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    TOOLKIT

    Build a Classroom Community where All Students Feel They Belong

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    Create Alignment With Students’ Cultures and Interests

    Understand Barriers to Belonging

    A sense of belonging is especially important for students who may feel different from their peers, or for whom school has historically not been a welcoming place.

    Celebrate Students’ and Families' Identities

    Through conversations, writing, or surveys, seek out information about your students, so that you are reflecting what students and families share with you about themselves instead of making guesses about what will feel relevant or important to them.

    Elevate Student Voice and Agency

    Incorporate Student Voice

    There are many ways to authentically include students’ voices when shaping the culture of your classroom. Work with students to create classroom norms that align to what is important to them as learners, or provide students opportunities to make choices about their learning. Ask students for feedback on their experiences within the classroom throughout the year, and ensure that they are able to see that you are making adjustments based on what they have shared.

    Give Students A Role

    You can also promote student belonging by making sure each student feels they have an important role to play in the classroom community. This can happen in the context of collaborative assignments by ensuring that each student has a specific task or role within the group, and it can happen by creating classroom jobs, or giving students the opportunity to lead daily routines on a rotating schedule.

    Build Trust and Academic Partnership

    Build Trust With Students

    To build trust with students, listen with curiosity to what they share with you and refer back to those touchpoints when you’re checking in. Build trust within the group by using icebreakers to help students share who they are with their peers and get to know each other more deeply.

    Build Trust With Families

    Invite families into the classroom community by learning about their hopes and dreams for their children, and building a foundation of trust and communication. Setting up a visit at the family’s home is ideal when it’s possible, because it gives families an opportunity to get to know you on their own terms and where they are most comfortable, but virtual home visits and phone calls are also impactful.

    Support Students In Taking Academic Risks

    Building on a strong foundation of trust, you can use 1:1 conferences to set challenging goals with students, break down those goals into achievable steps, and let them know how you will support them along the way.