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Schools across the country are moving away from an era of zero-tolerance policies and shifting toward methods that involve restorative justice, encouraging students to resolve their differences by talking to each other rather than resorting to violence. In New York City, five schools that have implemented this system are already seeing results. NewsHour Weekend's Megan Thompson reports. In a 9th grade civics class in Brooklyn, New York, Erica Wright is encouraging students to talk to each...

It started as an answer to a youth-led campaign. Young people in arts programs in San Francisco Bay Area schools had produced spoken word videos about inequities in their communities that helped put them at risk for type 2 diabetes. Dr. Jean Junior The response by their peers was enormous, according to Dr. Jean Junior, who volunteered for the project as a pediatric resident at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). “Young people would say ‘You’ve actually gotten me interested.

Although cyberbullying causes the same effects in children as regular, in-person bullying, the problem isn’t always taken seriously. Less than 1 in 5 cyberbullying incidents are reported to law enforcement, and not everyone has the ability to pursue a civil lawsuit. It’s never too late to learn about cyberbullying and how to help prevent it. Find out more about what our kids are facing on the Internet here . To view Janelle's infographic, please click here.

There are many aspects of my more than decade-long career as a teacher that I'm proud of. My reputation for giving lots of homework is not one of them. When I entered a doctoral program in education policy, I learned about the research that suggests that homework is not good for young kids. Not only does it fail to improve the academic performance of elementary students, but it might actually be damaging to kids' attitudes toward school and to their physical health . What are some of the...

For the Special Issues in Grieving and Loss class that I started last month, I was asked to write an informal paper and explain why I chose to enroll in this class, what outcomes I expected and what my goals were. Three years ago, I enrolled in the M.S. in Guidance and Counseling program at STU after one of my students attempted suicide, and nothing had been done by support staff or administration who had been informed of his intentions, to prevent it. I’ve been wanting to take the training...

Meg's nap meant she missed an in-class essay, but she turned it in that night. "I didn't beat her up about it. Didn't have to," he wrote. "In a different room, Meg may have been written up for sleeping in class and given a zero for missing and essay, but she wasn't in a different room; she was in my room." "I think too often the biggest thing that people forget about high school students is that they are kids," Syrie says. "They're kids — kids who are having to grow up way too fast and are...

Cousins says she is “not a book person.” During her childhood of dealing with family strife, which took her to towns across rural Maine, rarely staying at a school for longer than a year or two, learning was never a priority. “It was never something I looked forward to — all day, every day,” she said. She dropped out shortly after her 16th birthday. But last summer, Cousins’ mother-in-law told her about Threshold, a program developed by a Maine charter school aimed specifically at students...

A proposal to expand California’s ban on “willful defiance and disruption” suspensions in early elementary grades — so it includes all grades K-12 — is expected to be a topic of discussion as state lawmakers and the governor’s office work to hammer out a final budget deal. This issue could be part of the budget talks for two reasons. First, Gov. Jerry Brown surprised youth and civil rights advocates working on the issue by including an extension of the current law , which only covers grades...

When Tramischa Cole , a homeless 24-year-old mother of one, stumbled across a Civicorps flier in 2015, she didn’t expect to be accepted into the Bay Area’s only accredited high school and job training program for 18 to 26 year olds. It’s not that Civicorps had a waiting list: Cole was worried her parenting responsibilities and lack of housing would be an issue. “I told them I’m homeless and I don’t have child care,” Cole said. “I thought everything I was telling them would be something to...

Mrs. Sarah Kanter has been the school counselor at Bells Mill Elementary School in Potomac, Maryland for 11 years and she has made it her mission to cut bullying off at the pass….before it starts. Mrs. Kanter developed her own framework that introduces and reinforces bullying prevention at crucial ages. For second graders at Bells Mill, Mrs. Kanter gives lessons on kindness, empathy and how to make good choices. Kids learn the difference between playful teasing and teasing that turns into...

by Dr. Melissa Sadin and Nathan Levy with Theo Sadin “Teachers’ Guide to Trauma is full of insights and each insight is flawlessly aligned with good teaching practices. There’s a tenderness to the book which makes you keep returning to its pages-not unlike the tenderness a teacher feels each time she helps a student succeed.”- Susan E. Craig, Ph.D. Author of Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt , Trauma Sensitive Schools: Learning Communities Transforming Children’s Lives , and...

Research has consistently shown that positive school climate is a strong predictor of school safety. When students have healthy peer relationships , teachers they trust , and school policies that they perceive as fair , they are more likely to feel safe in the school and less likely to misbehave. Building a sense of community among students and adults in schools may reduce the risk of school violence. The presence of school counselors and partnerships with community organizations can help...