Arch Impacts
homepage-graphic.jpg

Genuine Academics

Strong relationships are the heartbeat of effective learning. Educators who cultivate trust, psychological safety, and emotional resilience empower students to engage more deeply, persist through challenges, and achieve higher outcomes.¹,²
Introducing GENUINE Relationships for Schools — a behavior-first, research-backed framework designed to help educators build positive classroom climates that support both academic rigor and student wellbeing.

Each letter in GENUINE represents a teachable, repeatable behavior: Generous, Engaged, Nice, Unafraid, Integrity, Non‑Judgmental, and Empathetic. These aren't feel-good ideals—they're practical actions teachers and school leaders can use immediately to:

Foster classroom trust and mutual respect

Lower student dropout rates and elevate engagement

Support emotional resilience and reduce burnout

Strengthen learning communities grounded in psychological safety

Our targeted programs—ranging from one-day workshops to multi-session faculty intensives—equip schools with tools like relational diagnostics, implementation guides, and strategies tailored to K‑12, higher education, and adult learning contexts. When institutions integrate GENUINE behaviors, they make relational health a consistent part of academic culture.

GENUINE ACADEMICS

 

Across disciplines, evidence consistently shows that the quality of teacher–student interactions is a powerful predictor of engagement, persistence, and academic achievement.¹ High-trust, psychologically safe classrooms foster deeper inquiry, higher‐order thinking, and lower dropout rates—outcomes every institution values.²

The GENUINE model offers a practical, research-based framework for fostering those relationships. Each letter represents a core principle:

Generous, Engaged, Nice, Unafraid, Integrity, Non-Judgmental, and Empathetic.

GENUINE Culture Summary

These aren’t just ideals—they’re teachable behaviors that build trust, create mutual respect, and help you earn the right for teachers and students to see the behaviors in your school as behaviors to emulate in all aspects of their lives.

¹ Roorda, D. L. et al. “Teacher–Student Relationships and Academic Engagement.” Frontiers in Psychology, 2024.

² Edutopia. “A Guide to Psychological Safety for Educators,” 2023.

Strong Teams icon

Strong Teams

lead to students scoring 10–20 percentile points higher in reading and math.

(Source: Newmann, F.M., & Wehlage, G.G. (1995). Successful School Restructuring. Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools.)

High Trust icon

High Trust

relationships are more than 3× more likely to show measurable improvement in student learning.

(Source: Bryk, A.S., & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for Improvement. Russell Sage Foundation.)

Quality Collaboration icon

Quality Collaboration

leads to student learning gains in math (+1.33 months) and reading (+2.03 months).

(Source: Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S.O., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J.A. (2015). “Teacher Collaboration in Instructional Teams and Student Achievement,” American Educational Research Journal, 52(3), 475–514.)

The Culture-Building Challenge in Schools

Most educators master classroom relationships informally, by imitating mentors, trusting intuition, or piecing together well-meant but fragmented advice. This tacit approach leaves faculty without a replicable “playbook” for aligning colleagues and students around consistent, prosocial behaviors. Predictable obstacles follow, not for lack of effort, but because the relational practices that shape a healthy school culture remain ad-hoc instead of systematic.

Why does this matter? Research on relational pedagogy makes the case:

  • Trust and psychological safety foster open communication, resilience, and stronger academic performance when students face high-stakes challenges.

  • Relationship-centred teaching elevates engagement and growth. Learners who feel known and valued demonstrate higher motivation and persistence.

  • Supportive classroom climates build emotional resilience. Positive teacher–student interactions reduce burnout, aid recovery from setbacks, and regulate stress.

In short, stronger relationships create stronger learning communities. If your school is ready to cultivate a sustainable, high-performing culture—grounded in evidence-based relational practices—the GENUINE framework is designed to help.

Learn the repeatable process for great school culture

Our academic offerings, 1 day workshops, multi-session courses, and faculty development intensives, equip institutions to embed these seven principles into curriculum design, advising, and day-to-day school life. Participants leave with:

  • Research-aligned strategies for creating relationally rich learning environments.

  • Assessment tools to measure growth in staff culture.

  • Implementation guides tailored to K-12, higher-education, and adult-learning contexts.

By integrating GENUINE practices, institutions reinforce the relational foundation that drives intellectual rigor and student success. We have identified the consistent behaviors of the people and environments we admire. Applying them in your school will enable you to have more successful relationships and lead to better outcomes.

All program options include action oriented content and resources for applying the behaviors for faculty and students.

Preview the diagnostic or learn how GENUINE came about here.

take the team culture quiz
White Paper

Let’s Talk

We want to help you build the Team Culture you are looking for. Click here to contact us

man handing a globe to his son