What Cathleen Beachboard’s Edutopia Article Reveals About the Power of Student Strengths | Thrively

What Do Students Bring With Them?

Two students can sit through the same lesson, face the same expectations, and receive the same encouragement, yet walk away with completely different beliefs about what they are capable of.

One thinks “I can do this.”  Another wonders, “Maybe I’m just not good at this.”

What makes the difference? Sometimes, it starts with whether a student can see the strengths they already have.

That’s what makes educator Cathleen Beachboard’s recent Edutopia article, “The Michelangelo Phenomenon: Encouraging Every Student to Meet High Expectations,” so timely. Cathleen explores how recognizing students’ strengths can help bring out what they are capable of becoming, and shares how she uses the Thrively Strengths Assessment with her students to help them discover and recognize their strengths.

Her experience raises an important question: before we ask students to meet high expectations, do we know the strengths they bring with them?

High Expectations Don’t Mean the Same Path

Every student deserves high expectations. But high expectations don’t mean every student needs the same path to reach them.

• A naturally curious student may begin by asking questions.
• A creative student may draw or visualize an idea.
• A student who thrives through connection may talk through a problem with a classmate.

The learning goal can remain the same, the path can be different. Cathleen describes this in her own classroom: her students work toward the same learning objectives, but their strengths influence how they begin the work.

That’s an important distinction.

Differentiation isn’t lowering expectations. It’s giving students different entry points to reach them.

And knowing student strengths gives educators another way to create those entry points.

What Happens When We Start With What’s Strong?

Too often, conversations about students begin with what they need to improve. 

What if we also asked: What’s strong with you?

• A student may be struggling with writing but have exceptional curiosity.
• Another may struggle to participate in traditional discussions but have strong visual or creative thinking.
• Another may find a task difficult but bring persistence that keeps them going.

These strengths don’t erase the challenges, but they give students something to build from. When students understand their strengths, the conversation can shift:

From “I’m not good at this” to “What can I bring to this?”

Help Students See What They Can’t See Yet

One of the most powerful examples in Cathleen’s article is a student who entered her classroom believing she wasn’t good at English. Her strengths assessment and conversations with her family revealed something different: Curiosity was one of her greatest strengths.

Instead of focusing only on what was missing from the student’s writing, Cathleen began recognizing and encouraging the questions she asked. Over time, those questions helped the student develop stronger analysis and writing, and more importantly, her perception of herself changed.

She no longer saw herself simply as someone who was “bad at English.” She began to see herself as someone who asks good questions.

Sometimes students don’t need someone to tell them they can do everything. They need someone to help them see what they already have that can help them do something difficult.

Name the Strength Behind the Success

Knowing student strengths can also change the way educators give feedback. 

Instead of simply saying “Good job,” what if we named the strength behind the success?

• “Your curiosity helped you notice something others missed.”
• “Your persistence helped you work through that challenge.”
• “Your creativity helped you find another way to solve the problem.”

Now the student isn’t just hearing that they succeeded, they’re learning why they succeeded. That gives students language they can carry into their next challenge.

Where Thrively Fits

This is where Cathleen’s mention of Thrively becomes especially meaningful. In her Edutopia article, Cathleen shares how she uses the Thrively Strengths Assessment to help her students discover their strengths and create a shared language for talking about what they can do.

That’s at the heart of Thrively’s strengths-based approach.

The goal isn’t simply to give students another assessment.

It’s to help students understand themselves.

The Thrively Strengths Assessment gives students an opportunity to discover their strengths, interests, and aspirations, while giving educators a deeper understanding of the learner in front of them.

Because knowing that a student is struggling tells us something. Knowing who that student is while they are struggling tells us much more.

Start With Strengths

Cathleen’s experience offers a simple reminder: 

students don’t enter our classrooms empty-handed. 

They bring strengths, experiences, perspectives, and possibilities. Our job is to notice them, to name them, and to help students learn how to use them.

High expectations still matter. But perhaps the best way to help students reach those expectations is to first understand what they bring with them.

Sometimes, the most important thing a teacher can help a student discover is not something new. It’s something that was already there.

