Navigating Belonging: Minoritized Educators’ Experiences of Inclusiveness in Schools

Abstract

This qualitative study examines high school educators’ sense of belonging and inclusion, with a particular focus on the factors that contribute to making schools feel inclusive, welcoming, or unwelcoming. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight minoritized educators at an urban high school in Florida, the study reveals the complex ways teacher identity and belonging are shaped—especially for Black educators in predominantly Black school contexts. The findings highlight how institutional practices, curriculum decisions, and systemic inequities significantly impact educators’ sense of belonging. The study highlights the need for schools to intentionally design inclusive curricula that reflect diverse lived experiences and resist erasure through restrictive educational policies. Ultimately, belonging emerges as a multifaceted construct shaped by intersecting factors, not reducible to cultural affinity alone.