Affirming Humanity in Education: A Theoretical Foundation for Conscious Interdependence in Schools

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Civic Education as Humanist Praxis: Consciousness- and Community-Building for Equity

Abstract

How could interdependent school communities which affirm staff and students’ whole selves be grown and sustained in secondary schools? Drawing on research which shows that high school students’ feelings of connectedness, of being valued, and of having meaningful relationships with adults at school lead to improved wellness and academic outcomes, this paper aims to theorize the creation and effects of school-wide efforts to create interdependence at school. Conscious interdependence is operationalized to describe members’ knowing participation in a community that is connected, interdependent, and intentionally supported by all of its members.

Author

• Jessica Nicole Smorodin Sarber, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities