The integral role of parents in fostering a sense of belonging for school-aged children

Abstract

School belonging - the sense of feeling respected and valued at school – has been linked to long- and short-term benefits of positive youth development alongside academic outcomes. However, many strategies for developing student belonging sit solely with schools. This chapter will present an empirical understanding of parental factors that foster a sense of school belonging in young people and draw from case studies to highlight lived parental experiences. Parental belonging to school, something rarely addressed in the literature, will also be discussed. The findings presented in the chapter will offer insights into the role parents can play in building school belonging for their school-aged children.