4 Strategies to Foster a Sense of Belonging for Multilingual Learners in K-12 Schools
Access Four Free Companion Tools – One for Each Strategy
At a time when it can feel scary or uncertain for multilingual learners (MLs) and families to enter school buildings, the need for school staff to ensure and maintain a welcoming and trusting environment is even greater. Schools strive to be a safe place, but external factors outside of their control can make it increasingly difficult. We know schools already incorporate a variety of best practices to make ML students and families feel welcome, safe, and included. However, now more than ever, leaders, teachers, and staff must center their efforts on the areas that they can control within their building.
In the book by my colleagues, Diane Staehr Fenner & Mindi Teich, Social Emotional Learning for Multilingual Learners, they state “In order for MLs to allow themselves to be in a vulnerable position to share their perspectives to eventually empathize with others, it is crucial to first ensure that they feel safe and welcome as an integral part of the classroom and school community.” Creating such an environment begins the moment families enter the building and interact with staff.
In this article, I will highlight four areas that are essential for MLs to feel a sense of belonging. For each action, I share a companion tool that can support you and your colleagues in reinforcing your current practices or in expanding your efforts further to ensure MLs feel welcome and safe.
1. Help ML Students Identify a Trusted Adult at School
We know that teachers building strong relationships with students will enhance their school experience as explained in SEL for MLs. These connections at school are especially helpful when families are navigating big changes and possibly experiencing or reliving trauma. In WIDA’s focus bulletin on Trauma Informed Considerations for Multilingual Learners, they note the importance of connecting on a human level, establishing a mutual understanding of respect, and knowing your students’ triggers. Making sure every student has a trusted adult at school is an essential first step, especially for those who may be experiencing trauma or those who struggle to connect with others.
Every student should have at least one adult that they can connect with, share their authentic self, and feel comfortable confiding in. Teachers need to make sure each student has an established connection with someone in the building. This could be the teacher themselves, or it could be another staff member such as the office secretary, the librarian, a counselor, an administrator, a maintenance person, or another teacher from a different class that is attuned to the student’s self-esteem and feeling of belonging. Having a trusted adult is especially important for MLs who are new to your school community and family members who may need help navigating the US school system. ML students and families could be experiencing some cultural dissonance and looking for someone who brings a sense of connection and familiarity. This could be a person who speaks their language, someone who looks like them, reminds them of their social group, or anyone with a warm smile who takes time to listen and get to know them.
Reflection Questions to Help ML Students Identify a Trusted Adult at School
- If a student was able to name someone they have a good relationship with, does that staff member know they were named? Has that person committed to being available to talk with the student and get to know them more? If not, how can we create a structure for that relationship to build and be sustained?
- Who are the students who did not identify anyone, and how can we help them make a trusting connection? What will we do to initiate and sustain the connection?
- What structures can we put in place to help all students and staff strengthen their relationships? Example: writing in a weekly dialogue journal or having dedicated check in times.
Tool 1: Staehr Fenner & Teich’s One Adult I have a Good Relationship With Checklist
Firstly, as a starting point, utilize the tool One Adult I Have a Good Relationship With Checklist. You can edit this form to include pictures of each staff member in the building. This tool is helpful in building a sense of community because it lets students know that you care about the connections they are making. It also lets staff know who does or does not yet have an adult they feel comfortable talking to.
2. Foster an Environment of Care and Create a Sense of Belonging
Another way that we help MLs feel loved and secure is to foster classroom and school environments that promote a culture of care and belonging. Dorothy Steel and Becki Cohn-Vargas, who teach about identity safe classrooms, state that teachers should “strive to ensure students that their social identities are an asset rather than a barrier to success in the classroom” (2013). Furthermore, in a time when policies and rhetoric might be sending negative and potentially harmful messages about multilingual families, we must counter that narrative by intentionally instilling a culture where all students’ identities are respected.
Reflection Questions to Foster an Environment of Care and Create a Sense of Belonging
- What will students and families see or hear as they walk around our school that lets them know they are represented and a welcome part of our community?
- Is there someone who speaks their language that can help answer their questions? If not, do staff members know how to access an interpreter or use a translation tool?
- Are images or student work displayed on the walls that represent various cultures, ethnicities, and languages?
Tool 2: Staehr Fenner & Teich’s Essential Actions for MLs’ Access to Social Emotional Learning Framework
This checklist from Staehr Fenner & Teich’s SEL for MLs book offers ML considerations and educator actions based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning’s (CASEL’s) five SEL competencies. It can also serve as a general foundation for thinking about the best ways to support MLs and to continue to build a sense of trust and care within your classroom and school walls.
3. Teach About Empathy
In addition to ensuring you have created a welcoming environment, you should also make sure students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives in class. Particularly, one way to do this is through teaching empathy. Due to their cultures, ML students may not be used to expressing themselves in this way that is expected in US classrooms, and they may not have previously been asked to take on perspectives that are different from their home culture. Similarly, non-ML students may not have ever been asked to think about the perspectives of those who do not look or speak like them. That is why the teacher plays a vital role in modeling this important skill. All students should learn how to empathize with one another, and it will greatly benefit the whole class to know they are in a safe space where each student’s feelings and experiences are valued.
