building on their unique strengths.
Whether you're seeking an entry point through early exploration of the Developmental Relationships Framework or long-term, sustainable implementation, we work together to co-design an experience that empowers educators, school leaders, and district teams to co-create schools where each and every student feels known, nurtured, and valued.
We can’t wait for perfect conditions, this is the right moment to become a Relationship Ready School. Let's connect!