Breadcrumb
- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Ending Housing Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals and Families
This HUD website maintains a list of states that enumerate sexual orientation and gender identity in their state fair housing laws. It also provides information and resources to report housing discrimination.
Key Policy Letters from the Education Secretary and Deputy Secretary
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a letter to public school districts about LGBT bullying. He specifically states that GSAs are protected under the 1984 Equal Access Act, which protects student-initiated groups.
Transgender Students Share School Experiences with ED Officials
ED invited a group of transgender students to speak about their school experiences at a roundtable discussion with Secretary Duncan and senior officials. Students described what makes them feel safe and supported in the learning environment, specifically providing recommendations related to proper bathroom and locker utilization, appropriate name and pronoun use, and the elimination of the school to prison pipeline.
Resource: Guidance to Help Schools Ensure the Civil Rights of Transgender Students
This joint guidance (PDF, 9 pages) provides information to help educators ensure all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex. The guidance also addresses the treatment of students’ gender identity, response to harassment, students’ participation in sex-segregated activities, and students’ privacy.
21st Century Community Learning Centers
This program supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low performing schools. The program: helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
AmeriCorps
Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups.
Neighborhood Networks
HUD created Neighborhood Networks in 1995 to encourage property owners to establish multiservice community learning centers in HUD insured and assisted properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal initiatives to promote self-sufficiency and help provide computer access to low-income housing communities. Neighborhood Networks centers are alike. With support from innovative public-private partnerships, Neighborhood Networks centers sponsor a range of services and programs. Nearly all centers offer job training and educational opportunities, and many also provide programs that include access to healthcare information and microenterprise development.
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) supports the service-learning community in higher education, kindergarten through grade twelve, community-based organizations, tribal programs, and all others interested in strengthening schools and communities using service-learning.
Promise Neighborhoods
To address the challenges faced by students living in communities of concentrated poverty, Promise Neighborhoods grantees and their partner organizations will plan to provide services from early learning to college and career, including programs to improve the health, safety, and stability of neighborhoods, and boost family engagement in student learning.
You For Youth
This site helps youth professionals connect and share resources with colleagues, provide professional development and technical assistance opportunities, and offer tools for program improvement. The site provides information focused on afterschool programs.
Recent Events: AfAmWomenLead Initiative
This blog post describes the African American Women Lead (AfAmWomenLead) Initiative, established by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans to support the development of Black women and girls. On March 12, 2016, AfAmWomenLead participating organizations throughout the country engaged in a day of service, celebrating cultural experiences and exploration.
A Climate for Academic Success: How School Climate Distinguishes Schools That Are Beating the Achievement Odds
This report, published by WestEd and funded by the Department of Education, describes a study that analyzed data from more than 1,700 public schools in California. The study found that schools that “beat the odds,” meaning their students performed better on standardized tests than predicted on the basis of student demographics, had more positive school climates, thus adding to the growing body of evidence that suggests a relationship between school climate and academic success.
Archived Webinar: School Climate Webinar Series: Enhancing Peer-to-Peer Relationships to Strengthen School Climate
The Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center, supported by the Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students, delves into the importance of fostering healthy student-to-student relationships in the webinar, “Enhancing Peer to Peer Relationships to Strengthen School Climate.” This resource is meant to help administrators, teachers, support staff and student support personnel in creating a nurturing learning environment.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2013
This annual report provides current statistics on crime in schools. The report covers 22 indicators of school crime from several sources. Topics include victimization at school, teacher injury, bullying and cyberbullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, and student perceptions of personal safety at school.
Materials from the National Leadership Summit on School Discipline and Climate
The National Leadership Summit on School Discipline and Climate provided an opportunity for state and local teams of educators, judicial and court staff, child welfare stakeholders, law enforcement personnel, community members, and youth to share best practices, deepen partnerships, and develop concrete steps to advance school discipline and juvenile justice reform in their communities. Materials from this Summit — including presentations, resources, worksheets, and state and local data — are available online.
School Climate and Discipline Guidance Package
The Departments of Education and Justice created a guidance package to help schools, districts, and states understand the issue of discriminatory school discipline and the role they play in improving school climate and administering student discipline without discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
Supportive School Discipline Initiative
This brief describes the work of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (PDF, 2 pages) and features links to online research, data collection, funding, and related resources, including the school discipline guidance package.
Suspension and Expulsion Patterns in Six Oregon School Districts
This report, produced by Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest, provides information about the use of exclusionary discipline in six selected urban districts in Oregon during the 2011-2012 school year. The report identifies the frequency and reasons for the discipline, the percentages of students receiving multiple suspensions, and the number of school days lost due to suspensions. The report also examines the application of exclusionary discipline at different grade levels and by student gender, race/ethnicity, and special education status.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2014
The 17th in a series of annual publications, ”Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2014” presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and postsecondary institutions. This report covers topics such as victimization, teacher injury, bullying and cyber-bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability, student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.
Educators Gather at the White House to Rethink School Discipline
Teams of superintendents, principals, and teachers from across the country gathered on July 22, 2015, for "Rethink Discipline," a daylong conference at the White House on creating positive school climates and implementing effective discipline practices. As part of the conference, new resources and initiatives were announced to assist school leaders in their efforts to reduce suspensions and expulsions, and provide school environments that are safe, supportive, and conducive to teaching and learning.
Sweating the Small Stuff is Key to Improving School Climate and Discipline
Written by a principal at a school in New York City, this blog post describes how “sweating the small stuff” can lead to a positive school culture that allows students, faculty, staff, and families to feel supported and successful.
Guide: Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline
This guide provides schools and school districts with the tools to assess and systematically address disparities in school discipline. It describes how to carry out a descriptive analysis of disparities in school discipline and how to conduct a root cause analysis to systematically address school-based factors that contribute to disparities.
Resource: Build a Safe Environment
This information helps teachers and school administrators build a classroom and school environment where all students feel safe and bullying is not acceptable.
Brief: School-Based Physical Fitness and the Link to Student Academic Outcomes and Improved School Climate
This brief (PDF, 10 pages) outlines the growing body of evidence that suggests physical activity and physical education offered during the school day are linked to children’s healthy development and academic achievement, and have the potential to positively impact school climate and conditions for learning in schools.
Report: Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2015
This report presents the most recent data on school crime and student safety. Topics covered include victimization at school, teacher injury, bullying and cyberbullying, school conditions, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and a special spotlight section on juveniles in residential placement facilities.