LEARN MORE

Explore the Thrively Strengths Assessment →

Read Cathleen Beachboard’s article on Edutopia →

What Is ELOP?

Expanded Learning Opportunities Programs, or ELOP, give students more opportunities to learn beyond the traditional school day.

That can mean more time for academic support, enrichment, sports, arts, technology, leadership, career exploration, and activities students may not have time to experience during the regular school day.

But more time alone doesn’t guarantee a more meaningful experience.

The bigger question is:

What could students discover about themselves with that time?

A student might discover a strength they didn’t know they had.

Another might find an activity they love.

Another might build a relationship with an adult who believes in them.

Another might begin imagining a future they hadn’t considered before.

That is where ELOP can become more than additional time.

More Time Doesn’t Always Mean More Impact

It is easy to measure ELOP by participation.

How many students attended?

How many hours were provided?

How many activities were offered?

Those numbers matter.

But they don’t tell the whole story.

Consider a student who spends an afternoon participating in an activity but never feels connected to it.

Now consider another student who discovers something they are passionate about and leaves thinking:

“I want to do that again.”

The amount of time may be the same.

The experience is not.

Meaningful ELOP starts by asking what students are experiencing, not simply how many hours they are receiving.

Start With the Learner

Every student arrives with a different combination of strengths, interests, experiences, and hopes.

One student may love building things.

Another may want to create.

Another may want to lead.

Another may be curious about technology.

Another may simply need a place where they feel comfortable trying something new.

Understanding those differences can help educators create experiences that give students more opportunities to participate and grow.

At Thrively, we believe knowing the learner is an important starting point.

Through insights into students’ strengths, interests, well-being, and hope, educators can gain a deeper understanding of what matters to the students they serve.

That perspective can be valuable when thinking about expanded learning.

Give Students Something to Discover

Some of the most meaningful learning experiences happen when students discover something for themselves.

“I’m good at this.”

“I didn’t know I could do that.”

“I want to learn more.”

These moments can build confidence and curiosity.

ELOP can create space for these discoveries through activities that allow students to explore different interests and experiences.

The goal isn’t to predict what every student will love.

It’s to give them enough opportunities to find out.

Make Room for Student Voice

Students should not only participate in expanded learning.

They should have a voice in it.

Ask them:

• What are you interested in?
• What would you like to learn?
• What would you like to try?
• What activities make you excited to come back?
• What would make ELOP more meaningful for you?

Their answers can reveal opportunities that adults may not see.

Student voice can help districts move from designing programs for students toward creating experiences with students.

Connect Today’s Experiences to Tomorrow’s Possibilities

A new experience can sometimes become the beginning of a bigger possibility.

A student who discovers an interest in technology may begin exploring careers in technology.

A student who finds a passion for art may begin seeing themselves as a creator.

A student who discovers they enjoy leading others may begin to imagine themselves as a leader.

ELOP can give students opportunities to try, explore, and imagine.

And sometimes, that is where future possibilities begin.

What Could ELOP Look Like When We Know the Learner?

The opportunity isn’t simply to give students more time.

It is to use that time intentionally.

To create opportunities for students to:

Discover their strengths.

Explore their interests.

Build relationships.

Find their voice.

Try something new.

Imagine what comes next.

ELOP gives students more time.

Knowing the learner helps us make that time matter.

Explore the ELOP Approach

Want to explore how a learner-centered approach can support your ELOP program?

[Explore how Thrively supports ELOP →]

What Makes Students Want to Show Up? Rethinking Student Attendance Through Hope and Belonging

Student attendance is often treated as a number to improve.

How many students attended today?
How many were absent?
How many are chronically absent?

Those numbers matter. They help schools and districts identify where students may need additional support.

But behind every attendance number is a student.

A student who may be struggling academically. A student who may feel disconnected from school. A student navigating challenges outside the classroom. Or a student who simply doesn’t feel that school is a place where they belong.

So there is another question worth asking:

What makes students want to show up?

Improving attendance requires strong systems, early identification, family engagement, and targeted support. But it also means understanding what students experience when they are at school.

Do they feel known?

