Supporting trans and nonbinary students in residence halls is critically important given the harassment, discrimination, and violence trans and nonbinary students face. Further, health outcomes are consistently worse for trans and nonbinary students compared to their cisgender peers. While gender inclusive environments are a first step they do not…

Retention and persistence models share common components such as student characteristics, institutional experiences, and academic and social integration. However, few acknowledge basic needs (e.g., food, housing, transportation) and belonging as essential to student success. In this piece, the authors discuss two gaps in these models that should…

In this paper Johan Dahlbeck sets out to propose a pedagogy of "as if," seeking to address the educational paradox of how students can be influenced to approximate a life guided by reason without assuming that they are already sufficiently rational to adhere to dictates of practical reason. He does so by outlining a fictionalist account,…

Children need life-affirming and authentic relationships; genuine deeply felt inclusion comes when we share our humanity openly and honestly. This article draws on the research of author Peter W. Cookson Jr., who recently completed a study of success strategies for educating children living in deep poverty. An inclusive school is one where every…

In June 2024, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) hosted a "Think Tank on Meaningful Inclusion for Students with Disabilities and Diverse Needs." The "Think Tank" sought to shift the frame for the conversation, asking what might happen when there is time and space to think beyond binaries and divisive positions. By…

1. Who am I? 2. Where do I belong? 3. What am I called to? These three questions represent the narrative shifts that are the outcomes of the Identity/Belonging/Agency (IBA) transformative development framework. The IBA framework emerged from the author's critical reflections on fiction reading and dialogues in 12+ community conversations to…

Higher education institutions can often serve as sites of growth and possibility. At the same time, trauma in varying forms permeates higher education across institutional types. The authors define trauma as the short- and long-term direct and indirect response to deeply distressing events. Students, faculty, and staff all experience various…

Inspired by the Indigenous framework of Thrivance and grounded in a Critical Sisterhood Praxis, this duoethnography maps our journey (re)membering and (re)claiming communal practices of "fictive kinship" and "chosen family." We offer what we've affectionately coined as our "Comadre Story"--the story of how we became…

This article articulates how a community-based art education (CBAE)-driven theoretical framework can inform and inspire leaders in the field who are in a position to rethink or revitalize the curriculum of an art + design education department. While this framework was specifically developed to invigorate the program the author currently oversees…

International students often face challenges while pursuing higher education in a foreign country. These challenges can negatively impact their sense of belonging and community, resulting in social disconnection. Examining the role of culturally competent peer mentoring programs for international students can foster a sense of belonging among…

Guided by a love politic and centrifugal intersectionality we demonstrate how whiteness, homonormative whiteness, and white heteronormativity alienates racialized queer students in both 2SLGBTQ + and racialized counterspaces within the university. The tensions experienced by racialized queer students, do not stem from the existence of these…

Throughout history, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have overcome countless challenges to achieve their goals of maintaining cultural traditions, providing key leadership and role models, assuring economic functions, addressing issues between minority and majority populations, and producing Black agents for research,…

In this student analysis, Ryan Brown examines two critical themes from the global migration literature found throughout Leila Abdelrazaq's graphic novel "Baddawi," including the "geographical lens" and "citizenship and belonging." The author intertwines these themes throughout her story by depicting her father Ahmad's…

This brief reports findings from a survey with middle and high school youth in a midsize district in the Mid-Atlantic. We find that belonging varies by race and ethnicity for young people. Overall, Black and Latino/x youth report lower belonging when compared to their White peers in a pro-diversity and inclusion district. Implications for policy…

Background: Student transition to university can be a challenging time. Research suggests that providing space for student reflection and goal setting may facilitate this period of transition. Objective: I describe the "Postcard to my Graduating Self Project," in which psychology students were invited to write postcards to their future…