You’re Invited: School Climate and California LGB Youth Issue Briefing
Webinar
Date: Friday, February 1
Time: 10:00-10:30 AM PST
A new issue brief from Kidsdata reports startling disparities among California youth based on sexual orientation. Across many indicators of health and well being, lesbian, gay and bisexual youth reported troubling behaviors and consequences at about twice the rate of straight youth. Learn about the latest research on school climate and its impact on health and well being of LGB youth. Also, hear a young person’s perspective on her high school experience as part of the LGB community. Audience Q&A is highly encouraged. Speakers will be available for questions immediately after the 30-minute briefing.
Attendees are encouraged to review Kidsdata Issue Brief: Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in California prior to the briefing.
Speakers
Jenny Betz
School Climate Specialist, WestEd
Jenny Betz is a School Climate Specialist in WestEd’s Health & Justice Program, where she engages with schools and districts to improve school climate and wellness. With more than 18 years of experience in the nonprofit sector — local, regional, national, and international — Jenny has a passion for social justice and building the capacity of education stakeholders to ensure safe, affirming, and inclusive learning environments for all. Prior to joining WestEd, Jenny was the Director of Education & Youth Programs at GLSEN, leading national campaigns, programs, and resource development addressing LGBTQ issues in K-12 schools. A native of the Bay Area, Jenny earned a BA in English at St. Mary’s College and an MA in gender/cultural studies at Simmons College, and serves as a member of the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) Board of Directors.
Hannah Herrick
Student, University of California, Berkeley
Hannah Herrick is a sophomore at UC Berkeley with an intended major in Social Welfare and minor in LGBTQ studies. She identifies as bi/pansexual. Hannah is a youth services volunteer with the Pacific Center for Human Growth, the oldest LGBTQ center in the Bay Area. She leads discussions and provides peer support for LGBTQ youth at local middle schools. Hannah is also a member of Bear Closet, a community-based organization at UC Berkeley focused on making the LGBTQ community more accessible to questioning and closeted youth.
Youth in Schools Data
Youth in Schools Data Available on Kidsdata
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Troubling Data on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in California
The Kidsdata Issue Brief: Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in California highlights findings from our latest data release on youth in schools.
Disparities among youth based on sexual orientation are startling. Across many indicators of health and well being, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth in California reported negative behaviors and consequences at about twice the rate of straight youth. Alcohol and drug use were higher, feelings of depression were more common, and skipping school was more frequent among LGB youth.
Addressing these issues early through policies and programs that promote a positive school climate can help mitigate these behaviors and their effects. By maximizing public funding streams, providing enhanced health care services, and integrating systems of support, all students, including LGB students, can experience better long-term health and well being.
Read and share the issue brief »
Issue Briefing: School Climate and California LGB Youth
Date: Friday, February 1
Time: 10:00-10:30 AM PST
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Learn about the latest research on school climate and its impact on health and well being of LGB youth. Also, hear a young person’s perspective on her high school experience as part of the LGB community. Audience Q&A is highly encouraged. Speakers will be available for questions immediately after the 30-minute briefing.
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Proposed Immigration Rule Change Would Harm California Children
A proposed rule change in immigration policy would harm children’s health and well being. Currently, federal officials assess how likely an immigrant is to receive certain public benefits as a part of visa applications and status adjustments, also known as the “public charge test.” The proposed change would expand the types of services that officials can use to inform decisions on immigration status. Immigrant families are eligible for these services, but fear of compromising their status may prevent them from utilizing much needed assistance. This could result in significant decreases in enrollment from Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other public aid programs critical to children’s health.
The Children’s Partnership, Population Reference Bureau and Kidsdata collaborated to assess the impact of this proposed immigration rule change on California’s children. Findings are summarized in the new issue brief, The Trump Administration’s Proposed Public Charge Rule Would Harm Children’s Health and Punish Families.
Estimates include:
- 269,000 to 628,000 children would lose coverage from Medicaid, CHIP, or other means-tested public health insurance
- the uninsured rate among all children statewide would rise from 3% to between 5% and 8%
- 113,000 to 311,000 children would lose access to SNAP
The analysis was modeled after the Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief, Potential Effects of Public Charge Changes on Health Coverage for Citizen Children, but expands the analysis to non-citizen children and narrows the focus to California counties. Based on this analysis, we can expect worsened chronic health conditions, increased food insecurity, and heightened anxiety among the undeniable results of not addressing medical and social needs when they arise.
