A Framework for Students
EMOTIONALLY INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM™
Building Student Culture Through Emotional Learning, Safety, and Restorative Community
Across classrooms in the United States, educators are grappling with rising challenges—frequent student dysregulation, disrupted learning environments, strained teacher-student relationships, and widening gaps in social and emotional development.
For many students, unresolved trauma, cultural disconnects, and a lack of emotional tools lead to behavior that is often misunderstood as defiance, when it is more often a signal of distress or unmet needs.
Teachers are increasingly expected to serve as both instructor and emotional support without consistent tools or systems for doing either sustainably.
The Emotionally Inclusive Classroom (EIC) framework was created to respond to this moment a student-centered, teacher-led approach designed to build community, culture, connection, and capacity from the inside out. EIC is not just about behavior management, it's about reimagining the classroom as a space where students develop the emotional skills, self awareness, and restorative mindset they need to thrive academically and relationally.
While inspired by the foundational Emotionally Inclusive Practices framework, the Emotionally Inclusive Classroom™ pivots intentionally toward curriculum, routines, and rituals that students experience and practice directly. It prioritizes the teacher’s role as a culture and climate leader and the student’s role as a self-aware, community-minded learner.
THE SEVEN PILLARS OF AN EMOTIONALLY INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM™
PILLAR 1
Emotional Learning
Students learn to recognize, understand, and regulate their emotions using practical tools for real-world situations.
PILLAR 2
Community Building
Students develop authentic, trusting peer and teacher relationships through daily rituals, affirmations, and shared responsibility.
PILLAR 3
Restorative Mindset
Students practice accountability, reflection, and repair, learning how to navigate conflict without shame or avoidance.
PILLAR 4
Empathy in Action
Students recognize and understand the feelings, needs, and experiences of others and then take kind, respectful, and supportive action in response.
PILLAR 5
Self-Care and Safety
Students develop strategies to manage stress, set boundaries, and protect their emotional and physical well-being.
PILLAR 6
Shared Leadership Development
Students are empowered to take ownership in the classroom, serve others, and lead through voice and action.
PILLAR 7
Purpose and Empowerment
Students reflect on their strengths, values, and aspirations as they discover their voice and vision for the future.
This framework is designed to be taught, and modeled, not just implemented.
Through these seven pillars, students engage in structured “teachable practices” that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and immediately applicable. Teachers become architects of emotionally safe, community-driven spaces not through heroic effort, but through predictable systems and tools that make classroom transformation practical and sustainable.
STUDENT
OUTCOMES
The Emotionally Inclusive Classroom Framework leads to nine transformative student outcomes that address today’s most pressing educational pain points.
Greater emotional self-regulation and reduction in classroom disruptions
Improved sense of psychological and relational safety among students
Increased academic engagement and task completion
Improved student voice, confidence, and classroom participation
Fewer behavior referrals and improved conflict resolution skills
Greater empathy, support, and peer affirmation
Healthier peer-to-peer and student-teacher relationships
Higher student ownership through leadership and goal setting
Increased student resilience, purpose, and long-term motivation
The Emotionally Inclusive Classroom is more than a program.
It is a classroom transformation philosophy built around consistent habits, intentional relationships, and restorative learning experiences. The Emotionally Inclusive Classroom™ offers educators a path toward building not just better classrooms but emotionally empowered human beings.
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“Dr. Dinkins has proven to be an invaluable resource for me and my school community.”
He has shared wisdom and successful strategy that has helped me develop as a leader. The best part is he has been right there with me, coaching and guiding me every step of the way.
JEREMY COLEMAN
PRINCIPAL, BROOKVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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Center for Empowering Education (CEE) under the leadership of Dr. Dinkins has been a critical and strategic think partner in the development of our community engagement and leadership development initiatives.
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DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UNCF
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Dr. Dinkins emotional intelligence training for our teachers significantly improved our ability to model social and emotional learning needs for our students. He made an asserted effort to imbed context around addressing our implicit bias and cultural awareness.
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PRINCIPAL, STONYBROOK MIDDLE SCHOOL