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Study finds bullying is linked to higher anxiety and depression, but school connectedness helps reduce impacts.
Hawaii allocates $8 million to improve student safety through the Safe Routes to School program.
Princeton camp teaches AI to students from low-income families to bridge digital divides.
Research and Practice
BMC Public Health: Peer Bullying Victimization, Psychological Distress, and the Protective Role of School Connectedness among Adolescents
In the United States, approximately 20% of youth are victims of bullying, which has been consistently linked to increased rates of depression and anxiety. The present study uses information from over 2,000 students to measure the relationship between peer bullying victim experiences and mental health outcomes, and how school connectedness and extracurricular involvement can impact this relationship. Results indicate that peer bullying victimization was linked to increased anxiety and depression symptoms. This relationship was more significant for adolescents who were bullied at age 15 compared to age nine. School connectedness, but not extracurricular involvement, impacted the relationship between bullying experienced during adolescence and rates of depressive symptoms, with students having higher school connectedness being less mentally impacted by bullying. The study highlights practical implications for schools to increase connectedness to foster peer relationships.
K-12 Dive: Severe Weather Eroding School Finances and Learning
Natural disasters are occurring more frequently, which has an impact on children’s ability to learn in school. A new report from NWEA found that for every day students are out due to hurricanes and wildfires, they experience an average of 3.6 days of instructional loss. Similarly, students in schools without air conditioning and a 1-degree warmer school year have a 1% reduction in learning. Extreme weather events also impact students’ mental health, leading to increased rates of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and depression, and worse physical health outcomes. These impacts are higher for families of color and from more disadvantaged backgrounds; for example, Black and Hispanic students’ test scores decreased due to extreme heat at a rate three times higher than those of white students. The report suggests several actions for states and school communities to take, including investing in school infrastructure and expanding mental health resources.
Policy
The 74 Million: Trump Administration Takes on School Emails as Parental Rights Issue
The U.S. Department of Education recently resolved a 2013 complaint: Should parents be allowed to read staff emails about their children? The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) asserts that parents have the right to inspect their children’s educational records. However, courts have disputed whether emails should be considered a part of it, as they can be difficult to track and easily deleted. Despite rulings, families continue to request email files from school districts, which is often an expensive process, and the emails are usually heavily redacted. In March, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon issued a statement reminding schools about FERPA guidance, signaling possible changes in parents’ rights to access internal school communications about students, including those regarding student mental health and wellbeing.
Governing: Hawaii’s $8 Million Push to Get Kids Walking Safely to School
Hawaii schools will receive $8 million to make it easier for students to walk or bike to and from school. The money is from the Safe Routes to School fund and will support improvements to infrastructure, including raised sidewalks and better lighting. The state’s largest elementary school in Waipahu will receive funding from a $1 million project to install crosswalks, curb ramps, and other elements. The Safe Routes to Schools program was created by Congress 20 years ago to address traffic and pedestrian safety, and was dormant until 2023. The infrastructure improvements across the state are currently focused on students who live within a one-mile radius of the school, which encompasses 75% of Hawaiian residents. While the program was intended to serve low-income communities, future funding and initiatives will work to reach students who live further from schools, as a lack of transportation typically leads to higher rates of chronic absenteeism.
Around the Nation
NPR: An AI Divide is Growing in Schools. This Camp Wants to Level the Playing Field
Research has shown that there is a digital divide in technology education between affluent and less-resourced districts, which has continued in the new age of AI. A summer camp hosted by Princeton University invites 30 high school students from low-income families to learn about the math behind generative AI. One lesson for the students was learning how AI can help drones fly more efficiently, and how math can account for unknown variables, such as the impact of weather on flight. Participants of the program expressed wanting to be part of who is building AI, and that coming from under-resourced areas can position them to better solve challenges facing their communities. Educators have mixed opinions on the benefits of AI in the classroom, and almost half of Generation Z students believe that AI impacts their ability to critically evaluate information. However, many agree that as AI becomes more widespread in education spaces, students should learn how to use AI in a hands-on way.
The Washington Post: In Phone-Free Schools, Analog Entertainment Brings Lunchrooms to Life
34 states and Washington D.C. have passed laws restricting phone usage in schools. These new policies were informed by concerns over student mental health and distractions from technology. Now, in the new school year without phones, educators have noticed shifts among students. Spaces like the lunchroom have become much louder, with students playing “analog” forms of entertainment and interacting more with their peers. In Dayton, Ohio, students can be found playing classic games, like Pay Day, cards, and chess. In Poughkeepsie, New York, students can play with a jumbo Connect Four set, an air hockey table, and “old-school” arcade games, which, as the principal noted, lets them “continue to be kids.” One student shared that the phone bans let them see “a lot more people being outgoing and finding people to talk to when they might not have in the past.”
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