Public comment in the federal registry is open until December 10. Provide comment at regulations.gov.
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Fostering Resilience at School
Resilience is a process of adapting positively to lasting adversity and is strengthened through safe, stable, and nurturing environments. For youth, it can reduce the effects of adverse experiences. Youth can build resilience by learning how to develop and strengthen socio-emotional skills when faced with a challenge. A key place to foster resilience is in schools where so much of a child’s academic and social learning takes place.
How well are California schools fostering resilience among youth? In 2013-2015, about 25% of school staff in elementary and middle schools reported that resilience is fostered a lot at school, compared with 21% of high school staff and 35% of staff in non-traditional schools. These percentages increase substantially when including the staff who reported that resilience is fostered “some” at school (e.g., 78% of elementary school staff report that resilience is fostered some or a lot at school), however fostering resilience at school some does a disservice to youth who may need support the most. Youth will benefit throughout their lives from a school environment where the skills to build resilience are fostered a lot.
This data release is a part of Kidsdata’s Youth in Schools series. In partnership with WestEd, we are featuring data from the California Department of Education’s California Healthy Kids Survey.
Data in Action
Data Briefing: New Data on Youth in Schools
Thursday, November 8 at 10 am PST
Join us for a 30-minute webinar on our newest suite of data. Learn how the largest statewide surveys of school climate, risk behaviors, and protective factors in the nation informs us of how children are faring in California. We will also provide an overview of how to access the data. Audience questions are highly encouraged. Register.
Start A Conversation in Your Community on Adverse Childhood Experiences
Ariane Marie-Mitchell, a professor from Loma Linda University in Claremont, CA, helped start a conversation on the lack of trauma-informed schools in her community. Using data on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) from kidsdata.org, she highlighted the importance of building resilient schools to schools staff, parents, and school board members.
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Data Briefing: New Data on Youth in Schools
Webinar
Date: Thursday, November 8
Time: 10:00-10:30 AM PST
Kidsdata, in partnership with WestEd, recently released a comprehensive suite of data on youth in schools in more than a dozen topics, from bullying and cyberbullying to school climate, school safety and student support. These data come from the 2013-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) and California School Staff Survey (CSSS). Learn about the largest statewide surveys of school climate, risk behaviors, and protective factors in the nation and how to access the data. Audience questions are highly encouraged. Speakers will be available for questions immediately after the 30-minute briefing.
Speakers
Lori Turk-Bicakci, PhD
Senior Manager, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
Lori Turk-Bicakci is a senior manager at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. She oversees kidsdata.org, a publicly-available data resource on children’s health in California. Dr. Turk-Bicakci ensures that the data and information are high-quality, relevant, and user-friendly, and she works with researchers and advocates across California to address key children’s health issues. Before becoming a researcher, Dr. Turk-Bicakci taught social studies in middle school. She holds a PhD in sociology from University of California, Riverside and a teaching credential from University of California, Davis.
Thomas L. Hanson, PhD
Program Director, Health & Justice Program, WestEd
Thomas L. Hanson, PhD, serves as Director of WestEd’s Health and Justice Program, which works to strengthen the capacity of institutions throughout the community to provide the supports, knowledge, and skills all people need to succeed – especially those in the most challenging circumstances. He directs the California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey System (CalSCHLS) project. CalSCHLS – which consists of a suite of psychometrically sound student, staff, and parent surveys – was developed by the California Department of Education to assess all major domains of school climate and safety; learning engagement; youth strengths and needs; and developmental risk and protective factors at the local level.
About
Kidsdata.org, a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, is a public resource with wide-ranging data on children’s health in California.
WestEd is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research, development, and service agency. WestEd aims to improve education and other important outcomes for children, youth and adults.
Youth in Schools Data
Youth in Schools Data Available on Kidsdata
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The Generational Effects of Childhood Adversity
Childhood Hardships Among Women Who Recently Gave Birth, 2013-2014
Almost half of women in California who recently gave birth in 2013-2014 had experienced adversity as children. Childhood hardships, including family hunger, parental substance abuse, and basic needs not being met, can influence long term emotional health and impact the next generation. Mothers who had experienced childhood adversity are more likely to have feelings of depression during and immediately after pregnancy, and unaddressed maternal depression can have life-long consequences for their children.
