The podcast ” In The Classroom, Common Ground Can Transform GPAs” on Hidden Brain with host Shankar Vedantam, we begin to see the tremendous benefit of connecting with your students – finding common ground. Of course, we already know that connecting with your students is important. But new research shows just how much difference a teacher/mentor can make.

This connection can even be engineered, and you still see a positive effect. How much of an effect? It can close the achievement gap for minority students. In one school that the researchers were studying, they saw a 60% reduction in the achievement gap.

This tremendous reduction was induced by showing students and teachers that they had something – liking football, having the same sense of humor – in common.

Listen to the whole podcast here.