Grades may suffer when teens get bullied
Researchers compared the grade point averages (GPAs) of 9590 students from 580 US high schools. The students were asked if they experienced bullying in grade 10. Compared to kids who were not bullied, kids who were bullied experienced a 0.049 drop in their GPA between grades 9 and 12, according to the study. Read more in U.S. News & World Report.
Study: Teen users of Facebook, MySpace more likely to drink, use drugs
Teens who regularly log onto social networks are considerably more likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana than teens who don’t visit the sites, says a new study. Teens could feel peer pressure when they see images of their friends engaged in these activities. Read more at EdWeek (register to read the complete story).
Bullying affects a quarter of high school students
About 5 percent of high school students reported being threatened with harm, and 6.6 percent were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on. Most of the bullying occurred in school hallways, stairwells, or in the classroom. Less commonly, students were bullied in the bathroom or locker room, in the school cafeteria, or on the school bus. Read more on this U.S. News & World Report blog.
School bullying has bigger effect on Latino, black students
If all victims of school bullying tend to get lower grades, the effects are even worse on high achieving black and Hispanic students, new research shows. Check out this Fox News report.
Special PBS series examines kids and media
We’ve all been there before. Whining kids at a grocery store with their dad, they can’t sit still until finally the dad hands over his iPhone, and peace is restored. Kids are growing up with media all around them, from computers to smartphones to tablets to flat-screen TVs. And even in households without as many screens, kids find ways to get their media fix at school, the library or at friends’ homes. We decided to do another in-depth special report focused on “Kids & Media” all this week on MediaShift, and likely into next week. Check out the PBS series.
District keeps students on the bus until safe walking route built
In the past 50 years, the number of students who walk to school in Colorado has dropped to less than 15 percent from about 60 percent. Having more children walking to school could help decrease childhood obesity and improve attention in school. Read more in the Denver Post.
Preteens and young adults embrace rude, crude online culture
Exploring the frontiers of newfound freedom, many tweens and teens quickly embrace the raunchy, rude lingo of cyberspace, casually flinging insults, obscenities and taunts that make their chat room sound like a barroom.
“Foul language is just what is popular,” said Rachel Carrasquillo, a junior at St. Francis High School in Mountain View. “I think half of the stuff people say on Facebook they’d never say face-to-face.” Read more in the San Jose Mercury News.
Ex-Broomfield High students sue Travis Masse, BVSD over ‘sustained pattern of sexual harassment’
Ex-teacher and wrestling coach Travis Masse’s inappropriate behavior toward female students dates back to 2001, and officials turned a blind eye to it for years, according to a federal lawsuit filed by three former Broomfield High students against the school and the Boulder Valley School District. Read more in the Daily Camera.
About our First Person series:
First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others trying to improve public education. Read our submission guidelines here.