BULLYING AND CORPORAL PUNISHMENT:
A CYCLE OF HOSTILITY IN AMERICAN CLASSROOMS
Last week the United States Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter to provide guidance to elementary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities, on their responses to bullying and harassment. The guidance is a good start; however, the real challenge is the broader educational environment we create for our children. Thanks to a variety media rich efforts, we may be reaching a critical mass of people discussing ways to change the public school system to better prepare young people for life growing up, becoming a part of society, working in a highly competitive world, becoming a parent themselves. It finally seems to be a sexy conversation. All too often, however, the debate surrounding school improvement and education reform fails to address the critical non-academic barriers that interfere with students ability to learn. We must eliminate the obstacles, such as bullying and corporal punishment, that undermine the ability of students to achieve their full potential.