Do they feel connected?

Do they feel that they belong?

Do they see a reason to engage?

Do they have hope for their future?

These questions can help us look at chronic absenteeism from a different perspective.

Attendance Is More Than a Number

Attendance data can tell us who is missing.

It doesn’t always tell us why.

A student’s absence may be connected to health, family circumstances, transportation, academic challenges, or other barriers. Schools need systems that help identify and respond to those challenges.

But there is another part of the conversation:

How does a student experience school when they are there?

When students feel connected to caring adults, supported by their peers, and that they belong at school, they have stronger conditions for engagement and learning.

That means attendance cannot be completely separated from the broader student experience.

Belonging Gives Students a Connection to School

Students spend a significant part of their lives at school.

When they feel known by their teachers, connected to their peers, and valued as individuals, school can become more than a place they are expected to attend.

It can become a place where they belong.

Belonging can begin with simple questions:

• Do we know what our students are good at?
• Do we understand what interests them?
• Do they have trusted adults at school?
• Do they feel comfortable sharing their ideas?
• Do they see themselves as an important part of their school community?

These aren’t separate from learning.

They are part of creating an environment where students can engage, participate, and grow.

At Thrively, this starts with helping educators know their students beyond grades and attendance records. Thrively’s strengths-based approach helps students discover their strengths, interests, and aspirations while giving educators meaningful insight into the learners in their classrooms.

Hope Gives Students Something to Move Toward

Belonging helps students feel connected to where they are.

Hope helps students see where they can go.

For students, hope is more than simply feeling positive. It means having goals, seeing possible pathways forward, and believing they can make progress.

When students can connect learning to their strengths, interests, goals, and future, school can become more meaningful.

That is why hope belongs in the conversation about student engagement.

A student who can answer “What am I good at?”, “What matters to me?”, and “Where could I go from here?” may experience school differently from a student who cannot yet see those connections.

Thrively’s Hope Survey helps educators understand students’ sense of agency, goals, and pathways so they can better support students as they think about their future.

Student Voice Matters

Students shouldn’t only be the subject of attendance data.

They should have a voice in understanding their own experience.

Ask students:

What makes you want to come to school?

What makes school difficult?

Where do you feel most connected?

What helps you stay engaged?

What would make school feel more meaningful?

Listening to students can reveal things that attendance numbers alone cannot.

This is one reason Thrively brings together strengths, well-being, hope, and student voice. The goal isn’t simply to collect more information about students.

It is to help educators understand the learner behind the data and use that understanding to build stronger relationships and learning experiences.

What Can Schools Do?

There is no single solution to chronic absenteeism.

Attendance teams, early identification, family outreach, health services, transportation support, and targeted interventions all have an important role to play.

But schools can also ask whether they are creating the conditions that help students want to be there.

Know the learner

Understand students beyond grades, attendance, and behavior.

Build connection

Help students develop meaningful relationships with caring adults and peers.

Strengthen belonging

Create classrooms and schools where students feel seen, valued, and included.

Support well-being

Understand how students are doing so educators can respond to their needs.

Build hope

Help students recognize their strengths, set goals, and see possibilities for their future.

Give students a voice

Create opportunities for students to share what they need and what makes learning meaningful.

These practices don’t replace attendance interventions.

They add another layer of understanding.

They help schools ask not only:

“How do we get this student back?”

but also:

“What can we learn about this student’s experience at school?”

Rethinking the Attendance Conversation

Chronic absenteeism is a complex challenge. There is no single reason students miss school and no single strategy that will work for every student.

But there is an opportunity to broaden the conversation.

Attendance starts with getting students through the door.

Engagement starts with giving them a reason to want to be there.

When students feel known, connected, supported, and hopeful about their future, school can become a place where they see themselves, their strengths, and their possibilities.

At Thrively, we believe every student deserves to be known by their strengths, interests, well-being, and hopes for the future.

Because when we understand the student behind the data, we can begin to create learning experiences that help more students feel connected, engaged, and ready to thrive.

What would change if every student felt like they belonged?

Learn how Thrively helps schools and districts better understand the whole learner.