One year ago today, Carl Walker Hoover took his own precious life only 11 days before his 12th birthday after being bullied incessantly with anti-gay taunts. Since his tragic death, Carl's mother has been a tireless advocate for greater awareness of this rampant harassment in our nation's schools and has pushed for stronger anti-bullying legislation. You can help by signing GLSEN's petition in support of the Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 2262), which will require schools receiving federal funding to enact policies to prohibit bullying and harassment, and provide them with resources to prevent and respond to incidents when they occur.
This past January, the country was shocked by the brutal bullying of 15-year-old freshman Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide after months of harassment. Today, three of the nine students who face charges connected to the case were arraigned in court, entering not guilty pleas. As the community looks to make sense of this tragedy, one truth is abundantly clear: our children need better supports to put an end to this toxic abuse when it occurs and prevent future bullying from taking place. The Safe Schools Improvement Act will help ensure that policies and practices are in place to keep our children safe.
Effective, school-wide, sustained programs are the next critical piece. If you are in need of bully prevention supports as a student, educator, or parent, please visit BullyBust today to access free resources, join a nationwide community of educators in the Partner School Program, and sign the STAND UP pledge to show your commitment. You can also sign up for our newsletter to receive concrete supports on bully prevention, student engagement, and creating positive school climates.
Spread the word, and check the status of bully prevention legislation in your state. Together, we can put an end to bullying.
"Practice and policy must work in concert; together we must make the whole child approach to education a national priority so that each child is ready for meaningful employment, continuing education, and active participation in our global society." - ASCD Executive Director Gene R. Carter
Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) recently introduced H. Res. 1093 to make March "National Whole Child Month". This bill is the first step toward making the whole child approach to education a national priority and ensuring that all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged in our schools. Congress is expected to vote on H. Res. 1093 within the next few weeks, and it's up to us to get involved and help speed its passage!
Take a second to make a difference. In a country where a student drops out of school every 9 seconds and where every 7 seconds a child is bullied on the playground, your simple act of support and solidarity can make a huge difference:
If you believe in whole child education, now's the time to take action. Visit the Whole Child's website for more information and resources.
In Fall 2009, CSEE launched the Stand Up to Bullying Video Contest as the first guided activity of the BullyBust Partner School Program. This activity was designed to help educators and administrators develop school-wide awareness of bullying behavior and to empower students and adults to stand up for themselves and others. By working with students in small groups to develop brief video announcements, schools used this activity to build a shared understanding of how school life should be and to introduce students to upstander behavior in a way that was fun, easy and participatory.
The school behind the winning video wins an array of free supports from CSEE. Our panel of judges reflects a variety of expert perspectives on bullying and upstander behavior: Justin Patchin and Sameer Hinduja, Directors of the Cyberbullying Research Center; Sammi Hanratty, star of the movie An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong and BullyBust advocate; Dr. Jonathan Cohen, President of CSEE and co-chair of the National School Climate Council; and members of the National School Climate Youth Council, along with council assistant Doug Hart.
I am excited to share the following student videos submitted for the contest, developed by Detroit Edison Public School Academy (Detroit, MI), Yargo Elementary (Winder, GA), Bethlehem Elementary (Bethlehem, GA), New Utrecht High School (Brooklyn, NY), Bellevue Middle School (Nashville, TN), Badger Ridge Middle School (Verona, WI), and Skyline Middle School (Wilmington, DE). You will see that each video reflects creativity, effort, and understanding of upstander behavior. We hope that you’ll share these short videos with your students or colleagues to showcase this great work and use them to start the conversation about the importance of being an upstander (as opposed to passive bystander) with your students. Please enjoy, and don't forget to rate your favorites:
View more by clicking the link below.
The Center for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE) at the American Psychological Association (APA) is requesting educator participation in a survey concerning classroom violence directed against teachers. After completing the survey, you'll receive a brochure outlining prevention and intervention strategies related to violence in the classroom.
Click here to begin the survey.
The survey was developed by a panel of experts appointed by APA and is designed to elicit the attributions and reactions you have surrounding your past or current experiences. The outcomes will further the research agenda on violence directed against teachers, and inform education policy with regard to school management and safety, parent and community involvement, classroom climate, and teaching and learning. To support this work, please forward this link to any classroom teachers you may know.
Thanks for your help in promoting this resource!
This month's Whole Child podcast is one you will not want to miss:
School Climate: Developing the Quality and Character of School Life
Thursday, February 4th: Stream or Download the Podcast Here
Dr. Jonathan Cohen, president of the Center for Social and Emotional Education and cochair of the National School Climate Council, and Marvin Kreps, director of Curriculum and Instruction at Rhinebeck Central (N.Y.) School District, will discuss how school climate standards can help educators and communities improve the quality and character of school life.
Learn more about the podcast here at Whole Child, and stay tuned to their blog to learn more about providing rich, safe and supportive learning environments for your children.