Dear Safe Schools Coalition Members and Friends:
(1) Nominate someone to advise the federal government about education needs
(2) recent research: Criminal-Justice and School Sanctions Against Nonheterosexual Youth: A National Longitudinal Study (schools disproportionately punish LGBT
students)
(3) recent research: Sense of Belonging in Secondary Schools: A Survey of LGB and Heterosexual Students in Flanders
(4) recent research: School Environment and the Mental Health of Sexual Minority Youths: A Study Among Dutch Young Adolescents
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(1) Nominate someone to advise the federal government about education needs
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Regional Advisory Committees
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
ACTION: Request for nominations to serve on the Regional Advisory Committees.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (Secretary) invites interested
parties to submit nominations for individuals to serve on the Regional Advisory Committees.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) will be established by the Secretary and governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463, as amended; 5 U.S.C., Appendix). The Secretary is establishing
ten RACs, one in each region served by the Regional Educational Laboratories, in order to collect information on the educational needs of each region. The RACs will seek input regarding the need for the technical assistance activities described in section 203
of the Educational Technical Assistance Act (ETAA) and how those needs would be most effectively addressed. In order to achieve this purpose, the RACs will seek input from chief executive officers of States; chief State school officers; educators, including
teachers and administrators; local educational
agencies; librarians; businesses; State educational agencies; parents; and other customers. Not later than six months after each RAC is convened, it will submit a report to the Secretary. Each report will identify the educational needs of the region and
how those needs would be most effectively addressed. To the extent that he deems appropriate, the Secretary will consider these reports, and other relevant regional surveys of educational needs, in establishing priorities for the comprehensive centers.
[[Page 75672]]
Section 206(b) of the ETAA requires that the membership of each RAC contain a balanced representation of States in the region and include not more than one representative of each State educational agency
located in the region. The membership of each RAC may include the following: Representatives of local educational agencies, both rural and urban; representatives of institutions of higher education, including those that represent university-based research
on education and on subjects other than education; parents; practicing educators, including classroom teachers, principals, administrators, school board members, and other local school officials; representatives of business; and researchers. Each RAC will
be composed of approximately 12 members.
Nomination Process
Any interested person or organization may nominate one or more qualified individuals for membership. If you would like to nominate an individual or yourself for appointment to one of the RACs, please submit the following information to the Department's
White House Liaison Office:
A copy of the nominee's resume;
A cover letter that provides the reason(s) for nominating the individual;
Contact information for the nominee (name, title, home and business address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address); and
Specify the groups the nominee may qualify to represent from the following categories (list all that apply):
[cir] State educational agency.
[cir] Local educational agency (LEA).
Rural LEA.
Urban LEA.
[cir] Practicing educator.
Classroom teacher.
School principal.
Other school administrator.
School board member.
Other local school official.
[cir] Parent.
[cir] Institution of higher education.
University-based education research.
University-based research on subjects other than education.
[cir] Business.
[cir] Researchers.
In addition, the cover letter must state that the nominee (if you are nominating someone other than yourself) has agreed to be nominated and is willing to serve on one of the RACs. Nominees will be appointed based on technical qualifications, professional
experience, demonstrated knowledge of issues, and demonstrated experience, integrity, impartiality, and good judgment.
The Secretary will appoint members for the life of the Committee, which will span approximately five months. The committee will meet approximately five times during this period. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration
of the full term for which the member's predecessor was appointed will be appointed for the remainder of such term. Members will serve without compensation. However, members may receive reimbursement for travel expenses for attending Committee meetings, including
per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by the Federal travel regulations.
Each RAC will be composed of both representatives of organizations or recognizable groups of persons and Special Government Employees (SGEs). SGE members will be chosen for their individual expertise,
qualifications, and experience; they will provide advice and make recommendations based on their independent judgment and will not be speaking for or representing the views of any nongovernmental organization or recognizable group of persons.
DATES: Nominations for individuals to serve on the RACs must be submitted (postmarked, if sending by mail; submitted electronically; or received, if hand delivered) by January 5, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit nominations, including attachments, by any of the following methods:
Electronically: Send to:
WhiteHouseLiaison@ed.gov (specify in the e-mail subject line, ``Regional Advisory Committee Nomination'').
