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"I just don’t know what to do about Jordan," confessed Mary, whom I’d just met. I don’t know if she was confiding in me because I teach English or because that’s just what one does at a nail salon. “Last year, he spent hours filling his journals and talking about being a writer when he grew up. Now he hardly writes at all. He says he’s not any good at it.”

My student was trying to act like he wasn’t smart. He told his parents that being smart meant not having cool friends. When test time came, he simply made random patterns with the bubbles on his standardized test, scoring one of the lowest scores in the sixth-grade class. The following year, he made a fresh start by earning one of the highest scores on the pretest. I knew I was in for a fight or, rather, a battle that would culminate with a full-on war to maintain. One I hoped to win.

This toolkit for “Controlling the Student Body” offers a set of recommended resources for improving school policies and school climate.

Greg arrived at my art room after school to pick up a bulky project. He seemed down. “Is everything ok?” I asked.

Sports rivalries can energize school spirit. But keeping events respectful takes a dynamic blend of foresight, leadership and buy-in from the community.

Chaotic classrooms distract students and lead to educator burnout. Our toolkit can help you consider a fresh approach to classroom management.

National Mix It Up at Lunch Day may be over, but promoting friendship at school is a priority all year.

My day begins supervising fourth-grade recess. It’s a nice way to ease into being in the school building, where I often cringe at how we insist that small children stay tethered to their chairs for so many hours in a row.

One-size-fits-all appearance policies cannot work in our increasingly diverse schools.