• Huron Companies
    • Innosight
    • Studer Education
  • Submit RFP
  • Careers
  • Technology Partners
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Favorites
Huron Logo Huron Logo
  • Expertise
    • Business Operations
    • Care Transformation
    • Consumer Transformation
    • Digital
    • Organizational Transformation
    • Research Enterprise
    • Strategy & Innovation
    • Upcoming Huron Events

      View Events
  • Industry
    • Education
    • Energy & Utilities
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Industrials & Manufacturing
    • Life Sciences
    • Public Sector
    • See All
    • We collaborate with the best and brightest in technology.

      Learn More About Our Partners
  • Our Experts
    • View All Expert Bios
    • Find an expert specialized in your industry.

      Book a Speaker
  • Insights
    • Articles
    • Case Studies
    • Research
    • Get the latest insights and updates from our experts.

      View All Insights
  • Investor Relations
    • News
    • Events
    • Financial
    • Stock Info
    • Corporate Governance
    • See All
    • Learn more about Huron and our most recent financial results.

      Investor Presentation
  • Contact Us
  • Expertise
    Expertise
    Business OperationsCare TransformationConsumer TransformationDigitalOrganizational TransformationResearch EnterpriseStrategy & Innovation

    Upcoming Huron Events

    View Events
  • Industry
    Industry
    EducationEnergy & UtilitiesFinancial ServicesHealthcareIndustrials & ManufacturingLife SciencesPublic SectorSee All

    We collaborate with the best and brightest in technology.

    Learn More About Our Partners
  • Our Experts
    Our Experts
    View All Expert Bios

    Find an expert specialized in your industry.

    Book a Speaker
  • Insights
    Insights
    ArticlesCase StudiesResearch

    Get the latest insights and updates from our experts.

    View All Insights
  • Investor Relations
    Investor Relations
    NewsEventsFinancialStock InfoCorporate GovernanceSee All

    Learn more about Huron and our most recent financial results.

    Investor Presentation
  • Careers
    Careers
    Join Our Talent CommunitySearch Open PositionsBenefits
  • About Huron
    About Huron
    The Huron DifferenceOur People & ValuesMaking an ImpactOur ResultsInvestor RelationsLocations
  • Help & Support
    Help & Support
    Contact UsSubmit an RFPBook a Speaker
  • Privacy
    Privacy
    Privacy StatementTerms & ConditionsCookies PolicyFraudulent OffersLabor Condition Applications
  • Contact Us
  • Favorites
    Recent Favorites
    You have no saved content.

Cascade a Culture of Belonging from Employees to Students

Favorite Bookmark

Deanna Ashby

Email Subscribe Print

Where did your career in education begin? If you’re a school leader, it’s likely it began as a teacher. Teachers are expected to create a sense of belonging for students. Teachers assign elementary students daily jobs and responsibilities such as checking the weather, sharing the lunch menu, erasing the whiteboard and being the line leader. Classroom jobs like these give students purpose. Over the years, your teacher role evolved to principal or administrator. In these new positions, leaders emphasize teacher efficacy expectations and standards such as greeting students at the door, calling them by name, identifying their interests and hobbies and fostering positive peer-to-peer and teacher-to-student relations. However, now as we find ourselves in the idle of a global pandemic, is there more that can be done for students and employees?

Summary

  • As schools and education organizations become more hybrid in nature, leaders need to cultivate a sense of belonging for employees and students.
  • Employees feel connected when they are seen for their unique contributions and supported in daily work and career development, as well as when they’re connected to coworkers and proud of their organization’s values and purpose.
  • With a combination of leader modeling and communication of what’s expected, organizational culture can provide a powerful growth environment for all.

Demonstrate a culture of belonging

Virtual learning and social distancing have required school leaders and teachers to stretch to develop new strategies to create a greater culture of belonging. Research shows that students have suffered social and emotional loss because of the pandemic. “In national surveys, youth report feeling higher levels of anxiety and depression, and say that these feelings are the number one obstacle to learning, especially among students of color. Pandemic-related isolation is also putting many students at risk of mental health issues.”

