This literature review includes a broad review of LGBTQ+ civil rights law and evolving cases, population research and limitations of data collection, student survey findings on school climate and safety, education best practices at the classroom, district and state level, and student perspectives from youth across the country, including members of…

Over a decade ago, the first edition of "City Schools and the American Dream" debuted just as reformers were gearing up to make sweeping changes in urban education. Despite the rhetoric and many reform initiatives, urban schools continue to struggle under the weight of serious challenges. What went wrong and is there hope for future…

This report evaluates the COVID-19 situation after the release of the report, "A Blueprint for Back to School," which offered a framework for safely reopening schools in the fall. The report reflected the insights from 20 former federal officials, state school chiefs, and superintendents, many drawing on their experiences leading…

This chapter provides a summary of the history of the Clery Act and reviews the latest developments of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. In light of this legislation, campus collaboration should occur to ensure students' safety and institutional legal compliance regarding mandatory reporting requirements.

In the United States, more than 70 million students are enrolled in public elementary and secondary (K-12) schools or degree-granting postsecondary institutions. School and campus safety and security for these students encompasses many issues, including violence prevention and response, school climate, and the physical and mental health of the…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, focusing on addressing campus sexual assault and ensuring student safety and rights. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Lamar Alexander, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (2)…

How students feel about their schools--their perception of the safety, inclusiveness, and rigor of the school environment--has important implications for their happiness, engagement, and academic success. A wide variety of research suggests that a positive school climate contributes to students' academic engagement, growth, and success. These…

The purpose of this guidebook is to provide guidance to school districts in completing their local Tribal Education Status Report (TESR). Any data that is reported in the local TESRs has to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) which is a Federal law that protects the privacy of…

In 2018 the Trump Administration's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) under Betsy DeVos moved to institute new recommendations for implementing Title IX in American educational institutions. In this dissertation I converse with the OCR regarding their new guidelines for interpreting Title IX in colleges and universities with respect to sexual…

This study focused on how Title IX and sexual misconduct discourses on campus reflect a gendered campus environment. It employed critical discourse analysis as a framework for understanding the relationships between language in use on campus and the social structures, power relationships, and identity work represented within that language. The…

Disparate impact is the dubious approach to civil rights enforcement that claims that an entirely neutral policy that does not discriminate on its face, is not intended to discriminate, and does not actually treat individuals differently based on their race still constitutes illegal racial discrimination if it has a "disproportionate"…

This paper compares and contrasts two required building level school violence measures under NCLB, arrests and incidents of well-defined school misconduct acts, across 20 years of Pennsylvania's approximately 3,000 public school buildings. Generally, both arrests for school violence and incidents of school violence are rare events. Over 20 years,…

The National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness provides a roadmap to guide America out of the worst public health crisis in a century. It outlines an actionable plan across the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including twelve initial executive actions issued by President Biden on his first two days…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines COVID-19 and going back to school safely. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Lamar Alexander, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (2) Honorable Patty Murray, Ranking Member, a U.S. Senator from the State of Washington.…

In the United States, more than 70 million students are enrolled in public elementary and secondary (K-12) schools or degree-granting postsecondary institutions. School and campus safety and security for these students encompasses many issues, including violence prevention and response, school climate, and the physical and mental health of the…