Navigating Belonging: Minoritized Educators' Experiences of Inclusiveness in Schools

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: SIG-Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Education Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

This qualitative study examines high school educators’ sense of belonging and inclusion, with particular attention to the factors that make schools feel inclusive, welcoming, or unwelcoming. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight minoritized educators at an urban high school in Florida, the study reveals the complex ways teacher identity and belonging are shaped—especially for Black educators in predominantly Black school contexts. The findings highlight how institutional practices, curriculum decisions, and systemic inequities significantly impact educators’ sense of belonging. The study highlights the need for schools to intentionally design inclusive curricula that reflect diverse lived experiences and resist erasure through restrictive educational policies. Ultimately, belonging emerges as a multifaceted construct shaped by intersecting factors, not reducible to cultural affinity alone.

Authors

• Dilek Kayaalp, University of North Florida

• Madalina F. Tanase, University of North Florida