Creating School Belonging: The Role of Nonacademic Teachers and Staff

• In Event: 53.081 - Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 53.081-11 - Social and Emotional Support in Schools: Student, Teacher, and Staff Perspectives

Abstract

Students’ sense of belonging in school is considered to be a key component of student engagement. However, little is known about how schools actually foster student belonging. Our research employs ethnographic methods to examine how belonging is produced in a large urban high school. We asked students to identify teachers and staff members they considered to be especially helpful in establishing a sense of belonging, and noticed that a surprising number of identified adults were elective teachers or non-teaching staff members. Through observing and interviewing these adults, we found that they were particularly able, by virtue of their roles, to establish relationships, kindle self-confidence, and affirm students’ identities to foster belonging. Implications for students of historically marginalized backgrounds are discussed.

Authors

• Sara Kemper, University of Minnesota

• Peter Demerath, University of Minnesota