Supporting School Climate & Culture, Belonging, and Student Well-Being

This week I had the opportunity to participate as the keynote speaker at the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District’s annual School Climate & Culture Summit.

The summit brought together educators, counselors, administrators, and student leaders from across the district to focus on an issue that is foundational to education: creating school environments where students feel safe, supported, respected, and able to thrive.

The event is part of the district’s ongoing work around school climate, social emotional learning, inclusion, and student well-being. Teams from schools throughout the district reviewed data, discussed challenges students are facing, shared ideas and experiences, and worked collaboratively on strategies to strengthen school culture and improve student outcomes. Student leaders from both middle schools and high schools participated directly in the discussions.

That work matters because school climate shapes how students experience school every single day. It influences whether students feel connected, whether they feel comfortable participating in class, whether they trust the adults around them, and whether they feel like they belong.

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to engage with students throughout the district in many different settings, including their Model Congress conference, Belonging Day, government and community planning classes, Future Problem Solver teams, the Sunrise Movement, GSA groups, and the Spectrum Clubs.

One thing has consistently stood out from those conversations.

Students are deeply aware of the environment around them.

They know when spaces feel welcoming. They know when adults are genuinely listening. And they know when empathy, respect, and inclusion are being modeled authentically.

At the same time, students today are navigating a world that often feels increasingly loud, divisive, and uncertain. National political debates and global conflicts do not stay outside school walls. Students absorb those tensions and bring them with them into classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and social spaces.

That reality makes the work of educators, counselors, and school leaders even more important.

I believe the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district deserves significant credit for continuing to invest in this work and for recognizing that academic achievement and student well-being are deeply connected. Creating a positive school climate is not a one-time initiative. It requires ongoing effort, reflection, listening, and collaboration.

As part of my remarks, I spoke about belonging, resilience, vulnerability, and the importance of creating environments where students feel safe being themselves. I also reflected on my own experiences in public service, leadership, and life, including what it meant to grow up without seeing people like yourself represented in leadership, and why visibility and empathy matter.

I was deeply honored by the response from the audience, but even more meaningful were the thoughtful conversations that continued throughout the day with educators, counselors, administrators, and students who care deeply about this work and the well-being of young people.

Most importantly, I hoped to reinforce something that should never be controversial: every student deserves to feel safe, respected, valued, and supported in their school community.

I am grateful to the district for the invitation and for the opportunity to participate in what was a meaningful and inspiring event for our schools and our broader community.