The recording was made in 2018, during the Mindset Scholars Network’s third annual Mindset Science Funder Briefing, which focused on belonging as a critical condition for learning. The event was designed to build an interdisciplinary understanding of belonging and highlight practices for creating a strong sense of belonging in K-12 and postsecondary education.

Presenters were clear about the central importance of students’ subjective, psychological experience of school to their learning outcomes. But the conversation among these scholars underscored that students’ uncertainty about their belonging in school is not a problem that starts or can be solved at the student level. Strong, authentic relationships among students and between students and educators that convey a sense of respect and trust can help to promote a sense of belonging, but relationships alone are not enough.