Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

Link here to the Promoting Civility and Addressing Racism overview page.

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

• Real racial inequalities are prevalent in today’s society and we must not turn a blind eye. Although significant progress within the educational institution has been accomplished, low educational achievements continue to persist especially among minority populations. Latino students have low educational achievements and by improving the schools atmosphere we can begin to address the growing Latino achievement gap from a different angle. The schools must better support the Latino student population.
• Latino students have the highest drop out rate. According to the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Educational Statistics Latinos are at a 21%, drop out rate, twice as any other racial-ethnic group. Recently the U.S. Census Bureau released the “Educational Attainment in the United States 2007” report that show only 3.9% of the Hispanics hold advance degrees compared to 19.6% of Asian American, 11.3% of non-Hispanic white, and 5.8% African American. Furthermore, Latinos are the fastest growing minority population. In light of these trends, it is crucial to address the widening academic performance gap. Providing quality education for students extends beyond providing better quality teachers or curriculums, it is also about enhancing the environment where students cohabit and learn. Currently, however, the school environment does not support Latino students as strongly as it could. Improving the atmosphere can lead to higher education achievements. For example, as Kozol found, racial segregation is still heavily present in today’s schools. The line between White and Non-White students is visible in the classrooms, cafeteria, hallways (Kozol, 1991). Unfortunately, when students do not interact and socialize with many students outside of their own ethnic or racial groups, segregation practices and lack of respect for difference are further reinforced and perpetuated (Donaldson 1996, 21). This can potential create unwelcoming environment for racial minorities. Fostering collectivism is important.

• Interpersonal relationships are a crucial aspect to creating a more welcoming, comfortable, and safer school. Peers, teachers, and administrators alike are all important relationships necessary to establish in order to enhance student’s social capital—access to support, information, and resources. It becomes even more critical for Latino students from families of low-English or educational background to enhance their social environment to reach higher education. Larger social networks create a more respectful and inclusive environment. 
• Bernadette Sanchez found among Mexican-American students that peers relationships are unique and cannot be substituted. Peers play a crucial role in being able to provide a variety of support forms to classmates that are often restricted to certain social entities such as parent or teacher; however students have the ability to provide both emotional support (e.g. encouragement) and concrete academic support (e.g. class notes or tutoring) as well as companionship support (e.g. shared experience) (Sanchez 2006, 64) . Peer network expansion is essential for stronger academic performance, but this means the reduction in peer abuse or peer rejection, and the increase in peer acceptance and positive peer treatment. Bush et al found that students who receive peer abuse or peer exclusion report school avoidance, low classroom participation, and poor academic performance. Sanchez also concluded how much more important for students from immigrant or low-English speaking families to establish teacher, staff, administrator relationships. These student-school personnel relationships can help to counteract unsupportive parental and family relationships that do not provide students the kind of social capital necessary for them to get to the next step in the academic realm (e.g. college admissions, standardize exams ). The formation of strong relationships with school personnel also increases the sense of safety inside and outside of the school for students (Sacco and Nakhaie, 2007).  In fact, Nation, Maury et al found that the disempowering relationships between students and teachers predict bullying/ victimization (Nation et al 2008, 228). Thus, positive interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers enhance the social environment and lends critical for Latino students to establish for them to succeed.

