The 8 Conditions Every Student Needs to Thrive

The 8 Conditions Every Student Needs to Thrive

When we think about students succeeding in school, it’s tempting to jump straight to curriculum, pacing guides, and assessments. But let’s be honest—none of that sticks if students don’t feel safe, connected, and motivated in the first place.

Community before curriculum. That’s the key.

Dr. Russell Quaglia and the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations identified what they call the Eight Conditions for Student Success. These aren’t add-ons. They’re the soil where learning grows. And when we look at them next to John Hattie’s Visible Learning research, the overlap is undeniable: the conditions Quaglia names are the same spaces where Hattie shows the biggest gains in achievement.

So, let’s walk through all eight. I’ll share why they matter, tie in a research connection where it fits, and then give you simple strategies you can try right away.

1. Belonging – The Foundation

Without belonging, everything else crumbles. Students who feel they don’t fit in hold back. But when they feel safe, valued, and included, they take risks and lean into learning.

Hattie’s research backs this up: teacher-student relationships have a big impact on achievement.

Strategies to Try:

• Empathy-Building: Use journaling prompts, role play, or perspective-taking activities to strengthen peer understanding. Research shows empathy training improves belonging and peer connectedness (Schonert-Reichl, 2017).

• Community Circles: Restorative practices create equitable spaces where every student has a voice (Gregory et al., 2016).

• Daily Check-Ins: Quick “How are you?” routines (1–5 scales, sticky notes, or digital polls) normalize emotional expression (Brackett et al., 2019).

• 2x10 Conversations: Two minutes of personal conversation for 10 days straight builds trust with students who may feel overlooked (Mendler, 2000).

• Collaborative Norms: Co-create classroom agreements to show students their voices matter (Deci & Ryan, 2000).

2. Heroes – Role Models & Mentors

Every student needs someone they can look to and say, “If they can do it, maybe I can too.” Sometimes that’s a teacher, sometimes it’s a peer, and sometimes it’s seeing themselves reflected in the curriculum.

Hattie calls this teacher credibility (effect size 0.90!)—students learn from people they trust.

Strategies to Try:

• Struggle Stories: Share your own challenges and how you overcame them; research shows this builds growth mindset and perseverance (Oyserman et al., 2017).

• Mentorship Programs: Pair students with peers, older students, or staff mentors for guidance and encouragement.

• Culturally Responsive Heroes: Representation matters. Bringing in texts, stories, and leaders who reflect students’ cultural backgrounds fosters deeper belonging and aspiration (Gay, 2018).

• Highlight Everyday Heroes: Celebrate student kindness, persistence, and responsibility as examples of leadership.

3. Sense of Accomplishment – Celebrating Growth

Accomplishment isn’t just grades. It’s recognizing growth, effort, and persistence. When students see their progress, motivation skyrockets.

Hattie points to feedback and teacher clarity as huge drivers of achievement.

Strategies to Try:

• Growth Mindset Feedback: Replace “You’re so smart” with “I can see how much you’ve improved.”

• Data Tracking: Let students chart their own progress on skills or goals. This makes growth visible and motivating.

• Celebrate Mistakes as Learning: Normalize reflection on errors as part of mastery.

• Success Beyond Grades: Recognize citizenship, collaboration, and perseverance on “celebration boards” or portfolios.

4. Fun & Excitement – Joyful, Relevant Learning

Fun isn’t fluff. When students are emotionally engaged, they’re more motivated to learn. Self-determination theory tells us that joy + relevance fuel intrinsic motivation.

Strategies to Try:

• Project-Based Learning: Let students tackle real-world problems with authentic outcomes.

• Choice-Driven Learning: Give students voice in how they show mastery (presentations, videos, performances).

• Emotionally Engaging Lessons: Build lessons around mystery, surprise, or storytelling to capture attention and curiosity.

• Movement & Play: Gamify reviews, incorporate puzzles, or design scavenger hunts that reinforce learning.

5. Curiosity & Creativity – Fuel for Lifelong Learning

Curiosity is natural in children, but it fades if we don’t nurture it. Creativity keeps learning fresh and innovative.

Strategies to Try:

• Inquiry-Based Tasks: Start with big questions and let students explore answers.

