Belonging: How Social Connection
Can Heal, Empower, and Educate Kids
Dustin Bindreiff, Ed.D.
Develop a sense of safety and connection in our youth
Research shows that a sense of belonging has a profound effect on the physical, mental, and social well-being of children and adolescents. Yet current events, including the decline of community and rising tensions over racial and economic inequalities, have endangered that fragile and critical component—and nowhere is this felt more acutely than in schools.
In Belonging, the author, who has spent decades working with the most challenging students, provides research-based strategies for strengthening relationships, building inclusive classrooms, developing trust, and fostering a sense of psychological safety. Readers will find
- Vignettes demonstrating how belonging applies to a variety of learning contexts
- Research around mindsets, the development of empathy, and community building
- Sections dedicated to equity and inclusion
- Strategies teachers can directly apply in their classrooms
With his deep knowledge of education, behavior, and neuroscience, Dustin Bindreiff offers a fresh look at the troubling issues our students face and provides practical strategies for building a more hopeful future.
Belonging: How Social Connection Can Heal, Empower, and Educate Kids is available to buy from your local bookseller and online internationally from Amazon.
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About The Author
Dr. Dustin Bindreiff has worked at every level of education beginning his career as a teacher's aide to currently providing technical assistance to schools for special education services, equity and social emotional learning. Working with underserved students for more than twenty years gave Dr. Bindreiff firsthand experience on the rising need for behavioral and mental health supports for kids throughout education. These experiences have been paired with extensive research into equity, mental health, neuroscience, and building systems of supports. This blend of research and practice has allowed him to help numerous schools improve their school climate, close achievement gaps, and build culturally responsive systems of supports.
Dr. Bindreiff currently serves as the Lead Policy Analyst for the California School Board Association. His experience working at all levels of education has led him to be a sought after trainer, presenting at multiple regional and national conferences. He has presented on topics such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Growth Mindset, Implicit Bias and more from coast to coast. He is a dedicated researcher and author publishing multiple articles each year on topics such as mental health, equity and the neuroscience. Dustin is widely respected for his data analysis skills. Combining a passion for data with an in-depth knowledge of equity and achievement factors he excels at helping educators identify predictive data measures that drive student success. He is widely known and respected for his ability to connect and engage with hard to reach students that have experienced extensive traumas and repeated school failure. As a result of these contributions, in 2021 he was recognized as an inspiring educator.
You can connect with Dr. Bindreiff online via Twitter and LinkedIn.
