Q&A by Claire Miller
Associate Professor Tamika La Salle-Finley edited a new book entitled, “Creating an Inclusive School Climate: A School Psychology Model for Supporting Marginalized Students,” which was published on July 24.
She wrote the introduction and co-authored three chapters in the book, which gives educators a blueprint for creating a positive school environment that supports students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
Q: What made you decide to edit a book on creating an inclusive school environment? Why do you think this topic is important?
A: “There hasn’t been a book yet that comprehensively talks about school climate and implications for specific groups of students while also using a strengths-based approach. There finally came a time where I thought, ‘This work is important and should be disseminated.’ I wanted this book to be useful to graduate educators, students and practitioners, and for it to be a guide to understand who their students are. This work is about being intentional in integrating culturally affirming and relevant strategies to increase access and opportunities to a positive school climate.
I tried to center the book around the groups in education that have been particularly marginalized. With the rapidly changing demographics in our public schools, I wanted to recognize the challenges educators face in meeting their needs. This was difficult because while I feel like there were so many groups included, we could have included many more. It is my hope that even if a group is not specifically listed, the recommendations and strategies discussed in this book can be used to support them.”
Q: What are a couple of the key takeaways you want educators and school professionals to know after reading this book?
A: “Education systems were not inherently developed to meet the needs of students with marginalized identities. So, we have to be intentional in acknowledging our missteps, biases, structural inequities and blind spots in order to be innovative in how we support students and engage them in cultivating learning environments that meet their needs. This work requires constant changes and balances to assess what is working for whom and under what conditions.”
Q: How do you think your book will help move lives forward?
A: “This work is central to my work as a researcher, educator and school psychologist. I believe that this text can be instrumental as a guide in assessing what we know, where we are and, most importantly, how we move forward. I want this text to be used by practitioners in schools, university- level educators and students so that we have a common language and can set common goals about how to advance this work.”
To learn more about La Salle-Finley’s book, visit https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003400424/creating-inclusive-school-climate-tamika-la-salle-finley.