After a grand jury report cited a pervasive pattern of racism and hate speech, a California school district took bold--sometimes uncomfortable--steps toward cultural change. At San Mateo Union High School District, assistant superintendent Julia Kempkey and equity coaches Shane Safir and Joe Truss faced the hard truth that no single policy,…

Surveys show rates of sexual harassment and misogyny among students are high in U.S. secondary schools--yet most schools fail to deal with this problem. Many educators would like to intervene when they hear students use degrading or sexualized language about girls (or LGBTQ youth) or harass them, but don't know how to do so effectively. The…

Over the last 20 years, high-profile episodes of bullying have stirred up broad public alarm. This attention may appear to be merely trendy, but it's important. Bullying--commonly defined as systematic exclusion, aggression, or harassment that one child or a group of children inflicts on less powerful children--is pervasive in schools. Many…

When a community's demographics change quickly in terms of racial, religious, or ethnic makeup, Wessler notes, tension surfaces. Schools are the likeliest place for these kinds of tensions to openly come to a head. Schools can't always avoid conflicts among students who feel mutual prejudice and suspicion. But schools can address simmering…

Maria Center for Learning and Life Enrichment in St. Louis (Missouri) offers a leadership training program for youth. (JM)

The schools would benefit more from the perspective and idealism of students, if they become leaders in an educational community. The two crucial skills that enable students to develop the attitudes necessary for becoming leaders in a school community are, encouraging the development of listening and consensus building skills.

A program at the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center in Boston (Massachusetts) supplements the traditional program of ropes and rocks with community service, giving urban students opportunities to try out new leadership skills in local neighborhoods. (MLF)

Junior and senior high schools in Garden City (Michigan) restored school spirit with a retreat where student leaders and building administrators could meet in an informal settings, get to know each other, and make plans to improve the schools. (Author/JM)

When moral authority transcends bureaucratic leadership in a school, commitment and performance outcomes far exceed expectations. In transactional leadership, the leader and the led exchange needs and services to accomplish independent objectives. In transformative or bonding leadership, leaders and followers are united in pursuit of common goals.…

Senior year of high school doesn't have to be a time of student disengagement, Dreis and Rehage claim. At New Trier High School in Winetka, Illinois, educators recognize seniors' readiness to contribute as instructional leaders in the classroom. The Senior Instructional Leadership Corps puts any interested senior into a working relationship…

Searching for ways to help students feel more connected to one another and to the school community as a whole, a junior high school implemented the social house approach. Social houses divide students into multiple social units, rather than into separate academic entities. Each unit has its own identity and theme.The different groups mix during…

Dissatisfied with their present parent-teacher conference format, an Iowa middle school perused the literature on student-led conferences and established three program implementation phases: initial preparations, conferences, and evaluations. Students selected portfolio items, decided what to discuss with parents, and rehearsed the conference…