Strong Relationships Start with Feeling Known
Educators know that relationships matter. The challenge is turning that understanding into practical action within the time, routines, and support structures that already exist in schools.
Search Institute’s Know Me and Know. Support. Advocate. tools are practical, research-informed activities and practices designed with educators for educators to help high school teachers and staff strengthen connections with students, support individual learning needs, and turn developmental relationships into everyday practice.
Explore the Tools
There is no required sequence and no new system to implement. Choose the resource that fits your role, your students, and the moment.
Turn developmental relationships into everyday practice.
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Help students feel known, valued, and connected.
The Know Me tools are for all high school educators. They offer practical ways to learn more about students as people and learners, create opportunities for connection, and invite meaningful feedback.
Tools include:
Student Inventory: Learn about students’ strengths, interests, identities, goals, and learning preferences.
Know Me Games: Use simple, low-prep activities to create casual moments of connection in the classroom.
- Get-to-Know Me Guide: Choose from conversation starters that can be used during class, advisory, check-ins, or other everyday moments.
- Relationship Feedback Guide: Invite students to reflect on how they experience their relationship with you and identify opportunities to strengthen connection.
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Help students understand how they learn and communicate what they need.
These tools are designed for educators who support students with IEPs and 504 plans, including special education teachers, case managers, and 504 coordinators. They help turn formal supports into meaningful conversations about learning, accommodations, and self-advocacy.
Tools include:
Make Accommodations Meaningful: Help students understand what their accommodations are, why they have them, and how they support learning.
Student Learning Profile: Help students identify and communicate their strengths, challenges, learning preferences, and supports.
Mid-Quarter Check-In: Create a structured opportunity to reflect on how accommodations are working and address challenges early.
Self-Advocacy Coaching: Help students build the understanding and confidence to communicate their learning needs and ask for support.
Why These Tools?
Practical: Ready-to-use prompts, questions, worksheets, activities, conversation guides, and sample language.
Flexible: Use one tool or several. Adapt the resources to your subject, students, routines, and available time.
Student-centered: Create meaningful opportunities for students to share who they are, how they learn, what is working, and what they need.
Research-informed and educator-informed: Grounded in Search Institute’s developmental relationships work and shaped by student, educator, family, and practitioner perspectives.
Designed for existing practice: Use the tools in warm-ups, advisory, check-ins, IEP and 504 meetings, transition planning, and everyday classroom interactions.
Know Me
Get to Know Me Guide
Download the Get to Know Me Guide
Get to Know Me Games
A suite of student-centered Know Me games and activities that you can use to learn more about your students.
Student Inventory
A quick, customizable activity that helps educators gather key background insights on their students—which is essential for building strong relationships, fostering inclusive environments, and tailoring instruction to meet individual learning needs.
Relationship Feedback Guide
Download the Relationship Feedback GuideKnow. Support. Advocate.
Make Accommodations Meaningful
Learn How to Make Accommodations Meaningful
Mid-Quarter Check-In
Create a structured opportunity to reflect on how accommodations are working and address challenges early.
Self-Advocacy Coaching Guide
Help students build the understanding and confidence to communicate their learning needs and ask for support.
