The National Institute Of Justice Grant To Train Principals About Bullying Mizzou Researchers To Study Bullying

By Susan E. Sagarra, Urban News Service

With a $4.1 million grant to research bullying, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) may be better equipped to help principals battle the age-old scourge of schools.

The grant is controversial because some scholars believe that some anti-bullying programs actually can go too far.

“Bullying was undeniably a problem that needed to be brought out of obscurity, but the issue has arguably now gotten too much attention,” Christopher Ferguson, an associate professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida, wrote.

“Such hype can lead to other problems such as the use of bullying accusations themselves as weapons in peer conflicts and overly harsh ‘zero tolerance’ policies that over punish minor infractions and may exacerbate the isolation that can lead to bullying in the first place.”

The National Institute of Justice, a federal agency, awarded the grant so the Mizzou researchers can study  Safe and Civil Schools. a widely used anti-bullying program. The program was created more than 15 years ago, and currently is in use in schools in Dallas and Houston, Texas, Jacksonville, Fla., and other cities. The grant will allow the program to be implemented and analyzed in 60 middle and high schools in the Puget Sound region of Washington state over the next four years. 

Keith Herman, co-director of the Missouri Prevention Center and a professor in the Mizzou department of educational, school and counseling psychology, will lead a team of five researchers.

If proven successful, the program could be recommended to the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and individual state education departments as a standard model of anti-bullying training for principals across the country.

“Training for principals and educators varies across the country,” Herman said. “Some receive a three-hour class while others have ongoing training. There are a lot of training programs for principals, but as far as I know, they have never been evaluated beyond people’s perception of how well the programs work.”

More than 22 percent of children from ages 12-18 say they have been bullied in school within the last month, while 17 percent of high school students say they have seriously considered attempting suicide within the last year, according to a Nov. 14 University of Missouri press release.

“The education system hasn’t done a great job of training principals to manage all aspects of school safety,” Herman said. “Our goal is to identify a program that improves school safety. By applying scientific methods, we can determine if this program is effective and worth implementing in schools across the country.”

The researchers will conduct an efficacy study of Safe and Civil School Leadership plus START, a professional development program designed to equip school principals with the actual skills for fostering positive school climate and safety.

Sixty principals from secondary schools in the Puget Sound (Washington) Educational Service District with high rates of disruptive behaviors will be recruited to participate. The PSESD includes 35 school districts in King and Pierce counties, with 397,000 students from rural, suburban, and urban settings with a wide range of socio-demographic characteristics.

The team will collect school records and principal, teacher, and student ratings of school safety, climate, student compliance, and leadership behavior. The researchers will gather baseline data about each school’s safety climate, such as physical safety, emotional safety, the rate of bully victimization, and other factors.

Herman said he does not anticipate getting the program mandated via federal and state education laws. Rather, he said he hopes the program can be presented to educators as a best practices model.

“I want to make the information from the study widely available for others to make decisions in terms of education policy, whether it proves to be good or bad,” Herman said. “I don’t think we would ever try to legislate it and say that all public schools have to use this program. But I would love to be able to show that it works and why it does and show how to get it implemented. If it makes a positive impact on students, and we give adults and students the skills and tools to make good decisions, it’s a win-win for society.”

An email and four voicemail messages to the National Association of Secondary School Principals were not returned.

Still, even critics acknowledge the harms that bullying can do, and credit the intentions of anti-bullying efforts.

One such, the St. Louis-based Megan Meier Foundation, was founded in 2007 by Tina Meier, whose daughter took her own life after being cyber-bullied by classmates. Meier and the foundation have spent the last decade trying to create positive change around the country to end bullying, cyber-bullying and suicide among students.

The foundation also works to tighten state laws addressing bullying and cyber-bullying in the educational setting. There is no federal law, but all 50 states have some kind of anti-bullying law. Some of the commonalities include procedures for administrators, teachers, parents and students to follow in identifying, reporting and punishing bullying.

Alex King, program manager for the foundation, said she could not comment specifically about the Mizzou study. However, she said anti-bullying programs need to take a comprehensive approach to the problem.