It’s not just students that struggle with issues of isolation. Teachers and employees experience this as well. As organizations become more hybrid in nature, leaders need to cultivate a sense of belonging. Leaders who do this well will attract, retain and motivate their employees. In the Harvard Business Review article, What Does It Take to Build a Culture of Belonging? the author poses the question, “What does it mean to belong at work?”

In the article, Julia Taylor Kennedy and Pooja Jain-Link state that employees feel connected when they are:

  1. Seen for their unique contributions.
  2. Connected to coworkers.
  3. Supported in daily work and career development.
  4. Proud of their organization’s values and purpose.

Is there a significant difference between students’ and employees’ need for a sense of belonging? Don’t students also desire to be seen for who they are, connected to other students and adults, supported by their teachers and proud to be part of a team or school community? Can it be assumed that if we create this environment for staff, it will cascade to our students?

Shift to a virtual sense of belonging

How can each employee contribute positively to every student’s daily experiences? As we face this greater challenge of creating a culture of belonging during the pandemic, what actions can we take to support our students and staff? The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) suggests assigning each student a trusted adult to talk with throughout the year. Ideally, the adult is the student’s teacher.

5 Minute Chats with Students provides the following cadence to use during these conversations:

  1. Initiate – Share with students that you are going to connect individually with them to learn how they are feeling.
  2. Open – Demonstrate interest and excitement through the connection; let them know you care.
  3. Personalize – Probe for as much as the student wants to share about their experiences, sources of stress or how they spend their time.
  4. Invite Feedback – Ask for input from the student for needed changes from their perspective.
  5. Close – End with a story, favorite song or something to provide hope.

Does this sound familiar? This looks and sounds very much like leader rounding.

CASEL also provides additional tips in the Roadmap for Reopening School. As the future becomes more digital, actions need to be easily changeable from in-person to virtual learning. Use practices such as cooperative learning groups, interest surveys, mailing postcards and team projects. Also, think outside of the box with scheduling to include looping, advisory groups, check-ins and name and claim programs using all adults in the building.

It is a leader’s responsibility to go first and create a culture of belonging for those they lead. In turn, those employees and teachers create a culture of belonging for students both in person and in virtual environments. Make it the goal to create a culture where all employees and students belong.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

To create a culture of belonging, start with employees. Leaders must:

Think differently.

Everyone has an innate need for connection. Think outside of the box for ways to strengthen trust and belonging for all employees and students.

Plan differently.

As the future continues to become more digital focused, actions need to be easily changeable from in-person to virtual learning.

Act differently.

Model the way. Leaders go first to create a culture of belonging for their teams and in turn, it will cascade down for all.

Favorite Bookmark
JS Inject Email Subscribe Print
Organizational Transformation Education K-12 Institution

Related Work

  • Move Students Forward with a Focus on Strengths

    Read More

    How can we accelerate learning and achieve student equity in schools? Start by operating proactively using an asset-based approach to student progress.

View All

We use cookies on our website to provide you with a more personalized digital experience, enable website functionality and understand the performance of our site. You may review our Privacy Statement and our Cookies Policy. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. I Accept

  • Expertise
    • Business Operations
    • Care Transformation
    • Consumer Transformation
    • Digital
    • Organizational Transformation
    • Research Enterprise
    • Strategy & Innovation
  • Industry
    • Education
    • Energy & Utilities
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Industrials & Manufacturing
    • Life Sciences
    • Public Sector
  • About Huron
    • The Huron Difference
    • Our People & Values
    • Making an Impact
    • Our Results
    • Investor Relations
    • Locations
  • Help & Support
    • Contact Us
    • Submit an RFP
  • Careers
    • Search Open Positions
    • Join Our Talent Community
    • Our Commitment
  • Legal
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Studer Education: Subscription Product Terms of Use
    • Cookies
    • Fraudulent Offers
    • Labor Condition Applications
Huron Logo
  • LinkedIn Icon
  • Twitter Icon
  • Facebook Icon
  • Instagram
  • Youtube Icon

© 2022 Huron Consulting Group Inc. and affiliates. Huron is a global consultancy and not a CPA firm, and does not provide attest services, audits, or other engagements in accordance with standards established by the AICPA or auditing standards promulgated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”). Huron is not a law firm; it does not offer, and is not authorized to provide, legal advice or counseling in any jurisdiction.