"A startling examination of how girls are disadvantaged in America's schools, grades K-12"--Page [9].

This study investigates secondary school students' experiences of sexual harassment--and all the bullying, teasing, and touching it entails--and compares the results with those of the 1993 study "Hostile Hallways: The AAUW Survey on Sexual Harassment in America's Schools." Topics in the survey include students' knowledge and awareness of sexual harassment, personal experiences with sexual harassment in their school lives, and the emotional and behavioral impact of these experiences. A nationally representative sample of 2064 public school students in 8th through 11th grades was interviewed. Using self-administered questionnaires, 1559 students were surveyed during an English class, and 505 students were surveyed online. Students' answers were analyzed, where possible, to identify any difference by gender, race/ethnicity, grade level, and area of school. As in 1993, nearly all students say they know what sexual harassment is, and they provided their own definitions when asked. Major findings reveal the following: significant numbers of students are afraid of being hurt or bothered in their school lives; sexual harassment is widespread in school life; school sexual harassment has a negative impact on students' emotional and educational lives; students today are more likely than those in 1993 to say their schools have a policy or distribute literature on sexual harassment; nearly all students surveyed know what sexual harassment is; the most upsetting examples of sexual harassment in school life involve speech as well as actions; a sizeable minority of students reports high levels of sexual harassment in school; most experiences involve students harassing students, although many experiences involve school adults harassing students; and slightly more than half (54%) of students say they have sexually harassed someone during their school lives. Contains 29 figures and an afterword. Appended is the research methodology with additional figures. (BT)

Providing an indispensable resource for students investigating sexual harassment in the United States, Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook is a comprehensive summary of history, current events, possible solutions, and resources. Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the topic and connected issues. In addition to discussing the background and history of sexual harassment, it analyzes related problems and controversies and gives possible solutions. It also provides additional perspectives on sexual harassment by contributors and sketches of people and organizations, as well as documents, resources, and a timeline. This volume covers workplace harassment; street harassment; harassment in schools, the military, and prisons; and cyber harassment. The format gives readers a well-balanced perspective on this timely topic with multiple viewpoints showcased in essays by contributors who have experienced sexual harassment, adding depth and relevance. The volume discusses the history of sexual harassment and brings the topic to the present day, and additionally covers recent events and people who have been in the news while putting them in context. Readers can see how laws and awareness of sexual harassment have changed. Additional resources are provided to guide those who wish to further investigate the topic.

Bullying and harassment threaten academic achievement and mental health in our schools. Look beyond your work with individual students to address these problems in their larger context! This book presents enlightening empirical studies and reviews of the literature on peer harassment, bullying, and victimization. Designed to expand our knowledge and understanding of these topics, Bullying, Peer Harassment, and Victimization in the Schools: The Next Generation of Prevention documents the widespread nature of the phenomena both inside and outside the United States, identifies risk and protective factors, and provides practitioners with specific, evidence-based guidelines for effective preventive action. From the editors: The problem of bullying, peer harassment, and victimization is a serious one in our schools. It greatly affects the climate for learning and productivity and the emotional health of students and staff. This book presents empirical data and theoretical and legal case reviews to show how pervasive and serious these problems are and how they threaten both academic achievement and mental health within many of our schools. Taking a longitudinal and developmental perspective, the authors begin to outline the next generation of research in this field that will shape knowledge and practice for the next few decades. For practitioners, the book is a call to action, particularly at the school-wide level, focusing on reducing the substantial social/emotional harm done to perpetrators, bystanders, and especially, victims. Bullying, Peer Harassment, and Victimization in the Schools provides vital information on: what mental health professionals can do to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in schools the relationship between middle-school adjustment and bullying aggressive behavior and friendship patterns in immigrant children school-based intervention strategies the relationship between the cultures of childhood and sexual harassmentfrom developmental, domestic violence, and legal perspectives risk factors and protective factors affecting victimization and more! It has been estimated that bullying affects more than half of the students in American schools. This book can add significantly to your ability to combat and prevent this pervasive problem. Use it to improve the quality of education received by students in your community!

An authoritative reference that discusses the history of sex education and its ramifications in the United States. Community and school officials, parents, and educators often stay to the wee hours of the night at PTA meetings arguing about sex education and sexual behavior among young people. While some groups preach abstinence and attempt to sign as many youngsters as possible to their rosters, it remains a fact that 50 percent of U.S. teenagers, beginning at age 15, are sexually active. Sex, Youth, and Sex Education is a wonderfully crafted resource that gives not only a statistical overview of sexual activity in schools, but also examines sex education, the scourge of sexual violence in schools, and sexuality among selected groups of youngsters. What emerges is a groundbreaking work for educators and students of sociology, psychology, and education. This work brings to light the fascinating—not to mention ubiquitous—world of sexuality among today's youth and its impact on parents, school personnel, policymakers, and society.

All men may be created equal in the United States - but more than 30 years after Congress proposed the Equal Rights Amendment, can the same be said for women? Elusive Equality offers a clear understanding of how government institutions - the executive branch, Congress, and state legislatures, as well as the federal courts - affect the legal status of women. Surveying the judicial and public policy issues central to the identification - and protection - of women's rights, Susan Mezey traces the developing legal parameters of gender equality. From early court rulings that prohibited employment discrimination and sexual harassment through today's decisions on reproductive rights and same-sex relationships, Mezey analyzes the broader political context within which critical judicial decisions have been made.

Grounded in research and extensive experience in schools, this engaging book describes practical ways to combat bullying at the school, class, and individual levels. Step-by-step strategies are presented for developing school- and districtwide policies, coordinating team-based prevention efforts, and implementing targeted interventions with students at risk. Special topics include how to involve teachers, parents, and peers in making schools safer; ways to address the root causes of bullying and victimization; the growing problem of online or cyberbullying; and approaches to evaluating intervention effectiveness. In a large-size format with convenient lay-flat binding, the book features helpful reproducibles, concrete examples, and questions for reflection and discussion. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series.

Addresses current legal and psychological issues involved in campus and workplace violence, specifically sexual misconduct, and offers best practices for organizations seeking to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct. Based on an idea conceived at a conference for the International Coalition of Sexual Harassment, this book offers up-to-date information about sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct in academic and workplace settings, as well as legal and guidance updates and best practices that discuss prevention methods. The chapters are written by noted attorneys, campus and workplace consultants, and other scholars who have assisted in collecting incident data and have thought leadership to offer. Chapters address how workplaces and campuses respond to forms of violence as well as the impact of sexual harassment on individuals, bystanders, and organizations. Readers will learn about topics such as the "Not Alone" initiative—a result of President Obama's Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault—and the history of Titles VII and IX legislation the United States. The editors have compiled resources that address the cultural and social views of sexual harassment, the history of sexual misconduct on campuses and in organizations, and sample organizations at the national level that deal with prevention, advocacy, and legal guidance for students and employees.