Kevin Jennings Assistant Deputy Secretary Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools Department of Education U.S. Department of Education Federal Education Priorities and Creating Safe Schools Annual Convention of the NYS Congress of Parents and Teachers New York State PTA November 12, 2010 Buffalo, NY

What’s the goal at ED? President Obama: “Produce a higher percentage of college graduates than any other country in the world by the end of the next decade.”

Sources: The College Board, Education Pays 2010, Figure 1.1; U.S. Census Bureau, 2009; Internal Revenue Service, 2008; Davis et al., 2009; calculations by the authors

More Education, Longer Life Source: National Longitudinal Mortality Study,

The US is Falling Behind in HS Graduation Rates Approximate percentage of persons with high school or equivalent qualifications in the age group Year of reference Including some ISCED 3C short programs 3.Year of reference Source: Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance 2008

High School Graduation Rates among OECD nations, 2007 Note: 1995 graduation rates are calculated on a gross basis whereas 2007 are calculated as net graduation rates (for countries with available data). 1. Year of reference Countries are ranked in descending order of the upper secondary graduation rates in Source: Education at a Glance 2009: OECD Indicators. Table A2.2. (

U.S. : Higher Ed Leader in the Sixties, the Laggard Today Percent of Adults with an Associate Degree or Higher by Age Group - U.S. & Leading OECD Countries Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2008

New York Lags the Nation in Graduation Rates Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate, School Year U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data. "NCES Common Core of Data State Dropout and Completion Data File." School Year 2007–08, Version 1b. Retrieved at

National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year NCES

Where does the Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools fit in? It’s simple. Students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe. Period.

Success? It’s a Basic Equation (Safe Schools)(Healthy Students)=Academic Success

In a Truly Safe School Every Student Feels Like…  They Belong.  They are Valued.  They Feel Physically and Emotionally Safe.

Substance Use

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (4 June 2010). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance- United States Surveillance Summaries, MMWR 2010;59 (No. SS-5)

Physical Safety

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (4 June 2010). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance- United States Surveillance Summaries, MMWR 2010;59 (No. SS-5)

Who Bullies, Who Gets Bullied, Who Enables: Understanding Roles in Bullying

Some Groups are Singled Out for Harassment Question: “At your school, how often are students bullied, called names or harassed for the following reasons?” Source: From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America 2005

Rivers, I., Poteat, V.P., Noret, N., Ashurt, N. (2009). Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implication of Witness Status. School Psychology Quarterly. 24:4,

Participant Roles BullyWitnessesVictim

Participant Roles Bully What Characterizes a Bully? High rates of “externalizing behavior” - Having behaviors consistent with ADD, ADHD, Oppositional/Defiant Disorder, or Conduct Disorder - Being Highly Aggressive Having negative perceptions of “others”: people unlike themselves Cook, C. R., Williams, K.R., Guerra, N.G., Kim, T.E.m & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25(2),

Participant Roles Victim What Characterizes a Victim? Low Social Competence -Lack basic social skills - Unable to easily make friends Peer Rejection Cook, C. R., Williams, K.R., Guerra, N.G., Kim, T.E.m & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25(2),

Participant Roles BullyVictim What Characterizes a Bully-Victim? A bully-victim is someone who is both the perpetrator and the target of bullying behavior Bully-victims show similarly low- levels of social competency as only- victims. Bully-victims are more easily influenced by their peers than only- victims. Cook, C. R., Williams, K.R., Guerra, N.G., Kim, T.E.m & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25(2),

Assistants Reinforcers OutsidersDefenders Rivers, I., Poteat, V.P., Noret, N., Ashurt, N. (2009). Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implication of Witness Status. School Psychology Quarterly. 24:4, Witnesses Role of Bystanders in Instances of Bullying

Why the Problem Persists… and What We Can do

Teachers and Students Make a Difference In classrooms where both students and teachers had strong attitudes and actions against bullying and aggression rates of aggression were 1/3 to ½ of classes where peers alone (and not teachers) had strong attitudes against aggression Henry, D., Guerra, N., Huessmann, R., Tolan, P., VanAcker, R., & Eron, L. (2000). Normative influences on aggression in urban elementary school classrooms. Amerian Journal of Community Psychology, 28(1),

