According to researchers and Wayfinder partners alike, the answer is a resounding yes.
When Assistant Principal Alicia Johal joined Wayfinder for a discussion of her school’s implementation process, she immediately made it clear that Lincoln Middle School prioritizes whole-student education, where educators support students’ personal and academic development as inseparable parts of the same goal. “Belonging is an academic strategy” isn’t just a catchy phrase for Lincoln Middle. It’s the foundation of the school’s approach to teaching and learning.
This approach is neither radical nor new; it’s grounded in years of research showing that students who feel that they belong at school enjoy improved academic and personal outcomes. Multiple studies have demonstrated the impact of belonging on performance and well-being:
The leaders and educators at Lincoln recognize that middle school students face a challenging time in their lives, and that school attendance is the first necessary step toward student belonging. Assistant Principal Alicia Johal says, “Ultimately, we want 100% of students to want to come to school every day. And we also know that the teenage years are formative and hard and challenging.” In acknowledging both these goals and challenges in tandem, Lincoln sets up a space where students feel motivated to attend—where they feel a sense of community and a shared belief in their ability to learn and achieve.
When Alicia spoke with Wayfinder, Lincoln Middle was only in their second year of implementation, which looked significantly different from their first. In keeping with Wayfinder’s recommended Walk-Jog-Run framework, the school started its implementation with lower-lift, easy-to-manage practices in year one before expanding to a full 6-8 advisory in year two. Implementation flexibility enabled Lincoln teachers to gain facility with the curriculum and try it out on their own terms before being asked to commit to a more integrated schoolwide practice.
Lincoln now implements Wayfinder as the core element of its 6-8 advisory classes, which are scheduled daily during the 25 minutes before lunchtime. Their advisory runs on a weekly schedule, with planning input from both school administration and educators. After input is accounted for, school admin decides on weekly programming, and Wayfinder content provides the content for facilitation. According to Alicia, this means that “teachers can dive into the content without worrying about logistics.” It makes advisory a class that teachers can facilitate with little to no prep whatsoever.
As a school leader, Alicia makes it clear that having teachers lead advisory isn’t about tacking another thing onto their busy schedules. As an example, she says that facilitating Wayfinder “isn’t going to make things worse. It’s going to make things better when you see your students, say, in your 7th grade science class.” Advisory and the Wayfinder content facilitated in it help Lincoln teachers create an ecosystem with consistent touchpoints and continuous care. In doing so, they make school a place where students feel heard, seen, and appreciated by their peers and the adults on campus.
Once Wayfinder was up and running in advisory, Lincoln Middle found it much easier to integrate across campus. One of the most transformative uses they found for it was in their disciplinary action plans. As part of an effort to replace punitive action with restorative practices, Lincoln began using Wayfinder in its alternatives to suspension and as part of its behavior response practices more broadly. This allows students to reflect on their actions without missing additional school time and while giving them the time and language to restore any harm they may have caused to their school community. It places educators in the role of mentors rather than disciplinarians and offers students the chance to learn from their mistakes rather than simply being punished for them.
How it works:
For less severe disciplinary action, Lincoln assigns students Wayinder’s independent practice activities, noting that the Self-Awareness, Responsible Decision Making, and Conflict Resolution Collections get frequent use. They report that this shift in disciplinary practice has:
Though still early in their Wayfinder journey, Lincoln is already seeing incredible results. After their first semester of year two implementation, school data shows:
On top of all of these impressive downward trends, Lincoln saw teachers give over 450 positive referrals during this first semester.
And that’s not all. The best part is what we’ve heard students say:
“When we do Wayfinder, we learn about other students and things maybe that we didn't know about them. Surprisingly, I actually learned a couple things about my friends that I have in that class.”
—Audrey, 7th grade student
“I feel like I belong at Lincoln because my friends and teachers are all so nice. Wayfinder [helps] us grow and connect together.”
—Carson, 7th grade student
Learn more about how Wayfinder supports middle school students by downloading our Belonging in Middle School Resource Pack. The resource pack offers research-backed teaching + learning strategies for leaders and educators supporting students in grades 6–8, plus some of our most-loved activities and lessons for each grade.
Last Updated: September 21, 2026