Nonetheless, it is important to be sensitive in your approach. We do not want to create a situation where students feel othered or excluded. For example, we would not want to directly ask a multilingual learner to share their immigration journey with the whole class, as this could be an uneasy topic that puts an uncomfortable spotlight on them. In Staehr Fenner & Teich’s book, SEL for MLs, the authors recommend “…to approach teachers’ empathy with MLs with curiosity and humility, especially if we are not a member of students’ culture or do not share a common background. We suggest beginning in a place of vulnerability, refraining from making assumptions, remaining open to learning new information, and asking appropriate questions to learn more about MLs.”
A helpful way to begin the class conversation, and to also explore how students currently understand the concept of empathy, is to discuss broader topics that are more generalized to a wider experience and allow students to choose what they are willing and comfortable to share.
Tool 3: Staehr Fenner & Teich’s Learning About Students’ Empathy Guide
In Staehr Fenner & Teich’s book, Social Emotional Learning for Multilingual Learners, the authors share an activity for learning and teaching about empathy is shared. When first discussing empathy, it’s helpful to get a sense of how MLs understand the concept. Teachers can start with a list of prompts to have students discuss in pairs like these shown in the chart on the right.
4. Review School Policies for Cultural Responsiveness
The final way you can maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment for MLs is by reviewing your school policies through an equity lens. School and district policies, including discipline, attendance, language access, enrollment, and family engagement, often shape students’ day-to-day experiences more than individual classroom interactions. It’s essential to ensure these policies are inclusive, culturally responsive, and do not unintentionally create barriers for ML students and their families.
Having a classroom and school that uses culturally responsive practices to foster a sense of belonging will benefit your multilingual learners because you will build more inclusive and affirming systems and instructional techniques that keep all students and families in mind. Consider not only what is happening in the classroom, but also rethink your school-wide structures and policies to ensure everyone is represented and knows that they belong in your school building.
Reflection Questions to Review School Policies for Cultural Responsiveness
1. Does our school visually demonstrate its commitment to multilingualism?
2. Do we host events for families with interpreters provided?
3. Are our teachers using communication apps with translation capabilities such as TalkingPoints, Remind, or ParentSquare to talk with parents in their preferred language?
4. How are we providing ML families access to joining our committees and parent organizations?
5. Who on our staff will be responsible for connecting ML families to community resources?
Tool 4: Snyder & Staehr Fenner Culturally Responsive School Checklist
The Culturally Responsive School Checklist, from authors Snyder & Staehr Fenner, helps identify areas of strength and places where you can set goals to strengthen your school practices even more. For example, one of Snyder & Staehr Fenner’s guiding principles for culturally responsive teaching states that, “Culturally responsive teaching unites students’ schools, families, and communities.” Consider the practices you are currently engaging in and where you can cultivate a sense of belonging for ML families to feel more welcome and connected with the school and larger community. Here are some questions to ask your team:
Final Thoughts
Overall, belonging and safety are foundational to the success of multilingual learners, and schools play a critical role in creating that foundation. By helping ML students identify trusted adults, fostering an environment of care, teaching about empathy, and reviewing policies for cultural responsiveness, educators can take meaningful steps toward building inclusive school communities.
Advocacy also plays a key role in sustaining these efforts. Whether you’re aiming to create change in your classroom, your school, or your broader community, knowing how to advocate effectively is essential. For a deeper dive, explore the 5-step advocacy process outlined in Chapter 8 of both Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners and Social Emotional Learning for Multilingual Learners. These tools can support you in championing the needs of MLs and creating lasting, systemic impact.
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment below sharing any additional ideas you have for maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment for multilingual students and families. If you are already using any of these strategies to create a sense of belonging and community, please share how it looks in your school. Together, we can show our ML students and families that we are here for them when they may need that message more than ever.
References
Cohn-Vargas, B., & Steele, D. (n.d.). What is identity safety? Identity Safe Classrooms. Retrieved from https://www.identitysafeclassrooms.com/what-is-identity-safety
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2020). CASEL’s SEL framework: What are the core competence areas and where are they promoted? https://casel.org/casel-sel-framework-11-2020/?view=true
Eklund, J. H., & Meranius, M. S. (2021). Toward a consensus on the nature of empathy: A review of reviews. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(2), 300–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.08.022
Staake, J. (2023, July 14). Top teacher-parent communication apps for schools in 2023-2024. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/teacher-parent-communication-apps/
Staehr Fenner, D. & Teich, M. (2024). Social Emotional Learning for Multilingual Learners: Essential Actions for Success. Corwin.
Staehr Fenner, D. & Snyder, S. (2021). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Tools for Equity. Corwin.
WIDA. (2021). Trauma-informed considerations and strategies for multilingual learners (Focus Bulletin). University of Wisconsin-Madison. https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/FocusBulletin-Trauma-Informed-Considerations-Strategies-Multilingual-Learners.pdf
About SupportEd
SupportEd, LLC is a woman-owned small business based in Fairfax, VA specializing in Multilingual Learners (MLs). Founded in 2011 by Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner, best-selling author and ML expert, SupportEd meticulously crafts customized solutions to fit each client’s strengths, needs, and provides teachers and administrators the practical tools necessary to champion MLs’ success within and beyond the classroom. All SupportEd team members have prior experience in the classroom which enables the SupportEd team to provide realistic, actionable solutions. Services include online and in-person immersive professional development workshops, easy-to-implement tools and resources, and an array of supporting services. Visit supported.com or call (202) 660-1444 to learn more.
