The Belonging Imperative in Legal Education

By Meera E. Deo

Belonging is a human imperative, a facilitator of positive mental health, and a critical feature for success in law school. Scholars researching student belonging, including Terrell Strayhorn and Elizabeth Bodamer, describe it as “a feeling of connectedness ” and “a dimension of perceived cohesion .” In my own presentations and conversations about belonging, I characterize it as the “glue” that bonds students to their institution, often through close connections with others on campus. Research has shown that a strong sense of belonging can result in better academic outcomes (higher grades) and personal benefits (lower levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness). Conversely, those who express a lower sense of belonging are at higher risk of leaving law school altogether.  

The new LSAC report, Persistence in the First Year of Law School, examines connections between belonging and attrition. Using original national data from first year law students, the report concludes that a lack of belonging and even “belonging uncertainty” (being unsure about whether one belongs) contributes to students from vulnerable populations leaving law school at higher rates than their peers. For instance, Pell Grant recipients feel valued in law school at a rate 10% lower than classmates who do not receive Pell Grants (p. 16); they are also much more uncertain about their sense of belonging — 15% more than those without Pell Grants (p. 17). Similarly, women of color are 10% less likely than the average first-year law student and 15% less likely than white men to feel accepted for who they are on campus (p. 12). Furthermore, women of color are less likely than men of color, white men, or white women to feel comfortable being themselves in law school (p. 15). Given these belonging statistics, it is perhaps unsurprising that women of color not only consider leaving law school at higher rates than even men of color and white women (p. 2), but that they are more likely than their counterparts leave after the first year (p. 5).

These findings are deeply disturbing though not surprising to researchers who study connections between belonging and student success. But they are not etched in stone. Because belonging represents a student’s malleable sense of their connection to campus, individual and institutional efforts can successfully enhance belonging, thereby improving student retention and even wellbeing.  

My own scholarship on Building Belonging uses data from the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE ) to reach similar results about belonging and suggest interventions. Like the LSAC report, I also find that students from traditionally excluded and marginalized populations tend to have a lower sense of belonging as measured by various metrics. For example, while one-quarter (25%) of students who plan to graduate law school without any educational debt “strongly agree” that they are valued by their institution, only 14% of students owing over $200,000 feel similarly (p. 801). Furthermore, LSSSE data show that 20% of Black students and 17% of Latinx and Native American students see their schools as doing “very little” to foster community on campus, compared to just 11% of white students (p. 802). This signals lower levels of belonging which translate into lower retention rates for these groups.  

Luckily, through purposeful belonging interventions, law schools can improve these statistics. Building Belonging provides data-informed strategies for faculty, administrators, and even classmates who seek to cultivate belonging on campus. For one, faculty should adopt a growth mindset in the classroom — helping students achieve the correct answer, even if not on the first attempt. Doing so helps students see they can make mistakes and still succeed, that they do belong even if they are not perfect. Additionally, professors who incorporate inclusive pedagogy in the classroom help students see that their opinion and perspective matter in legal education and the legal profession. For instance, faculty can encourage students of color and others with belonging uncertainty to share their own experiences and reflections on course material; greater engagement and participation results in greater belonging and better learning outcomes too.

Additional forthcoming research I conducted with LSSSE Research Analyst Jak Petzold reveals how “cultural navigators ” also can be key to improving belonging for law students from all backgrounds. In the first year of law school, students undergo a rigorous and sometimes traumatic professional socialization process that demands assimilation into the norms of the legal profession; students must navigate new legal terminology, learn how to “think like a lawyer ,” and pretend to be objective arbiters of supposedly neutral values. Particularly when traditional law school values — such as emphasizing competition over cooperation, or individual efforts over community success — conflict with personal values, students may feel unease throughout the transition; their difficulty managing this conflict translates into belonging uncertainty or even a lack of belonging. Cultural navigators can assist, as individuals already familiar with law school life who are available to help ease the transition for others. Ideally, we will continue to transform legal education to be more inclusive, cooperative, and community based. As we work toward those goals, institutions can also boost belonging by supporting cultural navigators to work with different populations — and they should do so in a targeted way. What are some targeted efforts? Because those who do not have a parent with a college degree, often called first-gen students, are more likely to work while in school, resources should support both their employment and academic efforts. Additionally, women students tend to balance greater caregiving responsibilities along with their academic obligations; cultural navigators can help bridge the divide between home and campus. Through these and other similar targeted efforts, institutions should work to enhance belonging and increase retention.

Law schools must encourage all members of their community to engage in behaviors to increase students’ sense of belonging. Especially during this time of uncertainty in higher education, it is particularly important to engage in these endeavors. Belonging efforts represent a legal, effective, and vital means to support students . All institutions should work to reap the benefits of belonging.