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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: social-emotional learning, student well-being, and school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
Teen Suicides Rising Sharply, Federal Data Show
Suicide rates increased by 76 percent for 15- to 19-year-olds between 2007 and 2017 and nearly tripled for 10- 14-year-olds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Curriculum
When Teens Are in Violent Relationships, Should Principals Step In?
A survey of high school principals reveals that more than half of school leaders say they have dealt with an incident of teen dating violence recently, but many of them aren't clear what their role should be.
Student Well-Being
Stop Vaping, CDC Warns, as Deaths and Illness Linked to E-Cigarettes Grows
School administrators can share the latest warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all users refrain from using e-cigarettes while health investigators probe why three people have died and hundreds more, many of them teenagers, have gotten sick.
Student Well-Being
How School Lunches Are Getting a Boost From the Trade War
From apples to pork, the USDA is buying food from farmers squeezed by tariffs and sending that food to the nation's public schools.
Early Childhood
EdWeek Explains: Academic Redshirting, and Why It's Not So Simple
When it comes time for elementary school, some parents decide to hold their child back a year from kindergarten. Here's some advantages--and cautions.
Student Well-Being
Suicide Rate Among Adolescents at Highest Point Since 2000
Among 15- to 19-year-olds, the suicide rate rose from eight deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 to 11.8 per 100,000 in 2017, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
College & Workforce Readiness
Millions of Adults Lack Basic Reading Skills Needed for Good Jobs (Video)
In the U.S., millions of adults lack the basic literacy skills needed to sustain employment--yet education programs for this group serve only about 1.5 million, and funding continues to be cut at state and federal levels.
School Climate & Safety
Students Most at Risk of Getting Spanked at School Are Black or Disabled, Data Show
19 states still permit corporal punishment and a new Southern Poverty Law Center analysis of federal education data shows that deep disparities among the types of students who experience spanking or paddling at the hands of school officials.
School Climate & Safety
One-Fifth of Children Experience Cyberbullying, According to Their Parents
Almost 20 percent of children, including some as young as 6-10, report being cyberbullied via social media sites and apps, according to a new study.
Equity & Diversity
Heated Debate About Minority Rights Can Increase Bullying of LGBTQ Students, Study Finds
LGBTQ students are bullied more at school when the society around them is immersed in heated political debate about the rights of marginalized groups, according to a new study.
States
Florida Governor Signs Divisive Bill Allowing for Armed Teachers
Florida's governor signed a bill that will allow schools to arm classroom teachers, part of a longer list of school safety changes made after a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last year.
School Climate & Safety
To Fix Student Discipline, Public Favors School Climate Efforts Over Harsher Penalties, Survey Finds
Survey respondents asked about improving school discipline tended to favor supportive solutions, like school climate efforts and additional training for teachers, over stricter disciplinary practices, like detentions or suspensions.
Student Well-Being
Should 'Mental Health Days' Be Excused Absences? These Students Think So.
A group of Oregon students is advocating for a bill that proposes adding "mental or behavioral health" to a list of reasons for excused school absences.
School Climate & Safety
Fewer Fights and Increased Security: What New Data Say About School Safety
Amid public concerns about school safety fueled by high-profile school shootings, new federal data show reports of student fights, bullying, and other forms of victimization have continued a decades-long trend of decline. At the same time, schools have ramped up security measures, like the use of cameras and restricted entrances.