The essentials for creating a supportive and inclusive space for all
Learning is hard work and the latest education research shows that a sense of psychological safety is a must if we want students to successfully progress along their education journey.
In Mindframes for Belonging, Identities, and Equity, you′ll discover 10 unique mindframes backed by extensive education research and real-life scenarios. Through self-reflection and powerful vignettes, you′ll learn how to apply these core principles in your daily life to foster a more inclusive and understanding learning environment. Inside, the authors explore the five critical themes behind these mindframes, including
- Impact and Efficiency
- Feedback and Assessment
- Challenging Growth
- Learning Culture and Relationships
- Ownership and Accountability
Harnessing the power of these mindframes is not just about improving education--it′s about fostering an environment where every student feels valued, safe, and able to learn without fear.
Nicole Law, PhD, author consultant presents in the areas of leadership, professional learning communities, culturally responsive pedagogy, educating multilingual learners, and multidimensional aspects for Visible Learning. In addition, she has served as a curriculum coordinator for English language learners, cultural responsivity, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), district equity, and mathematics and science instruction in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. In this position, Nicole created multilayered and multifaceted professional learning for teachers and administrators covering all aspects of directed programs and curricular areas. In 2008, Nicole received the National Milken Award from the state of Indiana. Prior to her leadership role, Nicole was a science teacher, administrator, and a building principal. She has an MEd in elementary administration and supervision from Butler University and a PhD from Indiana State University. Nicole is the coauthor of
Collective Equity: A Movement for Creating Communities Where We Can All Breathe and
Comprehension: The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading. She is also the coauthor of
The Reflective Leader: Implementing a Multidimensional
Leadership Performance System. Sonja Hollins-Alexander is the associate vice president, content advisor, and scholar for Corwin Publishing. She has been in the field of education and publishing for thirty years with sixteen of those being in educational leadership at the school, district, and higher education levels, and eight of those being in educational consulting and publishing. During this time, she has served as a school social worker, teacher, assistant principal, principal, coordinator, director of professional learning, and chief of staff, serving in two Metro Atlanta, Georgia, school districts. She continued her profession beyond K–12 as a senior consultant for professional development firms and independently. She has also served on numerous United Way nonprofit boards and served as the board president for Learning Forward Georgia and as a member of the National Affiliate Leadership Council for Learning Forward.
Through her professional journey, she has had experiences in strategic planning, policy development, stakeholder communication and engagement, instructional and curriculum design, facilitation of adult learning strategy, executive leadership coaching, and conference fFacilitation and design, and has served on numerous quality assurance teams with Cognia school accreditation and certification organization. She is a Corwin author of
Online Professional Development Through Virtual Learning Communities and coauthor of
Collective Equity.
Sonja holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in social work, a teaching certificate in middle grades language arts, a specialist’s degree in educational administration and leadership, and a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction. She is committed to partner engagement and implementation of evidence-informed sustained professional learning services that positively impact teaching and learning―
not by chance but by design.Dr. Dominique Smith is an award-winning educator, author, and school leader who has dedicated two decades to transforming schools into inclusive, safe, and empowering spaces for students and educators alike. He currently serves as Principal at Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego, California.
Dr. Smith earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from
San Diego State University and a Master of Social Work from the
University of Southern California. His dual expertise in education and social work uniquely positions him to bridge the gap between academic success, emotional safety, and equitable school culture.
A passionate advocate for belonging, restorative practices, and leadership development, Dr. Smith has co-authored several influential books, including
Belonging in School: Creating a Place Where Kids Want to Learn and Teachers Want to Stay,
Better Than Carrots or Sticks: Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management,
Building Equity: Policies and Practices to Empower All Learners,
Leader Credibility,
How Leadership Works: A Playbook for Instructional Leaders, and
The Restorative Practices Playbook.
In recognition of his commitment to fostering safe and supportive school environments, Dr. Smith received the National School Safety Award from the School Safety Advocacy Council. His TED Talk on building authentic relationships between students and teachers has inspired educators across the country to reimagine connection as the cornerstone of effective teaching and learning.
Through his leadership, writing, and speaking, Dr. Smith continues to champion the belief that when students feel seen, heard, and valued, they are empowered to thrive ― both academically and personally. His work challenges schools to move beyond compliance and discipline toward cultures of belonging, accountability, and restorative growth.
John Hattie, PhD, is an award-winning education researcher and best-selling author with nearly thirty years of experience examining what works best in student learning and achievement. His research, better known as Visible Learning, is a culmination of nearly thirty years synthesizing more than 2,100 meta-analyses comprising more than one hundred thousand studies involving over 300 million students around the world. He has presented and keynoted in over three hundred international conferences and has received numerous recognitions for his contributions to education. His notable publications include
Visible Learning, Visible Learning for Teachers, Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn; Visible Learning for Mathematics, Grades K-12; and 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning.
