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Man, am I just a total killjoy? I struggled today with a decision whether or not to dress up for Spirit Week. Monday was Crazy Sock Day; Tuesday, crazy shoes. Yesterday was Crazy Tie Day. All of those I could absolutely get behind. But I wasn’t so excited by the plan for Thursday—“Nerd Day.”

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

My colleagues thought my teaching Lord of the Flies was “perfect.” My seventh-grade class is two-thirds male. The group contains several strong personalities and many “followers,” who often mimic bad behavior. Last year, teachers struggled with this group, several instances of bullying, and a developing culture of negativity. I saw the power struggles on the first day of school and knew I had to address them early.

“I'm just not good at math,” my daughter grumbled under her breath. I was surprised. Where did she get that idea, I wondered. As far as I can remember she has loved numbers and was quick to pick up math concepts. However, I began to see her confidence slowly wither and her frustration rise. It started in the 2nd grade. And, now, she sat at the kitchen table with pencil in hand, ready to give up, convinced she just couldn't do it anymore.

The Civil Rights Act outlawed hiring discrimination, segregated public schools and public spaces and discriminatory voter registration policies, paving the way for future civil rights legislation.

Michelle Alexander wrote The New Jim Crow to start conversations about race and mass incarceration in the United States. This toolkit develops student vocabulary about these themes and challenges them to create interview questions for another author who writes about social justice.

Teacher bullying is terrifying and harmful to students. This toolkit helps you reflect on the realities of bullying and how you can work against it.

Charter schools tailored to the needs of newly arrived immigrants are getting a lot of attention. But are they working? And will they lead to a new kind of segregation?

Careful planning, thoughtfulness and alliances will help educators avoid the pitfalls of Black History Month.