The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Breaking Barriers to Learning." Contents include: (1) The Importance of…

This study used self-administered survey data from seven high schools in Florida with a majority Black and/or Hispanic sample to examine transgender students' perceptions and experiences related to school climate in comparison to cisgender students. Using propensity score matching, a matched analytic sample was created of transgender and cisgender…

Education reformers have long lamented America's persistent racial and socioeconomic achievement gap and framed school choice as a means to provide low-income students of color trapped in failing schools with a ticket to a better education. Yet when parents who participate in school choice programs in states like Georgia or Indiana have been…

Schools play an integral role in creating safe, supportive environments for students, especially for sexual minority youth (SMY). Using 2016 questionnaire data from seven high schools in a Florida school district, we obtained a sample of 1,364 SMY. Logistic regressions controlling for sex (as applicable), age, grade, race/ethnicity, and school…

School counselors help foster student's academic, social, and career development; yet, school counselors are often neglected in research on school climate and student safety. Framed by the theory of planned behavior, this study examined how 206 school counselors' multicultural counseling competence, multicultural self-efficacy, and perceptions of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a relationship between transformational principal leadership style, a safe school climate, and school safety (specifically, the number of reported fights and reported bullying incidents) in Broward County, Florida's middle schools. This study also investigated if a relationship…

The National School Climate Center (NSCC) completed a 50-state policy scan on state school climate and anti-bullying policies to better understand the current state policy infrastructure supporting the development of positive school climates. This policy brief examines the current status of school climate and anti-bullying policies in each state,…

In this article, the author discusses a literature-based character education program at the school district of Hillsborough County in Florida. The district recently developed a comprehensive management plan in response to the much-publicized school violence of recent years. The plan addresses school issues including tornado and fire drills,…