Creating an Inclusive School Culture By Addressing the Scarcity Mindset

According to Pew Research Center, 15% of public school students in the United States receive special education services. This means that it is crucial for school administrators to create an inclusive environment that supports all students. One major barrier to achieving inclusivity and ensuring everyone feels a sense of belonging is the scarcity mindset that is sometimes present among students and staff members. A scarcity mindset views resources as limited and worries that providing additional support to some students may reduce the resources available for others. While accommodations are required by law, a scarcity mindset can cause teachers and other students to view accommodations as an unavoidable burden rather than necessary support.

What does a scarcity mindset look like in schools?

A scarcity mindset is common in schools due to limited funds and resources. In 2023, teachers reported working an average of more than 53 hours per week, and 94% spent their own money on classroom supplies. It’s not uncommon to hear concerns such as “We have too many students and not enough resources”  or “If I spend all of my time doing this, I won’t have enough time to actually teach.” When multiple students require accommodations that seem time-consuming or like a drain to those resources, teachers can feel overwhelmed and stretched thin. 

A scarcity mindset is not limited to teachers. General education students who are in inclusion classes may also perceive accommodations as unfair advantages that only certain students receive. For example, additional time to complete assignments can be seen as unfair to students who do not receive extra time, which can lead to feelings of resentment. 

Even when resources are scarce, it’s possible to foster an abundance mindset in students and staff. Teachers and students with an abundance mindset do not view accommodations as a drain on resources. Instead, they recognize these accommodations as necessary and beneficial for the overall success and well-being of all students. 

3 ways to foster an abundance mindset in your school

Address the scarcity

If a teacher has one hour for planning and they need to modify a worksheet for four different students, that is going to take more time than creating one worksheet that all students can work from. In an ideal world, those five worksheets could be created within an hour. In reality, the teacher will probably end up spending time after hours creating them. Teachers are often under immense pressure to manage various tasks and support all students with limited resources, so it’s important to acknowledge that their concerns are valid. 

The same way that all students do not receive the same support because they do not all have the same support needs, the same logic can be applied to teachers who have different workloads. As an administrator, consider solutions that can balance the workload more easily among teachers or help them use their time more efficiently.

Possible solutions include:

• Rearranging the duty schedule
• Dedicating time for teachers to collaborate
• Providing training on tools that can enhance efficiency (such as AI)
• Offering flex time for after-school meetings and tasks  (this is time that teachers can use to attend appointments, grab off-campus lunch, etc. without using personal leave)

It’s important to recognize the teachers’ concerns about time and resources and take actionable steps towards addressing those concerns. This not only shows teachers that you support them, but it allows them to better serve students because they are not overextended.

When students feel that their peers are receiving unfair advantages and privileges, teachers can address their concerns by reminding them that every student will get the support they need, which may look different because everyone has different needs. A third grade teacher who goes by the social media name @aimeesedventures posted a viral video sharing how she explains this concept to students during the first week of school. She asks her students if they ever scraped their elbow, bumped their head, or scraped their knee. Each time a student shared their experience, she gave them a Band-Aid for their elbow, regardless of where they were hurt. This confused the students, leading to a discussion about fairness. She explained that treating everyone fairly isn’t always helpful and that true fairness means giving each person what they need to be successful. This illustration helped students shift from viewing their classmates’ support as unfair and helped them realize that everyone will receive support based on their individual needs.

Highlight the long-term benefits

While teachers are required to provide accommodations regardless of their mindset, sharing the long-term benefits can help them approach accommodations with the mindset that they are giving the students what they need, not just doing extra work because it’s the law. Accommodations benefit the students who they are for, but they also contribute to creating an overall more positive learning environment for all students. Clinical psychologist and neurodivergent consultant Dr. Lucas Harrington emphasizes that “supporting students with disabilities effectively can save a lot of time down the line.” When students do not receive the necessary support, it can sometimes be reflected in their behavior, resulting in classroom disruptions and behavioral issues that take up more time and resources.

Administrators can share these long-term benefits by highlighting data that shows the positive impact accommodations have on students. This includes tracking reductions in behavior incidents, increases in academic performance, and feedback from students regarding the classroom environment. 

Build strong relationships

Relationships are incredibly valuable for fostering an abundance mindset in schools. Strong relationships help teachers better understand their students’ needs and how to meet them effectively. When facing challenges, Dr. Harrington suggests remembering, “It’s not me against this student. It’s me and the student kind of trapped together in this difficult situation and thinking more collaboratively. How can we work this out rather than feeling like someone's gonna lose and someone's gonna win?”

Strong relationships with parents can also greatly impact the experiences of both students and teachers. Unfortunately, many parents have had negative experiences with schools regarding their child’s education.  In fact, 35% of all complaints filed to the Department of Education in 2023 were related to disability discrimination. Those experiences, regardless of who the experiences were with, can lead to parents approaching conversations defensively. This defensiveness can create tension between the parent and the school, which ultimately impacts the student. 

As an administrator, it’s important to encourage and support teachers as they build relationships with parents and students. While relationship-building strategies like calling every parent during the first week of school are valuable, they can add to the educators’ workload, contributing to a scarcity mindset. Instead, provide tools and opportunities that make it easy for teachers to build strong relationships. Host family nights, make communication more accessible using communication apps, develop a parent advisory council, and encourage teachers to communicate positive news with parents. As Dr. Harrington notes, “When they [parents] have a good rapport with the school, parents are bending over backwards to try to meet the school halfway and make things easier for them.” 

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Creating an inclusive environment that supports all students requires addressing the scarcity mindset that can have a negative impact on school culture. By recognizing and validating the challenges faced by teachers and working collaboratively to address them, administrators can create an environment where teachers, students, and parents all receive exactly what they need.

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Sources

Lucas Harrington, Psy.D. (June 2024). Personal interview.

NEA. “Out Of My Pocket: Teachers Speak Out About Buying Their Own School Supplies.” Link

Parents. “Third Grade Teacher uses Band-Aids to Teach Her Students An Important Lesson on Fairness.” Link.

Pew Research. What Federal Education Data Shows About Students with Disabilities in the US. Link

RAND. “All Work and No Play: Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Pay and Hours Worked.” Link

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