This refers to how the students feel about their school and its environment, the level of support

they receive academically, socially, physically and others. This also looks at the level of connectedness that can be felt. School climate and connectedness may also encompass positive classroom management, participation in extracurricular activities, and considerate disciplinary procedures. The feeling of safety, acceptance, belongingness, worth and respect are all aspects of school connectedness for the student (Kearney, 2007). When the students are aware that their learning process involves not only them, their motivation increases. Positive input is cyclical from administrators to family members to students to teachers and to the businesses the students will eventually work (Kotlyar & Karakowsky, 2007). Students who for any reason are unable to keep up with their peers with regard to academic achievement are likely to suffer a decrease in self-esteem (Dalgash-Pelish, 2006). According to this research, self-esteem is a prerequisite for optimal physical and mental health as well as academic achievement. Dalgash-Pelish (2006) deemed that self-esteem is necessary for school-aged children's overall health. High self-esteem is connected to enhance academic performance, better health, and being creative as well as productive individuals. This study analyzed the effects of a fourlesson self-esteem enhancement program for 98 5th and 6th graders divided into 6 groups. The four-lesson program is an interactive one where children are taught an overview of what selfesteem is and how to acquire it, the different influences of media, the consequences of hiding emotions and the different factors that could result in changes in the self-esteem of a person. The study utilized Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) in measuring the participants self-esteem before and after the lessons. The study found out that self-esteem is quicker to change with girls than in boys. Changes in self-esteem are more prevalent for children

with friends than those without as well. The childs socioeconomic status determines his or her self-esteem level, with those children coming from a lower-income family having a naturally lower level of self-esteem (Dalgash-Pelish, 2006). Self esteem is a significant factor for academic achievement as well as in life, and should especially be boosted and maintained while still young. If youth are to be triumphant in an increasingly competitive global environment, it is necessary that their academic achievements reveal their inherent ability and they have adequate psychological resources to meet the challenges life would throw at them. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as concluded by the study of Elias (2006) and according to Luthar & Cicchetti, (2000). Other studies found out that this lack of strength psychologically and emotionally would lead to the waste and erosion of a persons potential. Various studies show that self-esteem is one important aspect of an individuals social and cognitive development (Berndt, 2002; Pulkkinen, Nygren & Kokko., 2002 and Wigfield, Battle, Keller & Eccles, 2002). The level of ones self esteem has different significant effects on academic performance and overall adjustment of a person in his or her teenage years. There are cross-sectional studies that illustrated the direct relation of self-esteem and academic performance as reviewed by Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger & Vohs (2003) The most conclusive evidence can be derived from a large meta-analysis reviewing 128 studies by Hansford and Hattie (1982) showing the obvious results that self-esteem is indeed positively related with academic achievements and outcomes. Moreover, there is an undeniable impact of self-esteem on overall adjustment and emotional states of students as well. Low self-esteem is directly associated with several

behavioral and psychological problems like depression, suicide tendencies, aggression and victimization, delinquency, eating disorders, and low happiness as concluded by several studies (Polkenon, 2003; Palmer, 2004, Wild et. al, 2004). Similar results with respect to depression were noted by Ralph and Mineka (1998) who also observed that individuals with low self-esteem were less well prepared to accommodate good news compared to those with higher self-esteem. As Baumeister et al. (2003) have pointed out, not only is there evidence that low self-esteem is prospectively related to emotional states, but low self-esteem also has the ability to poison the good times. Also, in a study by Aunola, Stattin and Nurmi in 2000, where over 1000 students participated, it was found out that self-esteem was considerably related to low internalizing problem behaviors and significantly negatively related to parents reports of adolescents maladaptive achievement strategies. This sense of connectedness within the school community had been examined by Licata and Harper (1999), who cited the importance of healthy and robust school systems (p. 463), which refers not only to the students within the school systems, but to the degree to which the school system functions as a positively contributing element to the community. In another study, schools with an increased sense of connectedness to their communities demonstrate a higher rate of helping students achieve academic success and contribute significantly to health curriculum, safety precautions, and strategic planning (Geierstanger, Amaral, Mansour, & Walters, 2004). Students who receive the benefits of this type of attention to detail show strengthened academic performance and a greater likelihood to develop into viable and competent adults in the workplace.

Several studies show that both high connectednesses to family and to school during adolescence are key areas whereby protective factors for positive educational outcomes and for lower rates of health-risk behaviors can be built (Resnick, Harris and Blum, 1993; Resnick, 2000; Glover, Burns and Butler, 1998; Blum and Libbey, 2004; Libbey, 2004). Furthermore, the school is especially important where social development and learning can take place wherein the students well-being can be looked after and impacted not only on academic and vocational pathways, but also on the present and future health of the student. Research further shows that the students who do not engage extensively with learning or do not build pleasant relationships with their peers and teachers are the ones more likely to end up using drugs and abuse substances. They are the ones who would engage in deviant behaviors and socially disruptive activities, show signs of depression symptoms, poorer adult relationships and dropout from school and would not complete secondary school (Resnick, Bearman and Blum, 1997; Bond, Carlin & Thomas, 2001; Barclay and Doll, 2001; Marcus and Reio, 2000; Catalano, Kosterman & Hawkins, 1996; Bond, Datton & Glover, 2004). Being disconnected in the school is proven to result into several and far-reaching potential negative consequences. In particular, Resnick and colleagues (1997) defined school connectedness as the sense of safety, belongingness, love and respect an adolescent have in school. Using a cross-sectional method to analyze risk and protective factors for eight different health risk outcomes among adolescents, they find out that among the eight scenarios, only school connectedness stand as the only schoolrelated variable that protected students from every single health risk outcome. Their finding was so significant that it appealed state health departments and school boards to start evaluating how well they are doing in terms of promoting school connectedness and start monitoring their successive operations in relation to this.

Conversely, various studies also show that negative school experiences are largely responsible for the feeling of disconnection or alienation for the young (Glover et al, 1998; Nutbeam, Smith & Moore, 1993; Osterman, 2000; Samdal, Nutbeam & Wold, 1998) These researches emphasized that the quality of relationships among students and between students and teachers on the engagement in learning, health and well-being of the students. No such relationships of good quality would lead to unhealthy behaviors and experiences such as being bullied or bullying others, hating the teacher, feeling alienated which in the end would lead to poor academic performance, stress and depression. Schools are the perfect place to put accessible and relatively stable interventions for the children, and to promote school connectedness during a time of multiple transitions. The student could be going through crisis and change in identity, relationships with the family, peers and school (NRCIM, 2002; Dwyer and Wyn, 2001; Willms, 2003; Bond et al, 2004) These intervention are shown to bring about better educational and health outcomes (Bowlby, 1980; NRCIM, 2004). How school connectedness can influence students to stay away from unproductive and unhealthy behaviors can be explained by different models. These models identified aspects of school connectedness that are theoretically significant to foster healthy adolescent development. One of these models is the social development model show that as students formed a bond with their school, then they are more likely to be interested and engaged in school lessons and activities, and would divert from antisocial and damaging behaviors (Hawkins and Weis, 1985). School bond refer to the positive relationship a student has with school personnel, commitment to the school activities and belief in the established norms of that school. Another

related model is the social membership model that posits increased academic performance and engagement for students who have higher sense of belongingness that those without or lower (Battistic and Hom, 1997). Another model would be the social support model that deemed that student performance and engagement within a school comes from his or her perception of the support he or she is getting from his or her teachers and peers (Rosenfeld, Richman and Bowen, 2000). Supportive communication and interaction lead to less uncertainty and increased engagement in school activities.