What's Happening

By Kaleigh Cornelison, MSW | July 21, 2023

Headlines about the risks and negative impacts of social media use for adolescents are seemingly everywhere, which can lead to daunting conversations for caring adults. As you lean into these conversations with young people, consider these five strategies to open those lines of communication.

By The ETR Team | June 26, 2023

At a time when violent anti-trans rhetoric is extremely prevalent, helping trans youth foster resilience can dramatically change their health outcomes both now and later in their lives. We’re thrilled to share a few science-based tips that you can use with the trans youth you serve from the Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook by Anneliese Singh, PhD, LPC, which is now available in the ETR Store.

By Lauren Ranalli, MPH | August 9, 2022

What do you remember from your own experience of going through puberty? For many of us, it was a time of confusion, excitement, embarrassment, anxiety, anticipation, and a mix of other emotions. Here are 5 messages we as trusted adults can use to help our students, patients, or program participants get through this challenging time.

By John Shields, PhD, MSW | July 1, 2022

The US Department of Education released new proposed Title IX regulations on June 23^rd, 2022, the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in K12 and post-secondary schools. Read more about these new regulations and our recommendations from our K12T9 team.

By Stephanie Guinosso, PhD, MPH | March 9, 2022

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress represent an urgent public health issue in the United States. In this new blog post, experts from ETR and the California School-Based Health Alliance describe emerging practices and barriers and facilitators to implementing trauma-informed care, ACE screening, and care coordination for the prevention and treatment of toxic stress in school-based health centers.

By John Shields, PhD, MSW | May 14, 2021

How well are K-12 schools doing in implementing Title IX regulations? ETR’s K12T9 Initiative conducted an analysis of 100 randomly selected regular public school district websites from the 19,406 districts downloaded from the US Department of Education to research more into the availability of Title IX information on district websites -- and here is what we found.

By Lauren Ranalli, MPH | May 5, 2021

When it comes to social media and mental health, it’s common to first think about the negative link between the two. However, social media can also provide a great benefit to adolescents and young adults, especially when it comes to connecting with friends and family or staying up to date on current events. Learn more about how educators, health care providers, and youth-serving professionals can support young people in having a healthy relationship with social media.

By Lauren Ranalli, MPH | March 17, 2021

As educators, we know that our students’ social and emotional well-being is intricately tied to their academic success. Now with students starting to transition back to the classroom, it feels more important than ever to ensure schools are supporting the social and emotional health of young people in our communities—and we can do that through our health education choices

By Suzanne Schrag, BA | February 8, 2021

Being able to recognize warning signs of unhealthy or abusive relationships and knowing how to access resources for help are critical components of preventing teen dating violence. But there is an additional focus you can include in a lesson to deepen the learning and reach adolescents with more of the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves safe. 

By Mia Barrett, MEd | November 11, 2020

Talking about birth control options is the bread and butter for many sex educators—handing out charts that list each method, pointing out failure rates, busting myths.  Whether you are new to the field or have been at this for a while, your "Birth Control 101” lesson might need a fresh spark.  Here are three ways to help young people get the most out of your class.  

By Pamela Anderson, PhD | September 12, 2019

I literally love this book! I think everyone should read it. Shafia Zaloom is offering a unique new resource, and it’s fabulous.

I’m a developmental psychologist and researcher specializing in adolescent romantic relationships. That means I’ve seen plenty of books for parents and educators on how to have conversations with teens about sex and relationships. There are some great resources out there—and this is one of my new favorites for a number of reasons.

By Suzanne Schrag | September 5, 2019

An insight from a recent training: I’ve been writing a series of blog posts on the key skills for health literacy outlined in the National Health Education Standards (NHES). I’ve looked at how ETR’s HealthSmart program addresses six of these skills: Analyzing Influences, Accessing Resources, Interpersonal Communication, Decision Making, Goal Setting and Advocacy.

But, for some reason, a post around skill number seven—Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors—has been harder for me to conceptualize and write. A recent experience suddenly gave me a new perspective on how to think and talk about this important component of a comprehensive health education program.

By Chloe Sorensen | September 3, 2019
Founder, Youth United for Responsible Media Representation

When I was a student at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, there was a youth suicide cluster in our community. By the time I graduated, I had lost five of my peers, including a close friend. Overwhelmed by grief and fear and unsure of how to move forward, I sought a way to channel my pain into action.

Halfway through my sophomore year, I found myself speaking at school board meetings and in other forums, advocating for the needs of students.

By Laiah Idelson, MSPH | June 4, 2019

What happens when a motivated, creative group of high school juniors and seniors is asked, “How might we use technology to create an innovative solution to improve the mental health of young people?”

To answer this question, our team conducted nine workshops from January through April this year. Seventy-seven juniors and seniors at De Anza High School in Richmond, CA, joined in. 

By John Shields, PhD, MSW | April 30, 2019

Journalist Tyler Kingkade’s recent story for The 74 is such a disturbing read that it appropriately includes this warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault involving children. Still, it’s critical that you do read and understand it. You will see that there’s an immense amount of uphill work we must do to protect K-12 students from sexual and gender-based assault and harassment.

By George Weiner | April 18, 2019
Co-Founder and CTO, Power Poetry

A single poem—a simple combination of well-chosen words—can liberate a young person's soul. "A great poem is no finish to a man or woman, but rather a beginning," wrote Walt Whitman.

It is in this spirit of new beginnings that the To Be Heard Foundation (TBH) carries forth its mission: to educate youth through heightened literacy. We seek to empower youth as individuals, within their communities, and as social activists through a mastery of reading, writing and expression of poetry. The foundation sponsors the work of two core programs, Power Writers and Power Poetry.

By Jamie Sparks, MA | April 8, 2019

This week, health and physical education leaders and teachers from across the country are descending on Tampa, Florida. They’re heading in for the the annual SHAPE America National Convention and Expo.

I am excited and humbled that my first official convention as a part of the ETR team will also be the moment I step into my role as president of SHAPE America. Receiving the news last year in Nashville that my peers had selected me as president-elect was the highest honor in my professional career.

By Teagan Drawbridge-Quealy, MEd & MSW | April 4, 2019
Get Real Trainer, Planned Parenthood League of MA

Here in the Northeast, it feels like winter might just be fading. Spring is coming, and with spring, the end of the school year is just around the corner. For many educators the start of spring also means the start of sex education in their health classes, coinciding with the changing of seasons. Maybe there is something to the “birds and the bees” after all!