“Any prevention program needs to take a comprehensive approach,” King said. “It needs to involve the youths, parents, educators, counselors, school nurses, the janitor and cafeteria monitors. It’s a community approach. A janitor or cafeteria monitor might see more than others so they need to be trained. Whether it’s cyber or physical, bully prevention requires a comprehensive effort.”

Christopher Kirkpatrick

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Christopher Kirkpatrick, a local San Bernardino poet and English teacher at the PAL Charter Academy, recently published his 5th collection of poetry, In Case You Were Wondering. This new book includes selections from his other previously published works written over the past decade: Learning To See From The Blind, Mixed Metaphors, and I Don’t Know What To Tell You. His work has also previously appeared in various other magazines and literary journals such as Aleola, Chaff, Nourishment Notes, Clever Copywriting, and Time of Singing. His books are available on Amazon.com and from America Star Books.

By Lou Coleman

As we all know Worship is Celebration – A Celebration to be Experienced and a Celebration to be shared.

This is a call to all church music ministries to join us on the mountain top of worship, to come into God’s presence, and to stand before God’s throne. If your church music ministry would like to be a part of this great commission, please email a video of your music ministry in songs to walleniv@yahoo.com and/or colemanlou@hotmail.com.

“Worship is the goal of evangelism and evangelism is the fruit of worship.” Be a worshipper, but be a witness. Be one drawn into God’s presence, but also be one sent out into the world. [Gerrit Gustafson]

By Frances Grice

 Please join area children at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. statue ceremony Monday, January 16, 2017, starting at 10:30 a.m. at San Bernardino City Hall, 300 North D Street.

The Martin Luther King Restoration and Maintenance Committee is inviting the area youth, parents, and businesses to participate in the MLK Annual birthday celebration in downtown San Bernardino. The area youth elementary children will conduct the “Laying of the Wreath” program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The statue is the first bigger than life statue in the world, the vision of Dr. Gertrude Whetzel. Funding for the construction of the statue was spearheaded in 1971 by Mayor Bob Holcomb with donations by area residents from various races, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For many years, the statue served as the focal point in bringing together all cultures as a testament to Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy.

As you are aware, the City of San Bernardino entered into financial challenges that have prohibited the City from providing the statue with proper maintenance and repair for years. To address the need for annual maintenance of the statue, community residents came together and raised the needed resources to restore the statue which stands as a beacon of hope for area residents.

We are trying to reach out to as many elementary schools as we can to participate in this year’s event. Dr. King’s greatest motivation was to make the world better for our children. It would be an honor for the children to be the main focus on the program. If you have any further questions you may contact Frances Grice at fnetwrk@aol.com or Faye Pointer at fpoint1122@sbcglobal.net.

By Joandrea Reynolds

Initiation of positive change and progression brought members of Westside Christian Center together at City Hall on January 7 at 10 a.m. under hovering clouds in sixty degree weather participating in a walk to help restructure a community. Newness of hope was birthed for San Bernardino under the life changing inspirational leadership of Dr. Clyde A. Stewart, who speaks newness into existence and demonstrates belief in it for residents of not only this city but inclusive of all those surrounding.

By Naomi K. Bonman

Many of us watched, and probably got emotional, our 44^th President Barack Obama’s farewell address on Tuesday, January 10. Can you believe 8 years flew by!

The quote that struck out the most in Obama’s address was this one: “I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes, we can.” -President Barack Obama

Many of us watched, and probably got emotional, our 44th President Barack Obama’s farewell address on Tuesday, January 10. Can you believe 8 years flew by! The quote that struck out the most in Obama’s address was this one: “I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes, we can.” -President Barack Obama We have watched the girls, Malia and Sasha, grow up into beautiful and sophisticated young women. We have also watched in admiration of the chemistry and commitment that Michelle and Barack have towards one another. And as a country, although we still have a lot more to accomplish, we have seen countless accomplishments made by President Obama and his administration. More jobs gave been created that has brought the economy back to a much stable state, and millions of Americans now have affordable healthcare. I commend Barack for all his hard work and for staying strong and grounded with every racist and prejudice remark that was thrown against him. He proved the odds, that yes a Black man can become President or any other profession that others may try to deny him. Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia…you all will be sincerely missed. have watched the girls, Malia and Sasha, grow up into beautiful and sophisticated young women. We have also watched in admiration of the chemistry and commitment that Michelle and Barack have towards one another. And as a country, although we still have a lot more to accomplish, we have seen countless accomplishments made by President Obama and his administration.

