Glossary

Protective factors are things that researchers have identified as correlates of a particular positive outcome. Protective factors correlate with the positive outcome, but do not necessary cause it. In our case, we are most interested in protective factors for school success. The more protective factors in a child’s life, the greater the chances he or she will experience the positive outcome in question. Strengths-based approaches to supporting children focus on recognizing and building upon the protective factors. They are often more successful than deficit-based approaches because is it generally easier to build on protective factors than reduce risk factors.