DEI: How To Create An Identity Safe School

Practical Solutions to Make Your School Identity Safe.Learn how to help students regain their sense of belonging.

During the first couple of months in the 2021-2022 school year, students were in great need of healing. After two difficult years, many experienced feelings of isolation and disconnection. They longed for connection and support from teachers and peers.

You can create an identity safe environment where students of all backgrounds feel welcomed and seen.  When their identities are valued, they come to trust that who they are and what they think matters. Research has demonstrated that students whose identities are validated experience an increased sense of belonging, like school more, and achieve at higher levels./p>

• How can you create schoolwide belonging, acceptance, and inclusion?
• What research-based strategies will strengthen students’ identities?
• How should you address negative stereotypes, stereotype threats, and bias?
• How can you help staff members reflect on their own identities?
• How can data and assessment fuel belonging, inclusion, and equity?
• What strategies should you use to introduce the concept of identity safety?
• How can teachers get to know students, their names, and their pronouns?