Peer Intervention Works, but Isn’t Common  Of bullying episodes in which peers intervened, 57% of the interventions were effective (i.e., the bullying stopped within 10 seconds).  Peers intervene in only 11-19% of all bullying incidents. Source: Hawkins, Pepler and Craig 2001

Petrosino, A., Guckenburg, S., DeVoe, J. and Hanson, T. (2010). What characteristics of bullying, bullying victims, and schools are associated with increased reporting of bullying to school officials? (Issues & Answers Report, REL No.092). Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Education Laboratory Northeast and Islands. Retrieved from

Help to educate faculty, staff & parents about bullying Have a clear policy against bullying behaviors, and communicate this policy early and often to students, staff, and parents Train all staff who interact with students (including bus drivers, school resource officers, school nurses, and cafeteria workers) on how to recognize bullying behaviors and intervene effectively to stop them Ensure that all staff members take immediate action when bullying is observed. Gather data to assess bullying, the level of staff commitment to address bullying, and parent interest and concerns. Every School Should…

Initiate discussion with students and parents about expected behavior before problems arise Closely supervise your students and be watchful for possible signs of bullying among students in your classes (sudden changes in behavior, etc) Take immediate action if you observe or suspect bullying Integrate bullying prevention into your curriculum in age-appropriate ways Remember that actions sometimes speak louder than words, and be sure that you don't inadvertently model bullying behavior Every Teacher Should…

Every Student Should… Speak up! Step in when other students are being bullied or tell a teacher what is going on Make it clear to others that bullying is not okay. Support bullied students – make them feel like they are not alone Help teachers and administrators know what is going on. Work with them to find solutions. Source: HRSA Stop Bullying Now!

Every Parent Should… Focus on their child. Be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Don’t assume they will tell you. Believe them if they do. Utilize resources such as HRSA’s Stop Bullying Now! Campaign and bullyinginfo.org to become informed about bullying and bullying prevention Work with the staff at school to find a solution to stop the bullying, for the sake of your child as well as other students. Get your child out of there if you are not convinced the school will take needed action. Source: HRSA Stop Bullying Now!

Cyber Bullying

Today’s Teens Love Technology Percentage of teens who… Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

VictimizationPerpetration

“Sexting” is Common Percentage of teens sending or posting sexually suggestive messages (text, , IM) Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Peer Pressure? Percentage of teens who said pressure from a member of the opposite sex is a reason to send sexy messages or images Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Vegas Syndrome 61% of teens “strongly” and “somewhat agree” that “People my age are more forward/aggressive using sexy messages and pictures/video than they are in real life” Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

 Talk to your kids about what they are doing in cyberspace.  Know who your kids are communicating with.  Consider limitations on electronic communication.  Be aware of what your teens are posting publicly.  Set expectations. Every Parent Should… Source: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

What’s the Washington Agenda?

Tie Safe Schools into Ed Reform Agenda Build robust data systems that track student progress and improve practice. Safe Schools: Measure school safety with the same rigor we measure academic progress

What Gets Measured is What Gets Done

Safe and Supportive Schools (s3) Model: A New Approach to K-12 School Safety s3 model Engagement Relationships Respect for Diversity School Participation Safety Emotional Safety Physical Safety Substance Use Environment Physical Environment Academic Environment Wellness Disciplinary Environment Draft s3 Model. Please do not circulate without consent from the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Please contact Kristen Harper with questions or concerns.

Winners of Safe and Supportive Schools Grants Arizona California Iowa Louisiana Kansas Maryland Michigan South Carolina Tennessee West Virginia Wisconsin

Carl Joseph Walker Hoover

Pheobe Prince 10 th Grade South Hadley, MA 1994 – January 2010 Carl Joseph Walker Hoover 6 th Grade Springfield, MA 1998 – April 2009 Christian Taylor 9 th Grade Richmond, VA 1994 – May 2010 Tyler Clementi College Freshman Ridgewood, NJ 1992 – September 2010 Asher Brown 8 th Grade Harris, TX 1997 – September 2010 Seth Walsh 8 th Grade Tehachapi, CA 1997 – September 2010 Justin Aaberg 10 th Grade Anoka, MN 1995 – July 2010 Hope Witsell 8 th Grade Ruskin, FL 1996 – September 2009

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