Interestingly, yesterday’s ASCD SmartBrief came out with the results of an Ed Pulse survey on which school health issue is of primary concern for schools and districts. The results showed physical activity and movement during the school day as a key concern among ASCD SmartBrief readers, second to bullying and other safety concerns. Just over 20 percent of respondents listed physical activity as their primary school health issue.
Bullying
Post submitted by Katie Test, a communications specialist at ASCD. She has been an education reform advocate through public relations and communications for a variety of education organizations and school systems, including D.C. Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg (N.C.) Public Schools and Durham (N.C.) Public Schools. Connect with Test on Twitter @ASCD or by e-mail at ktest@ascd.org.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and we at ASCD believe a whole child approach to education is the way to create safe and supportive school climates in which each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Bullying often is the unacceptable result of an unhealthy school climate. A whole child approach builds a positive school climate, which in turn reduces bullying and improves student attendance, engagement, empowerment, ownership, teaching, and learning.
Post submitted by Paula Mirk, M.Ed. Mirk has worked at whole child partner the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE) since 1996 and currently oversees the IGE education department’s many initiatives, including the Ethical Literacy expanding community of schools. She collaborates with national and international organizations, and with school districts from large to small, to integrate ethical literacy into classroom practice, school culture, and systemic reform. Mirk has worked with schools and audiences around the world, particularly across Latin America, as she is also fluent in Spanish. Her articles have appeared in education journals in the United States and Canada.
The study of ethics requires asking “What is right?” and “What is good?” In one form or another, most children ask these questions of themselves and their surroundings on a regular basis. As they mature into adolescents, justice issues—especially those that affect them—become a prominent part of this questioning process. For this reason, we consider ethics a great teaching opportunity.
Read more »
The Bully Project, a new documentary from filmmaker Lee Hirsch, is a heartbreaking look at the ongoing violence and harassment that plagues school communities. Over the course of the film we meet
- Alex (pictured), whose daily abuse from peers stymies school officials who can’t seem to offer much beyond shake-and-make-up solutions.
- Kelby, shunned by her community for coming out as gay; adults and students alike make school unsafe for her.
- Ja’meya, a 14-year-old behind bars for pulling a gun on her tormentors.
