High rates of chronic absenteeism, declining student engagement, uneven learning recovery, and staff retention — all schools are struggling with these challenges and more.
It turns out that belonging may be an answer to all of them. Research shows that students with a strong sense of belonging tend to be more engaged and perform better in school. While many educators know this, figuring out how to build and nurture relationships and belonging is not as easy.
The Harmony Academy team at National University kept seeing the same gap: Schools were being asked to solve absenteeism, engagement and staff burnout — but without a practical road map for building the conditions that make learning possible. Harmony Academy’s “Belonging Together” initiative was built to close that gap by translating research on belonging into classroom-ready routines and leadership practices that support students and adults, day after day. A healthy roster of advisers — researchers, education scholars and school leaders — ensures smart feedback, ideas and diverse perspectives.
We spoke with Associate Vice President Nick Yoder, Ph.D., to learn why building belonging is a tool every school and district should be integrating into their everyday practices.
Question: What does belonging really mean, and why does it help address so many different problems?
Answer: Belonging is the feeling of being accepted, valued, connected and able to contribute within a community. If students — and even adults — don’t feel like they belong, everything else in school is harder.
But research shows that when students feel they matter, they show up differently. They attend more consistently. They participate more fully. They take academic risks. They persist when work gets hard. The same is true for adults.
Question: Why do educators have so much trouble figuring out how to develop belonging in schools?
Answer: Most educators believe in belonging. The challenge isn’t conviction — it’s clarity. Belonging can feel abstract, so schools often approach it in pieces: a survey, a kickoff activity, a single lesson.
What educators and school leaders ask from us is straightforward: “Show us what this looks like across the day.”
One key point we make sure they understand is that belonging has to be embedded into daily practice — how students are greeted, how norms are set, how group work is structured, how adults respond to mistakes. It’s about intentional design across classrooms, schools and entire districts.
Question: What outcomes have you seen — for students and for adults —when districts take belonging seriously?
Answer: When districts align around belonging as a shared strategy, we see measurable progress. For students: stronger engagement, improved attendance and healthier peer interactions. Our district partners tell us their students contribute more and are more resilient when challenges arise.
We hear something else from our district partners who are embedding belonging practices every day: Adults grow alongside their students.
When leaders implement similar belonging strategies for the educators, it shifts how they lead classrooms and teams. We see stronger collaboration, improved morale and greater retention. When educators feel known and supported, they’re more likely to stay and invest deeply in their work.
Harmony supports the whole human and strengthens healthy relationships across classrooms and systems. That’s why our work includes leadership workshops, coaching and implementation support — not just curriculum. Belonging becomes districtwide, not isolated.
Question: Can you explain how Harmony works in practice?
Answer: Harmony is grounded in predictable routines, skill-building embedded into instruction, shared norms and structures that reinforce contribution and responsibility. It’s a roadmap for daily repetition that builds trust over time.
Because the approach is research-informed, districts aren’t adopting trends. They’re implementing evidence-based practices that create consistency across classrooms and leadership teams.
When belonging is woven into how a school operates, it becomes part of the culture — not a campaign.
Question: Harmony Academy works with leading researchers and education scholars. How does that research-to-practice connection shape what districts actually implement?
Answer: Research keeps us disciplined.
In a field full of new ideas, our partnership with scholars ensures districts implement practices grounded in evidence — not trends.
Strong belonging is consistently linked to higher engagement, stronger academic performance, improved attendance and fewer discipline issues. When students begin to question whether school is “for them,” effort and persistence drop.
Belonging isn’t a soft extra. It’s a foundational condition for learning.
Learn more about how Harmony Academy helps districts create a plan for building belonging designed for their unique goals.