Belonging

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. Dustin 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.

Introduction Chapter 1: Belonging, A Basic Need Chapter 2: The Decline of Community Chapter 3: Competition and Rivalries Chapter 4: The Underdogs, Outcast, and Marginalized Chapter 5: Psychological Safety Chapter 6: The Warm Demanding Teaching Style Chapter 7: Belonging and Mindset Chapter 8: Teacher Mindsets and Empathy Chapter 9: Creating Data Driven Communities Conclusion

"I so enjoyed reading this book. It helped me rethink the struggles I am observing in students as we return to school during and following the pandemic. We know kids need connection and belonging and quality relationships to learn, but when we are in survival mode ourselves, it can be hard to remember. This book explains it all and provides helpful examples and research to support what we know is good for our students and ourselves. I can't wait to share it with colleagues and put the ideas presented here into practice." -- Heidi Guadagni