At IHBS, we are committed to closing equity gaps and improving student outcomes through creative problem-solving, research-driven insights, and tailored strategies. Our work extends nationally and globally, shaping policies and practices that address the unique needs of students. By empowering educators, leaders, communities, and caregivers with the right tools, we cultivate healing-centered, inclusive environments where all students—especially Black and Brown youth—can thrive.
“The Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center envisions a future where schools are centers of belonging and vehicles of upward mobility for black and brown youth. We cultivate environments where all students receive what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.”
Committment
Launched in 2024, the Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center is committed to fostering equity, justice, and healing in education. We empower schools, districts, and communities to create healing-centered environments where students and educators can thrive. We ensure meaningful and lasting change through research-based, targeted technical assistance and training, combined with data-driven analysis.
We equip educators to challenge assumptions, confront biases, and remove barriers to student success. We create spaces of Belonging, cultivating critical consciousness in students to challenge systems of race, power, and privilege—both in schools and society. Our focus on healing ensures that the journey toward equity is reflective, restorative, and deeply transformative.
IHBS Mission
The Institute of Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) at NYU Metro Center emerged with a mission to transform education through justice, inclusion, and collective healing, responding to the urgent need for schools that not only educate but also nurture and empower. "The Institute’s" work is guided by core values that form the foundation for true school transformation.
Trauma-informed approach
The trauma embedded within educational systems reflects the ongoing impact of oppression, affecting students and communities across generations. IHBS’s trauma-informed approach recognizes these deeply ingrained harms and addresses them with sensitivity, creating pathways for healing to break the cycle of generational trauma. Our healing-centered approach emphasizes that trauma is not simply an individual experience but a shared one, with both trauma and healing experienced collectively. By approaching education as a community-centered journey, we prioritize resilience, recognizing that healing is most effective in supportive environments.
IHBS Vision
Central to the Institute for Healing and Belonging in School’s vision is cultural responsiveness, celebrating diversity as an essential strength in learning. Transformation in schools requires classrooms where students’ cultural, ethnic, and linguistic identities are honored and empowered, challenging oppressive narratives that have historically marginalized these aspects of identity. This culturally responsive approach nurtures inclusion and creates spaces that validate and uplift each student’s unique background and experiences.
"The Institute" is committed to ensuring that every student, regardless of background, has access to high-quality education and the resources needed to thrive. Removing barriers to opportunity is essential to creating fairer, more inclusive learning experiences, and our approach actively supports this goal within each school community.
Liberatory Vision
The work of transformation would be incomplete without a liberatory vision. The Institute for Healing and Belonging in Schools (IHBS) believes in the power of radical imagination to inspire both educators and students to envision schools free from systems of oppression. By encouraging educators to see beyond the constraints of current systems, we promote the pursuit of a more just reality, embedding liberation and justice into the fabric of every educational institution.
The Institute for Healing and Belonging in School’s commitment to trauma-informed, healing-centered, culturally responsive, inclusive, and liberatory values is central to our approach in school transformation. Through data-driven technical assistance, professional training, and targeted coaching, we create sustainable change that enables schools to become centers of growth, liberation, and resilience. This work is vital, ensuring that schools are not only places of learning but also sanctuaries of possibility and hope for future generations.
The Institute for Healing and Belonging in School’s commitment to trauma-informed, healing-centered, culturally responsive, inclusive, and liberatory values is central to our approach in school transformation. Through data-driven technical assistance, professional training, and targeted coaching, we create sustainable change that enables schools to become centers of growth, liberation, and resilience. This work is vital, ensuring that schools are not only places of learning but also sanctuaries
IHBS Core Values
The Institute for Healing and Belinging in School (IHBS)’s work is grounded in the following core values:
Trauma-Informed: Oppression creates trauma by embedding itself into the everyday structures of schools and society. These harmful systems have persisted across generations, profoundly impacting individuals and communities.
Healing-Centered: A healing-centered approach views trauma not as an isolated individual experience but as a collective phenomenon, emphasizing how both trauma and healing are shared and experienced within communities.
Culturally Responsive: This approach celebrates diversity as a strength, challenging oppressive narratives and ensuring that ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identities are valued and upheld in the classroom.
Equity-Focused: Coaching for educational equity requires a deep commitment to ensuring every student has access to a high-quality education and the resources necessary for their success, removing barriers to opportunity.