More jobs gave been created that has brought the economy back to a much stable state, and millions of Americans now have affordable healthcare.

I commend Barack for all his hard work and for staying strong and grounded with every racist and prejudice remark that was thrown against him. He proved the odds, that yes a Black man can become President or any other profession that others may try to deny him.

Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia…you all will be sincerely missed.

Elizabeth Estrella

By Lue Dowdy

Singer, Elizabeth Estrella from the City of Rialto is What It DO!

Elizabeth Estrella lives in Rialto, California. She is sixteen-years-old and attends Etiwanda High School where she is currently a junior. Estrella is a 4.0 student and has received several awards for her academic achievements. She dreams of one day being a professional performer. Elizabeth attended The Musicians Institute Summer Shot Program where she composed an original song entitled,” I’m Yours.”

Elizabeth won the 99.1KGGI IE Salsa Festival and IE Taco Festival 2015 competitions, as well as the San Gabriel’s Got Talent competition at the age of 13. She is currently a member of an all-girl rock band named “Alive in the Lights” who performed at this year’s Riverside Festival of Lights. She wants to thank her family and friends for their support. Her mentors are her vocal coach JC Bentley and past teacher Charon Aldredge. Make sure you keep an eye out for this talent young lady.

Until next week L’z!

New Report on Future of Transportation Discusses Key Challenges in Southern California and Across the Country

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that California State University, San Bernardino has been selected as one of 18 institutions across the country to lead research on the major transportation challenges that our nation will face over the next three decades.

California State University, San Bernardino’s designation as a Beyond Traffic Innovation Center was announced on the same day that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released the final report, Beyond Traffic 2045. The report is the culmination of a two-year analysis of the transportation challenges presented by trends including population growth, increased freight shipping, and the movement of people into concentrated megaregions.

“In the next 30 years, our country will have 70 million more people competing for the use of our roads, transit and rail networks, and airports, and we are going to have to make some big choices about how we fund and prioritize transportation,” said Secretary Foxx. “The Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers will bring together researchers, students, and thought leaders to develop the ideas we need to keep Americans moving and build a transportation system that works for everyone.”

Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers are non-profit institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations which will promote study and thought leadership around the challenges raised in the Beyond Traffic report. Centers will convene leaders and other key decision-makers in each of the megaregions around the United States, as well as in rural communities, to discuss these challenges and coordinate related research, curriculum, outreach, and other activities.

As part of the research for the Beyond Traffic 2045 report, USDOT officials held a public forum with local leaders and stakeholders in Long Beach, California, on September 28, 2015, to understand the major issues that were facing people across the Southern California megaregion. The report released today notes that the region is home to some of the largest ports in the nation, and the population is expected to increase by over 61 percent to 39 million by 2050.

The full list of Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers and more information about Beyond Traffic 2045, including the full report, is available at: www.transportation.gov/beyondtraffic.

By Sheryl Estrada

“Hidden Figures” came in almost $2 million above expectations for its wide-release debut. The film has taken the top spot at the box office, slightly edging out “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

“Hidden Figures” sold $22.8 million in ticket sales at North American theaters this past weekend. The Walt Disney Company’s (No. 38 on the DiversityInc 2016 Top 50 Companies for Diversity list) “Rogue One” earned $22.1 million in its fourth weekend, according to Friday-to-Sunday box office revenue tallies released on Monday.

The film is based on the true story of a team of African American women, Katherine Johnson (played by Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), who provided NASA with important mathematical data at the start of the Cold War. The women computed trajectories needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions, including John Glenn’s famous 1962 voyage.

