Key Strategies to Promote Belonging in Your School
“If you don’t have a sense of belonging to an environment, you cannot function properly. So it’s very important, whether you are a teacher, whether you are a student, that you know that you are welcome in that environment and that conditions have been created for you to express yourself.”
-Dr. Tchoumi, NYFACS Principal
A sense of belonging is essential for students' academic and social-emotional development. Students who feel like they belong in their school community are more likely to engage in positive behaviors such as participating in class, and seeking help from teachers. They also tend to have a more positive attitude towards school, leading to increased attendance, increased motivation and higher levels of academic achievement.
LEDbetter’s Lead School Consultant, Dr. Stephanie Clagnaz recently spoke with staff and students from NYC schools with large English as a New Language (ENL) populations who are making belonging a priority.
Creating a culture of belonging at school is especially critical for immigrant students who are likely leaving behind people they love and care about, a familiar home, and culture.
Some immigrant families may have been through scary and uncertain experiences on their way here. All immigrant students are coming to an unknown place, adjusting to a new language, new customs, and a new school. As NYFACS Principal, Dr. Bertrand Tchoumi said: “When you don’t belong, you hide, you run away. And what happens? You are stressed, you are depressed, then you are not learning and you are not successful. “ Helping students and families feel like they belong communicates acceptance, a sense of safety and the belief that they matter. It also makes space for students to take risks. These are all necessary foundations for learning.
Staff and Student Voices on Belonging
We cannot overstate the importance of belonging, according to both the school leader and students at New York French American Charter School. According to Dr. Tchoumi, the NYFACS’s Principal:
Kadidiatou, an 8th grader, says in French how she feels more represented and heard, and thus feels able to use your agency:
In Kadiatou’s translated words: "I feel like I belong at NYFACS because I feel more represented, I feel more heard, I believe in myself at this school. Before I was a very shy girl but thanks to the announcement of school events that I do every week, I have more voice, more things to say to other students. I feel good in this school."
Strategies from our ENL Consortium on How to Promote Belonging in Your Schools
Schools in our ENL Consortium have collated a host of culture building practices that foster belonging, many of which schools can implement immediately in addition to longer-term strategies:
1. Hire staff who speak the languages of your students and who come from similar cultural backgrounds. This fosters trust and a sense of connection between students, families and staff.
2. Let families be the creators of their own stories. Here, Pave Academy’s ENL Coordinator Soo Jin delves into this concept:
3. Build a partnership with your families. Always be curious and continue to ask and learn more about your students' experiences. It takes time and a trusting relationship for families to begin to open up about their children, especially when they are doing it in a new country, in a new language.
““You don’t need to go the extra mile, we’ll go there for you.” ”
At Renaissance 2, ENL Coordinator, Tsering Dolkar and staff use bi-lingual newsletters, phone calls and emails to reach out to newcomer families.
4. Encourage the use of students’ home language at school.
Here, Pave ENL Coordinator, Soo Jin Jeon talks about messaging to her students and families that what they learn at home is as powerful as what they learn at school.
Meanwhile, at NYFACS, Dr. Tchoumi talks about how students are welcomed to express their culture at school:
5. Create opportunities for students to use their voices.
Hear from Leon, NYFACS 8th Grader, who talks about how participating in student government makes him feel powerful and included…
…and from Kadidiatou, another NYFACS 8th Grader, who talks about belonging directly:
Helping students feel like they belong is a process, and they are intentional about it at NYFACS. Dr. Tchoumi says more:
6. Use your ENL and counseling experts on staff to foster teachers’ knowledge and understanding about the psychological impact of immigrating to a new country, potential impacts of trauma, and also what new language acquisition looks like and sounds like.
Renaissance 2 enrolled 60 students last year who were relocated from the southern border of the US. Below, ENL Coordinator and teacher Tsering Dolkar talks about how she helps staff understand all that may be going on in students' minds and brains even as they remain quiet in class.
““One of the difficulties we face with newcomer students is them going through the quiet phase…it’s okay for them to sit and observe.””
At LEDbetter’s ENL Consortium, there are dozens of ENL Coordinators and teachers like Soo Jin and Tsering who are invested, are creative, and have effective ideas on how to intentionally and sensitively incorporate belonging into the classroom. In addition to bespoke professional development and coaching with charter schools and districts, we also have launched an online community to share best practices, and consortium-wide programs designed to boost educator efficacy and retention.
There’s still time to join our Consortium either through your Title III allocation or signing up directly with us. To do so, schedule a consultation with us and subscribe to our Educator’s newsletter today.