| By: Tonje Molyneux Welcome Wave of Change: Positive Discipline and SEL in Schools I bet you can easily conjure up an image of a school teacher rapping the knuckles of a naughty girl with a ruler. Or a principal paddling the bottom of a boisterous boy. For a long time, this was how students were disciplined in school. They were physically punished with rulers, straps, paddles, or hands. Or shamed by being made to stand in the corner, wear a dunce cap, or write lines on the board. Perhaps you think these harsh, punitive discipline practices are a relic of a past, something we now only see in old movies or on episodes of The Simpsons. But in 19 states it’s still legal to use corporal punishment in schools.1 And since the late 1980s, zero-tolerance policies have resulted in thousands of students being excluded from schools, their right to an education stripped away for infractions sometimes as minor as chewing gum. Read More
| By: Committee for Children Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit: A Schoolwide Approach Learn about three components of the Bullying Prevention Unit a school needs to handle bullying effectively: policies and procedures, staff response training, and student lessons.Read More
| By: Committee for Children Look How Far We Have Come! In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, I thought it would be nice to highlight all the progress that has been made in bullying prevention over the past 15 years.Read More
| By: Committee for Children Get a Two-fer This October with Bullying Prevention October is National Bullying Prevention Month. It’s the perfect time to shine a light on the bullying prevention efforts in your setting and find ways to beef them up. And while doing so, you’ll also be doing important work to create a safe and supportive learning environment. Now that’s a two-fer—two benefits for the price of one—everyone…Read More
| By: Committee for Children Fostering School and Family Partnerships Schools and families both play critical roles in students’ social-emotional and academic success. To meaningfully strengthen these important partnerships, we must first abandon the notion that family engagement is about whether family members attend school events or volunteer in the school buildings. It also includes the things that families do at home with their children (Wilson, 2013). It encompasses both parent voice and presence.Read More
| By: Tonje Molyneux SEL Helps Schools Create Safe, Supportive Learning Environments Schools can be a sanctuary where all children—including those who need it most—experience safety and support. And when children feel safe and supported, they are ready to learn. Learn how SEL can help to create a safe and supportive learning environment. Read More
| By: Allison Schumacher The (Near) Future of Abuse Prevention: A Conversation with Joan Duffell Child Abuse Prevention Month (April) is just around the corner, so PR Manager Allison Wedell Schumacher sat down with Joan Cole Duffell, executive director of Committee for Children, to talk about the organization's past, present, and future in abuse prevention, and about our new Child Protection Training that will be released later… Read More
| By: Committee for Children A Story About Bullying: Part 3 I offer one final series of reflections on the subject of my last two blogs; the bullying situation of Connor and his parents. Here are some thoughts and comments that have flooded my mind as Connor’s parents and I continue to stay in touch. They are important to share, especially with those of you who may be having similar experiences yourselves, or with your children or students.Read More
| By: Committee for Children Wall-to-Wall Bullying Prevention by Jill Ramsay Many schools and districts are faced with increasing state and district mandates to implement bullying curricula and lessons for all students. But more importantly, educators want to foster a learning environment free from bullying, and the best way to do that is to implement a bullying prevention program schoolwide. Finding a research-based curriculum that provides direct instruction to students and training for staff can be challenging at…Read More
| By: Rachel Kamb Bullying Isn’t Cool by Rachel Kamb Paul is small for his age—and Jordan is constantly there to remind him. “Puny Paul” is what Jordan and his friends like to call him. During a typical recess, Paul can be found cowering at the edge of the playground while Jordan spits on him. Paul might try to move away, but there is nowhere for him to go. Jordan’s friends laugh, while other students either pretend they don’t see… Read More