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Fight or flight. It’s how the body reacts to threats and stress, and while the response is helpful in the moment, it’s not healthy to sustain it. According to Dr. Doug Bolton, Director of School Consultation at Formative Psychological Services and former Psychologist and Principal at North Shore Academy, students and educators are constantly in that state due to a non-stop focus on test scores and academic outcomes.

During the edLeader Panel “From Isolation to Belonging: Practical Strategies to Strengthen School Communities,” he advocated instead for giving school community members a sense of belonging, which, in turn, will lead to more engaged teachers and learners. The edLeader Panel was part of Trailblazing Leadership Week, featuring insights from education leaders in the trenches of providing a high-quality learning environment for all.

This state of widespread constant stress wasn’t always the case, Dr. Bolton explained. He believes the systemic issues began with the No Child Left Behind Act. Schools, under a mandate to prove that they were doing their job, focused more on developing that data than on attending to the whole child’s needs. Teachers were under more pressure to provide results, and students were asked at earlier ages to master and apply executive functioning skills that their brains weren’t ready to handle.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic added to the problem. Students were working in isolation for months on end, and when the quarantine was over, many schools wanted to make up for lost time and worked in overdrive to get students back on track. As a result of this increased attention to test scores, even the highest performing schools and students were becoming at risk.

Hence, teachers are no longer giving themselves or their students time to breathe during the school day. They are teaching bell to bell, expecting students’ undivided attention on the lessons at every moment, with no room for contemplation or rest. Citing the Collaborative Change Model, Dr. Bolton said there are three stages to learning:

1. Create the Context
2. Learning
3. Consolidation

Stages 1 and 3 allow students to reset their brains for the next lesson and then reflect on what they have done. Currently, classrooms are only addressing Stage 2. Thus, students and teachers are not learning or teaching as effectively because they have no time to process what they are doing.

Dr. Bolton believes, though, that we can fix this problem. “Belonging,” he said, “is the feeling that we’re part of a larger group that values, respects, and cares for us—and to which we have something to contribute.” And when students feel a sense of belonging, they:

• Are more motivated to learn
• Perform better academically
• Have better attendance
• Engage in less misconduct
• Are healthier
• Have higher self-esteem
• Have better mental health

Belonging can’t be addressed with one-off school “Belonging Weeks” or posters in the hallways, however. Dr. Bolton offered three strategies to intentionally redefine school culture:

1. Create welcoming rituals. Teachers and staff can greet students as they enter the building or classroom, acknowledge them in hallways, and overall demonstrate that they “see” them. It doesn’t have to be verbal—it could be a nod or a smile. The goal is to create a positive emotion for the students on campus and for students to know that their presence is recognized and appreciated.
2. Focus on the 3 Rs. Developed by Dr. Bruce Perry, the 3 Rs (Regulate, Relate, Reason) is an approach that helps children move from their trauma/stressed state to one where they are ready to learn and think. Kids are walking in and out of the classroom with many things on their minds, from home and school. Practicing mindfulness can help them regulate, but Dr. Bolton also believes that these are moments for students to connect with each other. Educators should ask themselves if students know more about each other at the end of class.
3. Allow for time to pause and ponder. Rhythms are essential for our emotional and physical health. When we don’t give students and teachers time to pause, they don’t get a break that is essential for their nervous system to recover. Just 60 seconds at the beginning and end of class to quiet their system and then reflect can reap huge benefits.

Ironically, the proof is actually in the test results. Dr. Bolton worked with one school that spent eight years focusing on social-emotional wellness for students and staff, and their test results soared. Similarly, he presented data from Finland, where students spend less time on teaching and homework than their U.S. counterparts, yet are higher in the OECD 2022 World Rankings.

Dr. Bolton, however, isn’t asking schools to forget the data, but instead, to look at how we can create a sense of purpose for students’ education and help them find their passions. The same strategies can be applied to teachers, helping them regain their engagement and independence instead of prescribing everything they teach. And, since the feeling of belonging is contagious, once the teachers feel welcomed, they can pass that on to their students.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, From Isolation to Belonging: Practical Strategies to Strengthen School Communities, presented by ERDI.

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Article by Stacey Pusey, based on this edLeader Panel