Problem Statement

Our education system in the United States has undergone significant changes over the years, with growing emphasis on academic achievement. However, the affective needs of students are often overlooked, leading to negative consequences such as dropout rates and mental health issues. Schools have begun enacting systems of advisory in response to learning and social impacts following the 2019-2021 COVID-19 interruptions of in-person learning. Advisory structures provide time and attention during school days to provide need-based and developmentally necessary interventions to students in social, affective, and academic areas. In an economy built for knowledge work, our focused growth must be on the heart and soul, as much as the mind. I contend that teacher training and development programs have done little to prepare teachers to act as advisers, to build on the affective needs of students, and to build communities within their classrooms to truly get to know students on a personal level.

Despite the importance of addressing the affective needs of students and the role of teacher disposition and skills, there is a lack of research on how to develop teachers’ dispositions and skills to guide effective advisory programs. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore pathways and strategies that may be used to better prepare working teachers to act as advisors. Additionally, this study aims to provide recommendations for the development of advisory programs in secondary schools that focus on the affective needs of students, with teacher disposition and skills as the key factors.