Salem-Keizer Career Technical Education Center students Aspen McIntosh and Spencer Magann say they enjoy the school because of the real-world opportunities they are given.
The center educates juniors and seniors through hands-on learning in 10 specialized programs. Programs include residential construction, auto body repair and painting, cosmetology, and behavioral health and human services.
“(It) feels liberating to be more of your own person,” Magann said.
In 2024, CTEC had the highest sense of belonging out of all schools in the Salem-Keizer district.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools was the first school district in Oregon in 2018 to measure students’ sense of belonging — an indicator of academic performance, engagement and mental health — as a key performance metric.
Aspen McIntosh and Spencer Magann work on an exercise about identity at Salem-Keizer’s Career Technical Education Center in Salem.
Sense of belonging is the degree to which a student feels accepted, respected and valued at school, according to Chris Moore, Salem-Keizer’s director of mental health and social-emotional learning.
Students who lack a sense of belonging may experience poor engagement, grades and attendance.
Moore said when students feel like they belong, they create a stronger community within schools, have improved mental health and are more resilient.
Salem-Keizer measures students’ sense of belonging by collecting data on their relationships with teachers, respect felt by peers and how much they feel understood.
However, despite some progress, there is still more to do to reach annual targets.
As of 2024, students in grades 3-5 were below annual sense of belonging targets by two percentage points and have been since spring 2022, but have increased since spring 2023. Students in grades 6-12 are below the annual sense of belonging targets by one percentage point, a two percentage point decrease from spring 2023.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools sense of belonging initiatives
The district created its equity office in 2016 to figure out ways to get students more involved in learning and boost their engagement, performance and graduation rates after noticing disproportionate outcomes for underrepresented students.
In 2018, Salem-Keizer partnered with Panorama Education, a software company in Boston, to use their nationally benchmarked assessment survey system to track students’ sense of belonging.
“Kids in our community have told us that we’ve needed to do better, and I think that’s really what launched us into that space,” Moore said.
For example, in the Panorama survey, students are asked to give feedback on their experiences, such as what they would like their teachers to know so they can figure out how better to help students learn.
Since 2016, Salem-Keizer schools have increased the number of counselors, social workers and psychologists in the district while partnering with mental health-focused community agencies.
The district has also worked with affinity groups, people brought together by a common goal or purpose, to find ways schools can help them feel more represented. The district also added clubs and a community resource specialist to work with students directly in focus groups.
The implementation of the affinity groups helped improve the sense of belonging for Pacific Islander students in 2024.
Candalaria Elementary School students created a new culture center to help improve the sense of belonging in minority students.
“Sense of belonging is a district-wide endeavor,” Moore said. “It’s every single department’s work and lives in each of those schools.”
Kelsie Wafer teaches about identity in the Behavioral Health and Human Services program in Salem-Keizer Career Technical Education Center.
Salem-Keizer’s Career Technical Education Center
With 10 years of experience working with adolescents and young adults, including three years as a social worker for Salem-Keizer, Kelsie Wafer said young people’s sense of belonging is a big success indicator.
When students feel they belong, it helps build trust and connection, a foundation for getting work done, Wafer said.
She said when trying to improve sense of belonging, the challenges could be getting students to leave their comfort zones, building confidence and teachers adapting to students’ constant changes in opinions, viewpoints and routines.
McIntosh and Magann said CTEC gives them a stronger sense of belonging because it’s easier to connect with people.
The two attended McNary High School before transferring to CTEC to join the new Behavioral Health and Human Services program that started in the 2023-2024 school year. The program works to give students “a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding human behavior, mental health, and social well-being,” according to the district’s website.
In one classroom at CTEC, posters cover the walls, including one of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Other posters focus on personal check-ins, getting help for anxiety and “What you say in here stays in here.”
McIntosh said the sense of belonging she feels at CTEC helps her stay motivated with the support of other students.
When students feel safe and comfortable in school they can focus on classes and engage with the work, Magann said.
Lauren Liudahl and Aliyah Lacanaria work on an exercise about identity in the Behavioral Health and Human Services program at Salem-Keizer’s Career Technical Education Center.
Which Salem-Keizer schools have shown improved sense of belonging?
In elementary schools, Asian students and students with disabilities reported the highest sense of belonging in 2024. Native and Indigenous students, students with autism, and nonbinary students reported sense of belonging more than 10 percentage points lower than other students.
Elementary schools that have improved sense of belonging since spring 2023 include Highland Elementary, Keizer Elementary, Four Corners Elementary and Bush Elementary.
In secondary schools, sixth grade students, students with autism, Pacific Islander students and students with speech/language needs reported the highest sense of belonging in 2024. Native and Indigenous students, students with emotional and behavioral disorders, and nonbinary students reported sense of belonging more than five percentage points lower than other students.
Secondary schools that have improved sense of belonging since spring 2023 include Stephens Middle School, Whiteaker Middle School, Judson Middle School and Parrish Middle School.
How Oregon tracks sense of belonging
The Oregon Department of Education began tracking sense of belonging data in 2020-2021 through the Student Educational Equity Development survey. The survey went through a pilot period before it went live in 2023-2024.
The SEED survey collects information on students’ education experiences, including their sense of belonging. The survey gathers statewide data from students in grades 3-11.
When House Bill 2656 went into effect in 2024, it took away school districts choice of offering SEED surveys to students and required them to make it available. Students can choose to decline to participate.
The SEED survey is among ODE’s initiatives that promote a sense of belonging. Others include:
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ODE’s Transformative Social and Emotional Learning Framework and Standards focuses on strengthening equity-focused school cultures that support students’ well-being.
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The Community Care Development Project focuses on improving Oregon students and families mental health, education and well-being through partnerships, emotional support, and response to physical and mental health needs.
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The Care and Connection campaign emphasizes cultivating a school community where students can build relationships and learn about others at the start of the school year.
Chris Moore is Salem-Keizer Public Schools’ director of social-emotional learning and mental health.
What’s next for sense of belonging initiatives in Salem-Keizer Public Schools?
During a school board meeting at the end of 2024, Moore outlined initiatives that are in progress and next steps for the district. These include:
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The district launched its Behavioral Health Coaching and Training Academy in August. Moore said more than 1,200 staff have accessed training so far this year and received 98% positive feedback from staff on the training experience.
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The district has launched its Meadowlark Program, a behavioral health program, at the Children’s Day Education Center. The next step is to expand the mental health treatment program to more students.
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CTEC students in the Behavioral Health and Human Services program have begun mentoring elementary school students in the district. The next step is to expand it to more of the district’s elementary schools.
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The district wants to reimagine school-based mental health services and is actively recruiting additional providers. Their goal is to have clinicians available five days per week at all high schools, four days per week in all middle schools and three days per week in all elementary schools.
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The district wants staff to continue supporting cultural and affinity groups. The next steps are identifying opportunities and resources to maintain and expand those programs.
Alexander Banks is an intern at the Statesman Journal. Reach him at abanks@statesmanjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem-Keizer CTEC program has district’s best sense of belonging
