Here's a model for preventing bullying and a whole lot of other problems: a school that promotes social literacy not zero tolerance. At the Boston area's Charlestown High School, "where many students come from high-crime neighborhoods, an innovative program employs a surprising method to help keep teens in school and out of trouble with the law: Encouraging them to talk to each other," reports NBC … [Read more...] about Restorative justice eclipsing zero tolerance in US schools
school policy
Addendum: What about CIPA?
US educators may wonder if schools can adopt the model I'm proposing above and still be compliant with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Here's my answer: If you're asking "What about CIPA?", you're probably a school administrator or district official in the US, and it's a good question. In order for US schools (and libraries) to receive federal "e-rate" discounts for Internet … [Read more...] about Addendum: What about CIPA?
A teacher’s view of teacher surveys about youth & tech
Monday's post was about two surveys of US teachers about what technology's doing to students' academic performance. Today, a guest commentary from Marianne Malmstrom, who teaches grades 3-8 at the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, N.J., after I asked her what she thought of the research and the New York Times's coverage: "At least the New York Times and Pew stated several times the findings … [Read more...] about A teacher’s view of teacher surveys about youth & tech
Why we mustn’t have a participation gap: 2 students’ experiences
The other day, two school librarians posted an insightful article about two students – Jessica, just starting her junior of high school, and Michael, who just graduated – who stand on opposite sides of the "participation gap," Prof. Henry Jenkins's term for the digital divide of participatory media and today's networked world. They describe what conditions in schools close the gap and what … [Read more...] about Why we mustn’t have a participation gap: 2 students’ experiences
Learning from, working with at-risk youth
A lot of great work on social media and at-risk youth has been done in the UK by Internet-safety consultant Stephen Carrick-Davies, and here's an important takeaway from his latest work: Educators and other professionals who work with marginalized young people need to understand and use social media – the social and communications tools of their everyday lives. In the UK, some of that work … [Read more...] about Learning from, working with at-risk youth