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Name-Calling on the Campaign Trail and in the Schoolyard

Article
Schoolyard Bullies
June 20, 2016 This is not the first presidential election where candidates have engaged in name-calling and put-downs. Throughout history, name-calling has been used on the campaign trail to label, define and control the public’s perception of rivals. However, this year’s campaign is widely regarded as unparalleled in the degree and regularity of the put-downs. From “Low Energy Jeb” to “Crooked Hillary,” “Crazy Bernie,” “Insecure…
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Biking—and Walking—to Fight Hate

Article
by: David Robbins May 11, 2016 Ed Blumenthal is fighting anti-Semitism and hate with everything he’s got—including his legs. His late father, Ernie Blumenthal, escaped from Nazi Vienna in 1938, but luckily found a home in Philadelphia. His grandfather barely escaped some time later. To honor the memory of his father, who died recently from pancreatic cancer, and to raise awareness of that illness and of anti-Semitism and hate, Ed rode his bike from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, a…
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Labeling Behavior, Not People

Article
Definition of Language image
May 03, 2016 With 22% of students ages 12 – 18 years old currently reporting having been a target of bullying, concerns about bullying in schools have motivated hundreds of books to be written and a wide variety of programs to be designed and implemented with the goal of turning the tide of bullying. Many of these books and programs aim to change the behavior of “bullies.” And herein lies one of the problems that makes it so challenging to change the dynamic of bullying. …
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Respect is a Summer Camp Essential

Tools and Strategies
Summer Camp Diverse Kids Sitting on Grass
A Guide for Counselors and Camp Administrators For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Summer camp is a wonderful time in children’s lives when they get to spend time outdoors, meet new people, have novel experiences and gain insight into themselves. There are about 12,000 day and resident camps in the U.S. and each year more than 11 million children and adults attend camp. According to an American Camp Association (ACA) report, parents cite the following reasons as the…
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6 Ways to Be an Ally (In English and en Español)

Tools and Strategies
Female and Male Students Holding Cellphones Debating
For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | For Students Here are some simple things you can do to be an ally to targets of name-calling and bullying. And remember—always think about your safety first when deciding the best way to respond. 1. Support targets, whether you know them or not.Show compassion and encouragement to those who are the targets of bullying behavior by asking if they’re okay, going with them to get help and letting them know you are there for them…
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Finding the Balance: Countering Extremism and Combating Stereotypes

Tools and Strategies
High School Students Group Discussion
Young people are exposed to discussions of extremism every day through social media, news and overheard conversations between adults. As an educators, the topic can be challenging to teach because the situation is always changing and evolving and worse--classroom conversations can themselves lead to stereotyping, bias and bigotry when discussing perpetrators, targets and victims.  The following resources will help you teach about extremism while ensuring that the…
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ADL Poll: Record Numbers of Israeli Youth Experience Anti-Semitism on Social Media and Online

Press Release
Jerusalem, February 24, 2016 … Nearly four in every five teenagers living in the State of Israel have encountered anti-Semitism on social media and online, the highest level recorded in three years, according to a new survey of Israeli Jewish teens released today by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The poll of 500 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18, conducted in Hebrew by the Israeli polling company Geocartography, found that record numbers of Israeli youths are being exposed to…
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ADL Commends Department of Education’s Renewed Commitment to Prevent Bullying and Harassment

Press Release
New York, NY, January 5, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed a Department of Education (DoE) letter sent to school districts and colleges and universities across the country which reminded them of their obligations to prohibit discrimination based on actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin. The “Dear Colleague” letter calls for schools to ensure safe spaces for students especially “at risk” during these times – including…
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Now More Than Ever: Why We Need to Address Inequity and Justice in Schools

