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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: social-emotional learning, student well-being, and school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
Active Shooter Drills in Schools: Harmful or Helpful? The Debate Rages On
The National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and Everytown for Gun Safety are recommending in a new report that schools stop using active shooter drills that are either unannounced or simulate gun violence.
Education
Teachers' Union Issues Coronavirus Recommendations for Schools, Calls on Feds to Do More
The head of the American Federation of Teachers is calling on the Trump Administration to provide educators and other groups of professionals who deal closely with the public more guidance on how to respond to the growing coronavirus threat.
Student Well-Being
Coronavirus: How Some Schools Are Responding
So far, there are a handful of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, but at least two schools have had scares. Some districts are stressing basic, but important prevention strategies, including frequent hand washing.
Student Well-Being
Are the Trump Administration's Latest Rules for School Meals All Bad? 3 Things Schools Need to Know
Education Week spoke to two district nutrition directors and one child nutrition expert to discuss the most important changes to come from USDA's new rules for school meals.
Education
Mental Health in Schools: Black and Hispanic Students Say They Have Less Support
Black and Latino students, as well as rural teenagers, have a harder time getting mental health services in their schools, according to a new survey from ACT. Similarly, students of colors were more likely than their white peers to say they have a teacher they can reach out to for support.
School Climate & Safety
'Accidental' Shooting in Houston High School Sparks New Rounds of Questions
A school shooting in Houston has set off yet another round of questions about how students manage to get guns onto campuses undetected. But the Texas tragedy also calls attention to the unique and difficult fallout from gun incidents that are accidental.
Education
This Flu Season May Be Among the Worst of Past Decade and It's Not Peaked Yet
Even though flu season is well underway, schools can still encourage vaccinations and other preventative measures such as hand-washing to combat the spread of the illness.
Education
Good Sleep Habits Are Better Than a Good Night's Sleep for Test Performance, Study Finds
Getting a consistent amount of sleep over time was especially important, in particular for males.
Student Well-Being
Teenagers See Climate Change as a Threat, But Aren't as Clear on Its Causes
Sixty-two percent of teenagers correctly identified driving cars and trucks as a major contributor to climate change, while 57 percent incorrectly cited plastic bottles and bags, according to a survey by the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Student Well-Being
1 in 7 Students Report Having Seriously Considered Suicide, Survey Finds
The number is even higher among students in special education and those who don't identify as either male or female. But the analysis also shows that a majority of students say they know how to cope when they are feeling upset.
Student Well-Being
Students Who Can Manage Their Emotions Do Better in School, Large Scale Study Finds
The findings are likely to help bolster the case that teaching social-emotional skills to students will get a payoff in higher achievement.
Student Well-Being
Why Schools That Banned Chocolate Milk Are Bringing It Back
Some school districts are concerned that banning chocolate or other flavored milk means students will miss out on important nutrients. But that's not the only reason they are reversing their bans.
School Climate & Safety
4 Questions for a Student Gun-Reform Activist
Alanna Miller organized her Dallas' high school's national walkout in protest of gun violence after the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Now a college freshman, Miller said the high-profile pressure to change policies on guns and other issues, along with the voting power of youth, is making lawmakers "a little scared."
Student Well-Being
Home Nurse Visits Help Prepare Low-Income Children for School, Research Finds
Research on the impacts of a program that provides nurse home visits for low-income expectant mothers underscores the idea that setting up children to succeed academically starts long before even preschool.