Starting the Day With Belonging Each morning at Earnest O. Woods Intermediate School in Wills Point, Texas, more than 600 students in second through fourth grade gather in the gym. Students take the lead in reciting the pledges. A few are invited to share something positive that’s happened to them…

A Kinder Way Forward Isaac Broadbent is a school counselor at Daybreak School in South Jordan, Utah, and a former Daybreak student himself. When Broadbent stepped into a leadership role four years ago, the school’s biggest challenge wasn’t bullying. It was a pattern of small, cutting remarks — snarky jabs…

Creating More Chances to Belong At Cooper City Elementary in Cooper City, Florida, kindness is helping students find their way back to one another. The school serves about 750 students in a diverse suburban community outside Fort Lauderdale, and kindness champion Linda Signorelli has spent years creating structures that help…

At Carter Traditional Elementary, they call themselves a school family – and mean it.  Under the leadership of Principal Dr. Whitney Hodge, this Louisville school has built a culture around a clear, deeply held philosophy: before students can learn, they need to feel safe, supported, and cared for. And because…

A Community That Knows How to Welcome Berry Intermediate School in Lebanon, Ohio, serves around 800 fifth and sixth graders, and its counseling team knows every one of them. “We meet with every single child,” says counselor Lauren Kreps. “So when I’m speaking about how proud I am of them,…