Article
Diverse Students Holding Sign, "Can We Talk About Equity"
October 28, 2015 We live in an increasingly pluralistic, multicultural and connected world. In order to prepare students to live, learn and eventually work successfully in society, we need to prepare them.  Diversity in the United States is rapidly increasing, especially among young people entering our school system. 2014 was the first school year when more children of color were enrolled in U.S. public schools than white children. However, the diversity of our teaching force is…
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Why Is It Important to Teach Young Children to Appreciate Diversity?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Although children are not born with prejudice, by early childhood they have already acquired stereotypes or negative attitudes toward those that they perceive as “others.” An article in The Buffalo News reports that about 85 percent of the brain develops between ages 3 and 5, and that impressions and ideas formed between ages 2 and 4 are lasting (Lessons in Respect, 2003). Researchers tracking the…
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How Can Outdoor Play Increase Children’s Anti-Bias Skills?

Tools and Strategies
Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Children’s outdoor play offers many opportunities to teach and reinforce anti-bias behavior. To get you started, incorporate some of the below tips excerpted from Bias-Free Foundations: Early Childhood Activities for Educators (2005, 28): Take advantage of these opportunities by helping children to learn skills such as taking turns, sharing toys and inviting new children to play. For example,…
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Identity-Based Bullying

Lesson Plan
Girl Student in Class Being Bullied
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Writing, Speaking & Listening SEL STANDARDS*: Self Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making Bullying is a major problem in our schools. When it targets aspects of a person’s identity, it is called identity-based bullying, and may include bias about appearance, race, culture, gender and gender expression, language, religion, socioeconomic status,…
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National Bullying Prevention Month

Tools and Strategies
Pupils Friends Teasing a Pupil Standing Alone
October is National Bullying Prevention Month National Bullying Prevention Month is an opportunity to reflect on the classroom and school culture and assess the extent to which bullying is part of that culture. It is a time to examine best practices when it comes to creating respectful school environments that foster inclusion and respect. The large body of research on effective responses to name-calling and bullying concurs that schools and other educational institutions can best…
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Embracing Technology, Challenging Cyberbullying

Article
by: Oren Segal July 29, 2014 If you have been reviewing any number of parenting or education blogs lately, you’ll see headlines proclaiming the menace and dangers of technology.  Technology, and more specifically, social media and mobile apps are often treated like “monsters” to guard against and the creators of all matter of social ills.  Even if technology is scary and daunting to some adults, for youth it is a necessary and positive part of life.  In…
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Teachers Teasing Youth is No Joke, It’s Bullying

Article
by: Mark Onofrio March 17, 2014 A teacher raises his hand in A World of Difference® Institute training and says, "I like to kid around with my students." He says, "I like to have fun in my class so they are more likely to come to me when they need help."   He calls one student his “favorite Mexican,” another student “Dopey” and the only African-American student “MLK” (short for Martin Luther King Jr.) This well-intentioned…
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Establishing a Safe Learning Environment

Tools and Strategies
2 girls talking
For Educators In many of ADL’s lesson plans and activities, students are challenged to explore and articulate their personal feelings about sensitive topics including segregation, discrimination, and the value of diverse school communities. Talking about themes related to diversity requires that students demonstrate maturity and compassion for others. In conjunction with social justice curricula, it is therefore recommended that teachers use service learning, conflict resolution,…
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‘That’s So Gay’: Language That Hurts, and How to Stop It

Article
January 21, 2014 The phrase "that’s so gay" has persisted as a way for students to describe things they do not like, find annoying or generally want to put down, while it is promising that fewer students are hearing homophobic slurs than in previous years. The phrase is used so commonly that many students no longer recognize it as homophobic because it is “what everyone says.” When educators and other adults intervene, common student responses include “I was just…
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Just Ask the Kids About Bullying

Article
by: Mark Onofrio January 07, 2014 Youth are the real experts on what is happening in bullying on school campuses, and yet their voices, perspectives and leadership are rarely integrated into bullying prevention programs. “Just ask the kids” is the tagline for a new book highlighting research from the Youth Voice Project, the first large-scale research project on bullying and peer mistreatment that did exactly that—ask the kids (more than 13,000 teens in 31 schools). …
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