Community colleges are often considered an affordable entry point into postsecondary education for many students with a goal of earning a degree. As open access institutions, they accept any student who applies, including those considered to be below college level and in need of some level of remediation in the subjects of reading, writing and math. The need for remediation tends to be highest in the subject of math, with rates as high as 78%. Community colleges are also known to be the most diverse of higher education institutions, where students of color make up 90% of the student population requiring remediation. Students needing remediation contribute to higher attrition rates in community colleges, as remediation is considered a barrier to degree attainment. To address this issue, community colleges are revamping the ways in which remediation, commonly referred to as developmental education, is delivered. The purpose of this study was to learn how instructors who teach introductory mathematics courses in community colleges address attrition by creating inclusive environments that promote a perceived sense of belonging in their classrooms of diverse learners. The study was conducted at a diverse, urban community college with Hispanic Serving Institution status, addressing developmental education attrition by pairing a developmental course with an introductory college level course to accelerate the developmental sequence for students to earn college credit. The Multicontextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments, developed by Hurtado, Alvarez, Guillermo-Wann, Cuellar & Arellano (2012) was the conceptual framework, to first look at how students perceived their mathematics experiences and second, how instructors navigated the institutional learning environment to create a space of validation, belonging and engagement with and for their students. Students were surveyed in a variety of developmental mathematics courses in the spring semester. Measures of relationship with instructor, confidence and engagement, class structure and validation were averaged and ranked to identify the math instructors whom students rated highest as creating a space of validation, cultural inclusiveness and engagement. The four highest ranked math instructors were then observed and interviewed the following fall semester to understand how they create an inclusive environment in their courses and whether their practice contributed to higher persistence. Interview and observation data were synthesized using a thematic analysis. Findings determined that instructor authentic partnership, advocacy for students and reflective practice were key to creating an inclusive environment that fostered a strong sense of belonging and academic validation for students. Developmental courses paired with a college credit course, taught by instructors who are student-centered and culturally responsive, who authentically engage and partner with students, are shown to have impact on student persistence and perceived sense of belonging and validation in the initial step on the path to degree attainment for community college students needing remediation in math. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]