• Genius Hour / Maker Spaces: Give students time to pursue self-chosen projects.

• Creative Demonstrations of Mastery: Let students write a skit, design a podcast, or build a prototype instead of always testing.

• Teacher Moves: Model your own curiosity by asking questions you don’t know the answer to and exploring them alongside your students.

6. Spirit of Adventure – Courage to Try

Learning requires courage. Students need to know it’s safe to take risks and that failure isn’t the end of the story.

Hattie highlights the power of challenge and deliberate practice in stretching student learning.

Strategies to Try:

• Tiered 6-Question Formatives: Begin with the grade level below, then gradually move toward proficiency and excellence. This lets students taste success right away and shows teachers where mastery begins.

• Prototype Projects: Encourage drafts and revisions rather than final products only.

• Failure Reflections: Use debriefs like “What went wrong? What can I try next?” to reframe mistakes.

7. Leadership & Responsibility – Ownership in Action

When students lead, they stop being passive learners and start seeing themselves as capable contributors.

Hattie found that student expectations of themselves have the highest effect size (1.44!). When students expect more of themselves, they achieve more.

Strategies to Try:

• Student-Led Conferences: Students present progress and goals to families. Research shows this increases ownership and accountability.

• Collaborative Projects: Assign team roles that highlight diverse strengths.

• Meaningful Jobs: Go beyond line leader — try class facilitator, tech mentor, or community liaison.

• Decision-Making Circles: Invite students to help shape class decisions through consensus.

8. Confidence to Take Action – Self-Efficacy in Motion

Confidence is more than “feeling good.” It’s self-efficacy—the belief that “I can do this.” Bandura showed us that self-efficacy predicts effort, persistence, and achievement and Hattie’s research confirms it: self-efficacy is one of the strongest predictors of learning.

Strategies to Try:

• Small Wins First: Scaffold success so students build a track record of achievement.

• Personal Goal-Setting: Pair goals with reflection journals or visual trackers.

• Agency & Independence: Give students opportunities to direct their own learning and make authentic choices.

• Mentor Support: Reinforce belief in students’ capabilities through check-ins and encouragement.

How it’s different from growth mindset: Growth mindset is about beliefs around intelligence and effort (“I can get better”), while self-efficacy is about confidence in specific tasks (“I can do this math problem”). Together, they reinforce student persistence.

Pulling It All Together

If you’re thinking, “This all makes sense and it feels familiar,” you’re right. Even Abraham Maslow, decades ago, recognized that students must have their needs for safety, connection, and esteem met before they can grow into their full potential.

That’s why I say: community before curriculum.

When these eight conditions are woven into your classroom, you’re not just teaching math or reading — you’re building belonging, sparking curiosity, and shaping leaders.

And here’s the best part: you don’t have to tackle all eight at once. Pick one. Start small. Maybe it’s adding a morning circle. Maybe it’s trying student-led conferences. Maybe it’s reframing your feedback.

Small shifts create big ripples.

Final Encouragement

When we meet kids where they are, when we build authentic relationships, we can see what each student needs and create the conditions that help them thrive. And when those conditions are strong, the learning naturally follows.

The truth is, what you do every day sets the stage for students’ futures. When you create the conditions for them to thrive, you’re not just improving test scores — you’re shaping resilient, confident, empathetic human beings.

And if no one’s told you today: what you do matters.

 Key References

• Allen, K. A., et al. (2021). School belonging and student well-being: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review.

• Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.

• Cohen, G. L., et al. (2006). Reducing the racial achievement gap. Science.

• Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

• Engel, S. (2011). Children’s need to know: Curiosity in schools. Harvard Educational Review.

• Gay, G. (2018). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. Teachers College Press.

• Gregory, A., et al. (2016). The promise of restorative practices to transform teacher-student relationships. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation.

• Mendler, A. (2000). Connecting with students. ASCD.

• Oyserman, D., et al. (2017). Possible selves and academic outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

• Rhodes, J. E. (2002). Stand by Me: The risks and rewards of mentoring today’s youth. Harvard University Press.

• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory. American Psychologist.

• Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teachers. Future of Children.

• Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes. Science.

Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience. Educational Psychologist.