• Race matters. Students are teased, harassed, and/or bullied in schools each day for being in some way or form “different.” Strong positive and negative associations are made with certain characteristics. Racial difference is a major identity that exerts effects on student’s experiences in school and on their degree of school identification. How students self-identify themselves racially translate into different experiences and interpretations of the social reality. In society today being Latino brings numerous of negative assumptions and pre-conceptions. The Stereotype Threat prevents students from fully being comfortable, respected, or engaged.
• Scholars have argued that racial identity affects the way individuals experience and interpret their social realities. The fear of being attacked because one is “different” is a common reason for both teachers and students to avoid school (Elliot, 1998). Being different is broadly defined along lines of race, religion, style of dress, sexual orientation, etc.  Racial identification is a major identity that impacts perception, interaction, and overall well-being. Steele claims that individuals experience the classroom environment differently based on their identity (Steele 1997). Racial identity formation especially is found to directly affect a student’s academic performance, regardless of socioeconomic status or skill level (Steele 1997, 622).  A student’s ability and self-confidence are impacted because of negative stereotype threat.  Steele found that even though the person might not internalize the stereotypes associated with their race, these stereotypes still have a negative effect on them. Latino is a racial-ethnic minority that are heavily associated with various negative stereotypes and assumptions, especially since the immigration occurring are prevalent. Edward found that immigrant students reported higher levels of stress. The stigmatization associated with racial minorities’ not only has a negative impact on students’ performance level, but, more importantly, it also affects the students’ degree of school identification. Many students stay home due to fears of exclusion, teasing, bullying, or harassment for being “different”, but this school avoidance has a rapid and detrimental affect on the student’s ability to succeed academically. Although high levels of discrimination-based stress are associated with lower self-esteem, school engagement has shown to counteract and reduce the level of discrimination stress (Edwards 2008, 34). Engagement is a coping mechanism. The degree to which an environment is safe and friendly, that is, civil, affects students’ and teachers’ decisions concerning whether or not to engage with school or to avoid it.

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

• No Child Left Behind Act: Mandates numerous of policy implementations to improved the disadvantage student’s academic performance those concerning: higher quality teachers and principles, limited English services enhancement, advance placement, drop-out prevention, civic education, and safer schools (tobacco, guns, and drugs).

• Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Advisory Committee provides advice to the Secretary on Federal, state, and local programs. Conflict resolution education is a large component of many programs. Four main strategies identified, (1) Peer Mediation Approach (2) Process Curriculum Approach (3) Peaceable Classroom Approach and (4) Peaceable School Approach. All with a goal of improving the climate.

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence                                                   http://www.preventinghate.org/

• Stephen Wesseler, Executive Director  ---------------------- 207-780-4756

• NSSC Review of Schools and Safety Research                                            http://www.schoolsafety.us/pubfiles/school_crime_and_violence_statistics.pdf

• National School Safety Center  ---------------------------------  805-373-9977

• The Civility Solution                                                                                   http://sites.jhu.edu/civility/civility_solution

• Dr. P.M. Fomi, Author at John Hopkins University ------- 410-516-8047

• National School Safety and Security Services                                              http://www.schoolsecurity.org/

• Kenneth S. Trump, President ------------------------------------ 216-251-3067

• National Crime Prevention Council                                                              http://www.ncpc.org/

• General Contact ------------------------------------------------------ 202-466-6272

• The Conflict Resolution Information Source                                                  http://www.crinfo.org

• Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess ------------------------------- 303-492-1635

• U.S. Department of Education                                                                    http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

• General Offices ---------------------------------------------- 1-8000-USA-LEARN

• National Center for Education Statistics                                                      http://nces.ed.gov/

• General Contact ------------------------------------------------------ 202-502-7300

• Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE)                                           http://www.nationalsave.org/index.php

• National Association of Board --------------------------------  866-343-SAVE   

• The School Violence Watch Network                                                          http://www.cybersnitch.net/schoolviolencewatch.htm

• Customer Relations ---------------------------------------------- 1-774-213-5194

• National School Violence Prevention Resource Center                                 http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/school.asp             

• no number

• Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning                                      http://www.seer.org/pages/eic.html

• No contact info  

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

• Sanchez, Bernadette, Olga Reyes, and Joshua Singh. “Makin’ It in College: The Value of Significant Individuals in the Lives of Mexican American Adolescents.” Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 5 (2006): 48-67.

• Saco, Vincent F., and Reza Nakhaie. “Fear of School Violence and the Amerliorative Efects of Student Social Capital.” Journal of School Violence 6 (2007): 3-25.

• Elliot, Delert S., Beatrix A. Hamburg, and Kirk R. Williams, eds. Violence in American Schools. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

• Steele, Claude M., “A Threat in the Air: How Stereotype Shape Intellectually Identity and Performance.” American Psychologist Journal (1997): 613-629. 

• Stereotype Threat: “It is a situational stereotype—a threat in the air—that, in general form, can affect the members of any group about whom a negative stereotype exists” (Steele 1997, 614). 

• Additional Sources of Information useful from the above spcified webstite used as soruces

• http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.htm

• http://www.schoolsecurity.org/index.html

• http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/actguide/action_guide.pdf

• http://www.seer.org/extras/execsum.pdf