Creating strong educational environments for ALL learners continues to be at the forefront of conversations with school systems across the globe. In his groundbreaking book, Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement (2009), Professor John Hattie set out to identify which strategies and innovations have the greatest impact on student achievement in schools. His research, which synthesized findings from over 50,000 educational research studies on 236 million school-aged students found teacher-student relationships have an effect size of .72. This means strong teacher-student relationships leads to almost two years of student growth in one year’s time. Significant 72: Unleashing the Power of Relationships brings Hattie’s research to life in every school and every classroom.
 
Greg Wolcott is masterful in his ability to help educators not only understand the importance of relationships within learning, but also provide practical tools to ensure it happens. As a result of reading this book, educators will: 1. discover how having a deep understanding of each child’s background enhances engagement and provides a launch pad for developing autonomous learners 2. realize the critical role the teacher-student relationship plays in being able to challenge students to move outside their individual comfort zones and achieve at high levels. 3. gain a framework for developing connections with and between students that fosters an environment of trust and acceptance. 4. learn techniques to identify which students in the class are in most need of developing strong relationships and strategies to help them succeed socially, emotionally and academically. 5. understand how creating a relationship mindset in the classroom not only enhances students outcomes but greatly enhances personal well being at the same time.