Mail, express delivery, hand delivery, messenger, or courier service: Submit one copy of the documents listed above to the following address: U.S. Department of Education, White House Liaison Office, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 7C109, Washington,
DC 20202, Attn: Karen Akins. Express mail or hand delivery is encouraged to ensure timely receipt of materials. For questions, contact Karen Akins, White House Liaison Office, at (202) 401-3677, at (202) 205-0723 (fax), or via e-mail at
WhiteHouseLiaison@ed.gov.
Dated: November 29, 2010.
Arne Duncan,
Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. 2010-30475 Filed 12-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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(2) recent research: Criminal-Justice and School Sanctions Against Nonheterosexual Youth: A National Longitudinal Study (schools disproportionately punish LGBT students)
Kathryn E. W. Himmelstein, BA, and Hannah Brückner, PhD
doi:10.1542/peds.2009-2306
PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online, 1098-4275).
WHAT’S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Nonheterosexual youth are vulnerable to a variety of health risks. In addition, anecdotal reports have suggested that they may be overrepresented among adolescents who have received a
variety of institutional sanctions.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: This is the first study to use a nationally representative, population-based sample to document that nonheterosexual youth, particularly girls, have greater odds than their peers of experiencing
school and criminal-justice sanctions.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Nonheterosexual adolescents are vulnerable to health risks including addiction, bullying, and familial abuse. We examined whether they also suffer disproportionate school and criminal-justice sanctions.
METHODS: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health followed a nationally representative sample of adolescents who were in grades 7 through 12 in 1994 –1995. Data from
the 1994 –1995 survey and the 2001–2002 follow-up were analyzed. Three measures were used to assess nonheterosexuality: same-sex attraction, same-sex romantic relationships, and lesbian,
gay, or bisexual (LGB) selfidentification. Six outcomes were assessed: school expulsion; police stops; juvenile arrest; juvenile conviction; adult arrest; and adult conviction. Multivariate analyses controlled for adolescents’ sociodemographics and behaviors,
including illegal conduct.
RESULTS: Nonheterosexuality consistently predicted a higher risk for sanctions. For example, in multivariate analyses, nonheterosexual adolescents had greater odds of being stopped by the police (odds ratio: 1.38 [P
.0001] for same-sex attraction and 1.53 [P .0001] for LGB self-identification). Similar trends were observed for school expulsion, juvenile arrest and conviction, and adult conviction. Nonheterosexual
girls were at particularly high risk.
CONCLUSIONS: Nonheterosexual youth suffer disproportionate educational and criminal-justice punishments that are not explained by greater engagement in illegal or transgressive behaviors. Understanding and addressing
these disparities might reduce school expulsions, arrests, and incarceration and their dire social and health consequences. Pediatrics 2011;127:49–57
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(3) recent research: Sense of Belonging in Secondary Schools: A Survey of LGB and Heterosexual Students in Flanders
Saskia Aerts, Mieke Van Houtte, Alexis Dewaele, Nele Cox, Johny Vincke
Unpublished, conference paper
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(4) recent research: School Environment and the Mental Health of Sexual Minority Youths: A Study Among Dutch Young Adolescents
Theo G. M. Sandfort, PhD, Henny M. W. Bos, PhD, Kate L. Collier, MPH and Marijke Metselaar, MA
AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jul 15, 2010
September 2010, Vol 100, No. 9 | American Journal of Public Health 1696-1700
© 2010 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.183095
Objectives. We examined whether structural elements of the school environment, in particular cultural pluralism and consistency and clarity of school rules and expectations of students, could mitigate the risk for mental health problems among young
sexual minority adolescents.
Methods. Data were collected in 2008 by means of a computer-based questionnaire completed at school by 513 young Dutch adolescents (12–15 years old) during regular class times. Eleven percent of these students,
who were enrolled in 8 different schools, reported having at least some feelings of same-sex attraction.
Results. Adolescents with same-sex attractions in schools where rules and expectations were experienced as less consistent and clear reported significantly more mental health problems than their peers with no same-sex attractions in the same schools.
Such differences were absent in schools where rules and expectations were experienced as more consistent and clear. There were no such effects of cultural pluralism.
Conclusions. Our results suggest that schools with consistent and clear rules and expectations mitigate the risk for mental health problems among students with same-sex attractions and underscore the importance of structural measures for the health
of sexual minority youth.
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