Student Well-Being & Movement Blog

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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: social-emotional learning, student well-being, and school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.

School Climate & Safety Woman Inspired by Columbine Shooting Makes 'Credible Threat' as Anniversary Nears of 1999 Attack
More than 20 Denver-area schools took precautions Tuesday as the FBI searched for an "armed and extremely dangerous" woman who was inspired by the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School.
Evie Blad, April 16, 2019
2 min read
School Climate & Safety As States Debate Arming Teachers, Opponents Detail Mishandling of Guns in Schools
As more states consider arming teachers, a gun-control group's analysis found dozens of incidents of guns left accessible to students, misfired, or used inappropriately.
Evie Blad, April 5, 2019
3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Schools Are Feeding Hungry Students With Meals That Would Have Gone to Waste
Three school districts in Indiana are partnering with a local nonprofit to send healthy frozen meals home on weekends with students whose families are food insecure.
Sasha Jones, April 3, 2019
5 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A After Suicides of Parkland Survivors, Here's What Educators Should Know About Supporting Students
Two students who survived last year's school shooting in Parkland, Fla., have killed themselves in the last week. Education Week spoke to two suicide experts about supporting students in crisis.
Evie Blad, March 25, 2019
9 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement 5 Ways One Middle School Is Making Itself More Student-Centered
Through a series of changes—both philosophical and practical—Principal Hamish Brewer and his team are working to make Fred M. Lynn Middle School in Prince William County, Va., a place where students' needs drive every decision they make. Here are five things they've already done to move toward that goal.
Lydia Thompson, March 25, 2019
3 min read
School Climate & Safety Democrats Move to Block Use of Federal Funds to Arm Teachers
A pair of Democratic lawmakers filed resolutions to prohibit the use of federal funds to arm teachers. The move follows months of controversy over whether Title IV dollars can be used for such purposes.
Evie Blad, March 14, 2019
5 min read
Equity & Diversity 1.7 Million Students Attend Schools With Police But No Counselors, New Data Show
An emphasis on hiring school police sometimes takes resources that could be used for other critical positions, like nurses and school counselors, an ACLU analysis says. As a result, "schools are under-resourced and students are overcriminalized."
Evie Blad, March 4, 2019
3 min read
School Climate & Safety School Police and Civil Rights: A Primer for Administrators
An 11-year-old Florida student was arrested a school-based officer after he refused to say the pledge of allegiance. Civil rights groups have used such incidents to sound the alarm about an increase in school policing.
Evie Blad, February 21, 2019
6 min read
Equity & Diversity Barack Obama Discusses Obstacles Facing Young Men of Color
At an event in Oakland, Calif., the former president discussed issues of masculinity, self-worth, pop culture, and what it means to be a man of color in today's world.
Sasha Jones, February 20, 2019
2 min read
School Climate & Safety After Shooting Death at a School, Superintendent Calls On Community to Address Violence
The death of a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed outside a high school basketball game in Kansas City, Mo., this week, is the first fatality in a school shooting in 2019, according to Education Week's tracker.
Evie Blad, February 14, 2019
2 min read
States Watch: A Year After Parkland Shooting, States Counting on Student Tips to Help Prevent School Violence
A year after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, more states are setting up anonymous tip lines to help prevent school violence. Learn more about their efforts, and the challenges that come with them, in this video report.
Evie Blad, February 13, 2019
2 min read
School Climate & Safety Watch: A Former Columbine Student Helps Survivors of Other Mass Shootings, Including Those in Parkland
Heather Martin survived the massacre at Columbine High School 20 years ago by hiding with dozens of others. Now, she helps survivors of other mass shootings, including students from Parkland.
Evie Blad, February 13, 2019
2 min read
School Climate & Safety Watch: Father of Parkland Victim Puts His Son Front and Center in Fight for New Gun Laws
Joaquin Oliver was one of the 17 people killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School a year ago. His father has used his son's own image in his fight for new gun laws.
Evie Blad, February 12, 2019
1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Social-Emotional Learning Data May Identify Problems, But Can Schools Fix Them?
A group of California districts collects survey data on social-emotional learning and school climate. But educators need more than a spotlight on concerns--they need solutions to help address them, a new report says.
Evie Blad, February 4, 2019
4 min read