Design Principles Resources Shared in The 74, Yahoo News on Building Climates of Belonging in Schools

Image credit: The 74

Turnaround for Children was mentioned in the article, “Building a Climate of Belonging in Schools Opens the Door for Robust — and Joyful — Teaching and Learning.”

Originally published by The 74 and republished in Yahoo News, the article outlines how schools can create a sense of belonging that allows all students to feel included, respected and supported in their classrooms. Authors Christina Cipriano and Barbara Pape suggest beginning by creating a space where students feel safe, citing strategies from the Design Principles for Schools playbook, which was created by Learning Policy Institute and Turnaround for Children in partnership with the Forum for Youth Investment and in association with the Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) Alliance.

From the article:

Create safe spaces. Safety is a prerequisite for belonging. Turnaround for Children offers teachers a series of suggestions that are as simple as framing classroom norms around “do’s” that guide relationship building (respect, responsibility, kindness) rather than “don’ts” (don’t touch, talk, move). Key is to develop this set of norms with students, which enhances buy-in.

The article also include strategies for continuously affirming individual identities, facilitating understanding of overlapping identities, promoting student agency and voice, and taking a strengths-based approach to teaching and learning.

Read the full article here.