Research & Analysis

The fight against hate never rests. Get the latest up-to-date analysis on current events
related to our work battling hate and extremism.

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Labeling Behavior, Not People

Article

May 03, 2016 With 22% of students ages 12 – 18 years old currently reporting having been a target of bullying, concerns about bullying in schools have motivated hundreds of books to be written and a wide variety of programs to be designed and implemented with the goal of turning the tide of bullying. Many of these books and programs aim to change the behavior of “bullies.” And herein lies one of the problems that makes it so challenging to change the dynamic of bullying. …

May 03, 2016

6 Ways to Be an Ally (In English and en Español)

Tools and Strategies

Female and Male Students Holding Cellphones Debating

For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers | For Students Here are some simple things you can do to be an ally to targets of name-calling and bullying. And remember—always think about your safety first when deciding the best way to respond. 1. Support targets, whether you know them or not.Show compassion and encouragement to those who are the targets of bullying behavior by asking if they’re okay, going with them to get help and letting them know you are there for them…

April 22, 2016

Finding the Balance: Countering Extremism and Combating Stereotypes

Tools and Strategies

Young people are exposed to discussions of extremism every day through social media, news and overheard conversations between adults. As an educators, the topic can be challenging to teach because the situation is always changing and evolving and worse--classroom conversations can themselves lead to stereotyping, bias and bigotry when discussing perpetrators, targets and victims. The following resources will help you teach about extremism while ensuring that the…

April 18, 2016

Now More Than Ever: Why We Need to Address Inequity and Justice in Schools

Article

Diverse Students Holding Sign, "Can We Talk About Equity"

October 28, 2015 We live in an increasingly pluralistic, multicultural and connected world. In order to prepare students to live, learn and eventually work successfully in society, we need to prepare them. Diversity in the United States is rapidly increasing, especially among young people entering our school system. 2014 was the first school year when more children of color were enrolled in U.S. public schools than white children. However, the diversity of our teaching force is…

October 28, 2015

Words That Heal: Using Children's Literature to Address Bullying

Lesson Plan

Library books on a table with a book open to the center

Engage students in exploring the topic bullying in the U.S., using children's literature as a foundation for discussion.

May 07, 2015

Cyberbullying: Understanding and Addressing Online Cruelty

Lesson Plan

Engage students in understanding and exploring cyberbullying and the issues raised by online bullying.

December 12, 2014

Identity-Based Bullying

Lesson Plan

GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Writing, Speaking & Listening SEL STANDARDS*: Self Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making Bullying is a major problem in our schools. When it targets aspects of a person’s identity, it is called identity-based bullying, and may include bias about appearance, race, culture, gender and gender expression, language, religion, socioeconomic status,…

June 09, 2014

Embracing Technology, Challenging Cyberbullying

Article

by: Oren Segal July 29, 2014 If you have been reviewing any number of parenting or education blogs lately, you’ll see headlines proclaiming the menace and dangers of technology. Technology, and more specifically, social media and mobile apps are often treated like “monsters” to guard against and the creators of all matter of social ills. Even if technology is scary and daunting to some adults, for youth it is a necessary and positive part of life. In…

July 29, 2014

Teachers Teasing Youth is No Joke, It’s Bullying

Article

by: Mark Onofrio March 17, 2014 A teacher raises his hand in A World of Difference® Institute training and says, "I like to kid around with my students." He says, "I like to have fun in my class so they are more likely to come to me when they need help." He calls one student his “favorite Mexican,” another student “Dopey” and the only African-American student “MLK” (short for Martin Luther King Jr.) This well-intentioned…

March 17, 2014

Establishing a Safe Learning Environment

Tools and Strategies

For Educators In many of ADL’s lesson plans and activities, students are challenged to explore and articulate their personal feelings about sensitive topics including segregation, discrimination, and the value of diverse school communities. Talking about themes related to diversity requires that students demonstrate maturity and compassion for others. In conjunction with social justice curricula, it is therefore recommended that teachers use service learning, conflict resolution,…

February 14, 2014

‘That’s So Gay’: Language That Hurts, and How to Stop It

Article

January 21, 2014 The phrase "that’s so gay" has persisted as a way for students to describe things they do not like, find annoying or generally want to put down, while it is promising that fewer students are hearing homophobic slurs than in previous years. The phrase is used so commonly that many students no longer recognize it as homophobic because it is “what everyone says.” When educators and other adults intervene, common student responses include “I was just…

January 21, 2014

Just Ask the Kids About Bullying

Article

by: Mark Onofrio January 07, 2014 Youth are the real experts on what is happening in bullying on school campuses, and yet their voices, perspectives and leadership are rarely integrated into bullying prevention programs. “Just ask the kids” is the tagline for a new book highlighting research from the Youth Voice Project, the first large-scale research project on bullying and peer mistreatment that did exactly that—ask the kids (more than 13,000 teens in 31 schools). …

January 07, 2014

Lorella Praeli: United We Dream Network

News

November 18, 2013 CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS A dynamic young leader in the immigration reform movement, Lorella Praeli first met ADL after she was bullied in school. My first exposure to ADL was just after graduating from middle school in Connecticut. I’d gone through a really ugly experience with cyberbullying at a time when no one knew what to do about it, plus I had my own self-doubts about being a Latina with a disability. The training for ADL’s Names Can Really Hurt Us program…

November 18, 2013

ADL Workshop Cultivates Ally Behavior Online

Article

by: Mark Onofrio January 18, 2013 Over the past few years the media has covered many stories about cyberbullying and its detrimental effects on youth. The research, and our own experiences, make it clear that cyberbullying hurts the youth targeted and creates a negative experience for those who witness the behavior. We also know that youth are often targeted online because of their identity, including their weight, real or perceived sexual orientation, gender expression,…

January 18, 2013

The Trouble With Make Me a “Stereotype”

Article

by: Mark Onofrio January 11, 2013 Applications for smartphones and tablets have become an emerging segment of the online and entertainment industry. As with videos, blogs and social networking platforms which came before, Apps are now being created that some consider funny, but which actually cross the line from humorous to offensive. Recent examples include two free apps on Google called “Make Me Asian” and “Make Me Indian,” that allow users to edit…

January 11, 2013

Challenging Biased Language

Tools and Strategies

On a daily basis—in the lunchroom, at the grocery store, in school hallways, in our political rhetoric and even at home—people hear and sometimes use words and phrases that demean, ridicule, offend or show ignorance about people from different groups and backgrounds. Regardless of whether the comments are deliberately malicious, said because the person lacks knowledge, or thought to be "a joke," such words are harmful and not only impact those on the receiving end but also everyone…

September 07, 2012