What's Happening in the Brain When Students Don't Feel Safe

Dr. Kimberly Honnick

Published on: 13/04/2026

In Part 2 of her 4-part series drawn from her AASA publication, Dr. Kimberly Honnick breaks down the neuroscience of belonging — what is literally happening in the brain when students don't feel safe, and why that changes everything about how school leaders approach culture, discipline, and learning. This is not soft work. This is science.

Personal & Professional Growth

Belonging Is a Basic (4-part series)

Dr. Kimberly Honnick

Published on: 06/04/2026

Dr. Kimberly Honnick, recently published in AASA's School Administrator magazine, explores why belonging belongs in the same conversation as reading, writing, and arithmetic. In this first post of a 4-part series, she makes the case that school leaders who build ecosystems of connection — not just compliance — are the ones whose students truly thrive.

Personal & Professional Growth