“Hidden Figures” had a limited release on Christmas Day but expanded by more than 2,400 locations on Friday. It received an A-plus grade from ticket buyers in CinemaScore exit polls. Forty-three percent of viewers were white, 37 percent were Black and 13 percent were Latino. Women made up 64 percent of the audience, while 56 percent of all ticket buyers were age 35 or older, according to The Hollywood Reporter. To date, the film has earned a total of $24.7 million against a $25 million budget.

Civil rights attorney Steve Phillips, keynote speaker at DiversityInc’s conference in September and author of the New York Times bestselling book “Brown Is the New White,” used the entertainment industry as an example of how highly talented people of color are often “hiding in plain sight” in the workplace.

He said the now widely famous Lee Daniels, co-creator of Fox’s “Empire,” and Taraji P. Henson, a star of the show, “were there all along, hiding in plain sight waiting to be believed in, invested in, promoted and empowered.”

From a Book Proposal to the Big Screen

The No. 1 film was inspired by the nonfiction book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race,” written by Margot Lee Shetterly. The Sloan Foundation awarded Shetterly a writing grant to complete the book.

FOX 2000 optioned the rights to the book based on her 55-page proposal. So, Shetterly was writing her book as screenwriters Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder wrote the screenplay at the same time. Melfi is also the director of the film. Pharrell Williams is a producer of “Hidden Figures” and a composer of its score.

During a discussion session in August at the joint convention of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in Washington, D.C., Shetterly said it was essential to support the film during opening weekend.

“Go to the movie theaters when it first comes out,” Shetterly told journalists.

She said it would make a powerful statement if people were to support the film and it became successful.

Actor Aldis Hodge, who plays Levi Jackson in the film, said “Hidden Figures” is about American triumph.

“Why do people go to those superhero films?” Hodge said. “We see the hero being that stand out guy or that girl who’s saving the world. This is nothing different.

“At the root of its core, this is about American triumph. The entire country benefited and still benefits from this accomplishment. So, this is a hero story for the country.”

View the trailer for “Hidden Figures”:

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

For “It was you who practice ungodliness; but now you want to turn around and spread error concerning the LORD…” [Isaiah 32:6] Quit blaming God for your problems! You ruined your own life by your own foolishness, not God! [Proverbs 19:3]. Man up and take responsibility for your actions and stop playing the blame game!

I tell you every time things go bad for us the first thing we want to do is blame someone else; just like Adam did. Adam explained his sin to God by saying, “It was the woman you gave me she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate,” forgetting all along that no one made him eat the fruit. He did not eat because his wife handed him the fruit. He ate because he chose to eat. He knew and understood what was expected of him and what he was not to do. He knew the consequences of his choice and he did it anyway. [Genesis 3:12] And Eve, she blamed the whole calamity on the serpent. “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” [Verse 13]. Instead of manning up neither one of them took responsibility for their own actions. I tell you holding God accountable for Satan’s work and your choice is simplistic and naive. Quit blaming God for your problems! The revelation of God being your solution, not your problem, is one that the people of the Old Testament did not have. However, we do have it today and we are responsible for it. So stop playing the blame game! Face up to your wrongdoing! “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1: 9]

I tell you, if you don’t have the revelation that God is not the source of your problems, the Bible is a locked book to you. Although God does at times test us in order to strengthen us and teach us to stand; the idea that God would be the source of our sin is warped and antithetical to his nature. I want you to know that David path to forgiveness began when he admitted his sin to God. He didn’t try to evade responsibility; he didn’t blame it on Bathsheba or anyone else. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” This is exactly what you need to do: ACCEPT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! Even though it is our human nature to blame others, our circumstances or even to blame God, there is no need for us to do so! God knows our sinful condition. He knows every sinful thing that we have done. And He is still willing to forgive us. If you want God to become a more powerful, helpful force in your life, learn to stop holding God responsible for Satan’s work and your choices. Wise indeed is the person who makes no attempt to either hide his sins or to blame others for them. There is great victory in honest and forthright confessing your sins and in accepting full personal responsibility for them. Doing this, you have the assurance [1 John 1:9].

Wisdom has sent out her invitation; will you heed the call and attend the feast? “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…. “[Deuteronomy 30:19]