Bridging to Belonging
Working with Polarization in Schools
With ongoing tensions in our local, national, and global contexts and increasing anxieties of young people, we believe it’s imperative to support educators and students to learn from, challenge, and support one another to navigate polarization and fragmentation in our communities. Anxiety is a normal biological response to being overwhelmed by the accelerated change we are experiencing related to climate, technology, globalization, demographic change, ethnonationalism, pandemic, war, and more (john a. powell). Those anxieties can deepen polarization, which shows up in our communities and schools.
In our Bridging to Belonging work, we explore tensions across social differences and ideologies that are present in our schools and communities and share concrete tools and skills that can support all students and educators to feel a sense of agency and confidence to bridge those differences in a way that centers both learning and care.
Our work is deeply informed by the work of the Social Justice Education Program at UMass Amherst and the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley.
Bringing tailored training to you
CES specialists are available to provide on-site training and coaching for your administrators, classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, and related services providers. To schedule on-site training, please contact Angela Burke at aburke@collaborative.org. Among the training objectives and topics we bring to schools and districts:
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- Collective understanding of bridging and belonging without othering
- Practices to explore and dialogue about polarizing topics in a way that supports learning and connection for everyone
- Concrete phrases, questions, and practices that can be used when tense moments arise
- Pedagogical approaches and activities that center students’ and educators’ capacity to share authentically who they are and what supports them to thrive in school
- Pedagogical moves that affirm the brilliance, authenticity, and belonging of all students
- Clear connections to social-emotional learning and civic engagement frameworks in alignment with the broader goals of DESE’s Educational Vision
For more information, or a conversation with the Joy and Justice team:
Contact Angela Burke, Director of Professional Services at aburke@collaborative.org, or complete the form below.
