Mike Rose's Blog: New Report from UCLA: “School and Society in the Age of Trump”
Schools are porous institutions—what happens in society at large plays out in classrooms and hallways—so the disturbing findings of a masterful new report “School and Society in the Age of Trump” should not surprise. But they do, in their scope and severity. John Rogers and his colleagues (Michael Ishimoto, Alexander Kwako, Anthony Berryman, and Claudia Diera) at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access surveyed a representative sample of over 500 public high school principals from across the country and found that 89% report that “incivility and contentiousness in the broader political environment has considerably affected their school community.” Eight-three percent of principals note these tensions are fueled by “untrustworthy or disputed information,” and over 90% report students sharing “hateful posts on social media.”
Almost all principals rate the threat of gun violence as a major concern, and one in three principals report that their school received in the previous year threats of mass shooting or bombing or both. In schools with a sizable immigrant population, principals report the significant negative effects that federal immigration policy and its associated anti-immigrant rhetoric have on student performance and family stability. And schools that are in the areas of the country hardest hit by the opioid crisis are directly affected by addiction, overdose, and family devastation.
These extraordinary challenges interact and are cumulative. Over 90% of principals report confronting at CONTINUE READING: Mike Rose's Blog: New Report from UCLA: “School and Society in the Age of Trump” | National Education Policy Center
- Political division and hostility;
- Disputes over truth, facts, and the reliability of sources;
- Opioid misuse and addiction;
- The threat of immigration enforcement;
- The threats of gun violence on school campuses.
Our findings make clear that in the age of Trump, America’s high schools are greatly impacted by rising political incivility and division.
- Eighty-nine percent of principals report that incivility and contentiousness in the broader political environment has considerably affected their school community.
- Eighty-three percent of schools see these tensions intensified and accelerated by the flow of untrustworthy or disputed information and the increasing use of social media that is fueling and furthering division among students and between schools and the communities.
- Sixty-two percent of schools have been harmed by opioid abuse.
- Sixty-eight percent of the principals surveyed say federal immigration enforcement policies and the political rhetoric around the issue have negatively impacted students and their families.
- Ninety-two percent of principals say their school has faced problems related to the threat of gun violence
