Rules for Engagement
The Rules for Engagement blog explored the nonacademic issues that bear on students’ learning. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: social-emotional learning, student well-being, and school climate.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Mindset Kit Aims to Put Research on Growth Mindset, Engagement to Work
A new set of online lessons aims to help schools and parents apply research about growth mindsets in practical ways.
Equity & Diversity
Disparate Impact in School Discipline: What Does the Public Think?
Do teachers, parents, and the general public support district and federal efforts to make discipline more even-handed? A new poll seeks to gauge opinions on district and federal policies designed to tackle "disparate impact."
Student Well-Being & Movement
School Food Workers Need More Training, Resources, Survey Finds
Workers in school kitchens need more training in areas like basic cooking skills and new nutrition standards, a new survey found.
Student Well-Being & Movement
New School Year May Trigger Uptick in Headaches for Some Students
Changes in routines associated with the end of summer, a lack of sleep, academic stress, poor hydration, and prolonged screen time may contribute to higher levels of kids' headaches in the fall, doctors speculated.
States
Body Mass Index Reports Have No Effect on Student Health, Study Says
Notifying parents of a student's body mass index may not be an effective way to address childhood obesity, a new study found.
School Climate & Safety
Student Sues After Two-Word Tweet Leads to Months-Long Suspension
Courts have typically upheld students' First Amendment rights on social media, except for instances that cause "substantial disruption" to schools.
School Climate & Safety
McKinney, Texas, School Police Treat Students Unfairly, Civil Rights Groups Say
The police force in McKinney, Texas, which came under extra scrutiny after an officer tackled a girl at a pool party this summer, also penalizes a disproportionate numbers of black students in the city's schools, civil rights groups say. They have called for extra training for school-based officers.
School Climate & Safety
Report: Handcuffing of Young Students Used to Control 'Violent Individuals'
An independent investigator hired by the Covington, Ky school district says that a school resource officer who handcuffed two elementary students acted properly, within a law enforcement capacity.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Fact-Checking John Oliver on Sex Education (Spoiler: He Was Accurate)
A segment from HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver took on the patchwork of sex education policies in America's schools. Here's a rundown of the facts on teaching about consent, contraceptives, and abstinence.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Teenagers, Police, and Mental Health Problems: A Volatile Combination
One in five teenagers fatally shot by police in the past 12 months had mental health problems. What can schools do?
Equity & Diversity
Five Ways Schools Stigmatize Same-Sex and Heterosexual Adoptive Families
Adoptive families sometimes feel overlooked or stigmatized by schools, they say. And those actions can threaten to jeopardize efforts to engage parents and to make sure students feel safe and supported in the classroom.
School Climate & Safety
States Can Play a Role in Improving School Discipline, Guide Says
School discipline is frequently viewed as a school- and district-level issue, but state boards of education can also play a role in determining that policies and practices are fair and effective, a new guide says.
School Climate & Safety
Lawsuit: School Police Handcuffed Young Students in Violation of Their Rights
A school resource officer in a suburb of Cincinnati is accused of violating the rights of two elementary school students with disabilities by handcuffing them.
Curriculum
National HIV Strategy Includes Call for Effective Sex Education in Schools
The White House's updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy includes a goal of reducing the number of new diagnoses by at least 25 percent by 2020 in part through sex education.