Back to School With Belonging

Creating a sense of belonging in schools is more than just encouraging friendships or making students feel welcomed. True belonging goes deeper—it means ensuring that students feel known, accepted, loved, invited, and needed. Fostering belonging is an art and a science, requiring intentional strategy, empathy, and commitment.

Refining approaches to belonging is especially critical as we enter a school year marked by funding uncertainties and shifting policies. Yet, the priority remains clear: Welcome students into spaces where they feel safe, valued, and ready to thrive.

A Strategic Approach

As schools address challenges such as absenteeism, disengagement, and behavioral dysregulation, belonging can help. “When students feel they matter, they show up differently—more
hopeful, more engaged, more ready to learn,” writes Terrell L. Strayhorn in this issue’s lead article, “Boost Belonging From the Beginning.” “Principals can help students feel they matter by ensuring that every child is known by name, story, and strength—not just for their test scores, but for their humanity.”

To engage students and families, educators must build an infrastructure of support. Clark County (Nevada) School District leverages a model based on hospitality and customer service. “Treat Families Like Valued Customers” by Denise Diaz and Brad Keating offers practical guidance on service-minded interactions that support the whole child and family.

Encouraging belonging requires inclusivity, and digital accessibility is an integral part of that. As ed tech consultant Katie Fielding notes, “Morally, educators are responsible for proactively removing barriers so students don’t need to advocate for themselves to access learning,” she writes in her article, “Digital Accessibility by Design.”

I hope this issue empowers you to build welcoming, resilient learning communities and inspires your leadership all year long.

Kaylen Tucker, Ph.D. is Editor-in-Chief of Principal magazine.