
When you know your students and understand their strengths and weaknesses, you’re better equipped to help build a safe and secure learning environment, where all of them can thrive. If students see that you’re invested in school culture, they’ll be more likely to also participate. Participate in school events and visit different clubs or after-school activities. Encourage them to come to you with any questions or concerns, and work with them to promote diversity in the classroom. Communicate your vision and goals for the school to your teachers.Let students know that they can approach you with problems (or just to say hello), and then follow through on what they come to you with. Schedule time out of your day to visit classrooms or walk through the halls.With everything that you have to keep track of and work on, it might be difficult to find the time to intentionally build relationships with students - especially if you’re new to the school or to a leadership position. Take the time to learn about your students: Where do they come from? What kind of socio-economic situation do they live in, broadly speaking? Are they meeting academic achievement standards, or are they struggling? Do they get along with their peers? This pedagogical approach may help students to appreciate and value all forms of diversity and how diversity enriches learning.”Īll the students in your school are unique individuals, so use that fact to build a diverse and inclusive school culture. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, defines this practice as “idea diversity:” “To understand an idea is to understand the ideas that surround it, including those that stand in contrast to it. Idea diversity creates a rich environment for ideas to evolve into new and more refined forms. According to the study, students in the most diverse classrooms were more likely to feel safer, less lonely and less bullied at school. When diversity is not a priority and these students don’t feel included, they’re more likely to not participate and feel inferior to their peers.Ī study from the University of California, Los Angeles looked at diverse classrooms to assess the emotional gains of students, and found encouraging results.

When schools take inclusive and responsive approaches to diversity, students are more likely to see their identity represented in classroom materials or other students.
