The role of developmental assets in predicting academic achievement: a longitudinal study

A sample of 370 students in the 7th-9th grades in 1998 was followed for 3 years through the 10th-12th grades in order to investigate the relation of "developmental assets"--positive relationships, opportunities, skills, values, and self-perceptions--to academic achievement over time, using actual GPA as the key outcome variable. The greater the number of developmental assets students reported in the 7th-9th grades, the higher their GPA in the 10th-12th grades. Students who stayed stable or increased in their asset levels had significantly higher GPAs in 2001 than students whose asset levels decreased. Increases in assets were significantly associated with increases in GPA. Experiencing in 1998 clusters of specific assets increased by 2-3 times the odds of students having a B+ or higher GPA in 2001. The results offer promising evidence that a broad focus on building the developmental nutrients in young people's lives may contribute to academic success.