Special Report
Special Education Download

DOWNLOADABLE: Does Your School Use These 10 Dimensions of Student Belonging?

By Caitlynn Peetz & Laura Baker — April 14, 2024 1 min read
Image of a group of students working with their teacher. One student is giving the teacher a high-five.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Students with disabilities have historically been excluded from the instruction their general education peers receive. When they’re included, oftentimes it’s in an environment that’s not optimized for children with complex learning needs.

The result can be a school community where students with disabilities are included, but where they don’t necessarily belong.

Creating a school community where students with disabilities feel a true sense of belonging and connectedness takes time and intentionality.

But the work benefits all students, boosting their social, emotional, and, often, academic skills regardless of whether they’ve been diagnosed with a disability, according to years of research on the topic.

So, it’s important that schools go beyond simply including students with disabilities in general education classes and clubs, and focus on ensuring such students feel valued and appreciated in those settings, said Erik Carter, the executive director of the Baylor University’s Center for Developmental Disabilities.

Carter, who has conducted extensive research on the topic, has developed what he calls the 10 dimensions of belonging, a list of principles that, together, create an environment in which all students—but particularly those with disabilities who have historically been excluded—feel as if they authentically belong.

Here’s a breakdown of the 10 dimensions of belonging, with questions educators can ask to test whether their schools are living by them.

Click to Download the Guide

Coverage of whole-child approaches to learning is supported in part by a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, at www.chanzuckerberg.com. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
(Re)Focus on Dyslexia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis & Toward Transformation
Move beyond dyslexia diagnoses & focus on effective literacy instruction for ALL students. Join us to learn research-based strategies that benefit learners in PreK-8.
Content provided by EPS Learning
Classroom Technology Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Is AI Out to Take Your Job or Help You Do It Better?
With all of the uncertainty K-12 educators have around what AI means might mean for the future, how can the field best prepare young people for an AI-powered future?
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Understanding Learning Differences
Join this free virtual event for insights that will help educators better understand and support students with learning differences.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Special Education Interactive 5 Common Learning Differences in Students: A Data Snapshot
Some key facts and figures about students with learning differences.
1 min read
An array of vibrantly colored brain illustrations arranged in a grid for easy examination. Categories, classifications, learning differences, brain scans.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education 'Handcuffed and Pushed Out': How Schools Fail Some Students With Disabilities
What can happen to students and schools when disabilities are over- and under-identified in children.
8 min read
Two student silhouettes face each other one overflowing with vegetation and the other almost empty by comparison. Learning Differences. Over and under diagnosis.
Nix Ren for Education Week
Special Education Q&A Is Dyslexia a ‘Superpower’? What Students Want Their Teachers to Know
5 students with dyslexia discuss what it feels like to be described as having special "powers."
5 min read
Psychology, Dream, Mental Health concept illustration. Brain, neuroscience and creative mind.
iStock/Getty Images
Special Education How Teachers Can Motivate and Engage Neurodiverse Students
A balanced approach of addressing students' strengths and weaknesses is best, experts say.
5 min read
A child contemplates throwing a paper airplane while sitting at the center of a large abstract flower resembling a brain.
Nix Ren for Education Week