What is the new advisory group time in the high school schedule and why is it there?

When my children came home from their first day of school (both are high school students), they had something new on their schedules: an advisory group that will meet weekly throughout the school year. Can you explain what this is and why valuable time is being taken away from their academics for this?

Advisories have been scheduled weekly at James M. Bennett, Parkside and Wicomico High. These small group settings (15 students per teacher) are designed to focus on

*building positive relationships and a sense of community among the student body,
*creating a supportive environment for all students, and
*connecting and engaging students to programs and information that will maximize each student's high school experience.

Three years of research as part of our Smaller Learning Communities initiative for our secondary schools serve as the foundation for the focus areas and implementation of these weekly advisories. Entities such as the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Council of Essential Schools, and others have identified student connectedness as a major positive factor in long-term student academic success.

In order to accommodate the advisory schedule, principals worked to adjust the class schedule to minimize the impact on class periods throughout the day. Classes may be shortened by a few minutes (typically seven minutes) on the day of advisories. The benefits of meeting the focus objectives will benefit everyone in all realms of the high school experience, including academics.