Sense of Belonging Critical for Students

July 9, 2020

Like all teen-agers, Black students need to feel like they belong, especially in school, where “belongingness” can impact mental health and future outcomes, according to a new paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

To help these students, teachers and administrators need to recognize and understand how racial oppression has undermined belongingness needs, according to the paper, “Why Black Adolescents Are Vulnerable at School and How Schools

Collaboration and Continued Education for STEM Teachers to Improve Outcomes

May 21, 2020

More than half of all children in the United States fail to meet basic proficiency scores in math and science.  New research in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences finds schools can bolster educational outcomes in STEM through a combination of teacher professional development and new curriculum materials.

“Without changes to classroom processes—what is happening in the classroom each day between teachers, students, and content—student learning

The Added Value of Latinx and Black Teachers

April 15, 2020

As Congress debates the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a new paper in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences urges lawmakers to focus on provisions aimed at increasing the numbers of Black and Latinx teachers.

Reviewing decades of
literature, authors Travis J. Bristol and Javier Martin-Fernandez report that Black
and Latinx students benefit socially, emotionally and academically from having
teachers who are the same race as they

Teaching Kids that Pop Music is Make Believe

February 26, 2020

If
your kids are listening to popular music—and they probably are—they most likely
are learning about things they shouldn’t.    

According to new research in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, more than half of all popular music contains sexual references: sexual identity, the objectification of women, permissive and risky sexual behaviors and sexual and gender violence.

Current education standards do not include