According to a data brief (PDF) from the California Department of Public Health, over 25% of women who experienced four or more childhood hardships developed postpartum symptoms compared with 10% of women who did not experience hardships as children. Women who are identified early and receive appropriate treatment, particularly during pregnancy, can mitigate the impact of postpartum depression and engage positively with their child. Children of women who have been identified should have well-child care that carefully monitors their psychological and social development.
Learn more about childhood adversity and resilience »
Data in Action
Webinar: Using Kidsdata for Action
Family Voices of California is hosting a Kidsdata webinar to focus attention on children with special health care needs. Learn about the types of data that are available and how to access and use them to promote action and optimize children’s health and well being. Wednesday, October 24, 12:00PM – 1:00PM PDT. Register here.
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Quick Tip: Data Overview Guide
Our Data Overview Guide provides a complete list of all the topics available on kidsdata.org. You can quickly view popular data breakdowns for each topic from demographics like income, race/ethnicity and age to regions, including national, state, county, city, school district and legislative district. Also, see the earliest timeframe available for the topic to assess change over time.
Get more information like this overview by visiting kidsdata.org/about.
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School Climate and Children’s Health
Students with Low Levels of School Connectedness, by Race/Ethnicity, 2013-2015
A positive school climate is an important factor that defines effective schools. When school climate is positive, students are more likely to succeed academically and engage in healthy behaviors. A key measure of school climate is level of school connectedness, which takes into account if students feel happy, safe, close to people, and a part of school, and that teachers treat them fairly.
Improving school climate is a promising strategy to narrow achievement gaps among groups of students. However, student groups experience school climate differently. For example, in California, higher percentages of African American/Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native students report low levels of school connectedness in 2013-2015 (15% and 14%, respectively) compared with Asian and White students (both 8%). In addition to race/ethnicity, gaps also exist by parent education level and sexual orientation. By creating an inclusive, safe, and academically challenging school climate and utilizing targeted interventions for some groups, we can expect improved academic and health outcomes for all students.
California law now requires school districts to address school climate as part of the Local Control and Accountability Plans. Learn more about policy and practice recommendations to nurture a strong school climate.
This data release is a part of Kidsdata’s Youth in Schools series. In partnership with WestEd, we are featuring data from the California Department of Education’s California Healthy Kids Survey.
Data in Action
See Kidsdata at the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) conference in Sacramento on September 25th where we will discuss identifying inequity to target interventions.
Recently Released Data
We are continuously updating our data. Click the links below to see the latest:
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Youth in Schools Data Available on Kidsdata
A comprehensive suite of data, Youth in Schools, includes new and updated indicators across more than a dozen topics from the viewpoint of California’s students and school staff. These data are available for state, county, and school district levels, and student-reported data are easily customizable by grade level, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, parent education level and level of school connectedness.
Youth in Schools data come from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) and California School Staff Survey (CSSS), the largest statewide surveys of school climate, risk behaviors, and protective factors in the nation. This data release is made possible by a partnership with WestEd who developed and administered these surveys for the California Department of Education.
Explore behaviors, identify disparities, and take action with hundreds of findings about Youth in Schools at your fingertips.
A complete list of Youth in Schools data is below. Learn more about the data, including helpful webinars, in our A Deeper Look section.
List of Youth in Schools Data
Access to Services for Children with Special Needs
Bullying and Harassment at School
- Bullying/Harassment
- Bias-Related Bullying/Harassment
- Disability as Reason for Bullying/Harassment
- Gender as Reason for Bullying/Harassment
- Race/Ethnicity or National Origin as Reason for Bullying/Harassment
- Religion as Reason for Bullying/Harassment
- Sexual Orientation as Reason for Bullying/Harassment
- Cyberbullying
- Student Bullying/Harassment Is a Problem at School (Staff Reported)
Children’s Emotional Health
- Depression-Related Feelings
- Students Who Are Well-Behaved (Staff Reported)
- Student Depression or Mental Health Is a Problem at School (Staff Reported)
- School Emphasizes Helping Students with Emotional and Behavioral Problems (Staff Reported)
Demographics
Family Structure
Gang Involvement
Health Care
Nutrition
Physical Fitness
- Physical Education and Activity Opportunities at School (Staff Reported)
- Students Who Are Healthy and Physically Fit (Staff Reported)
Pupil Support Services
- School Provides Adequate Counseling and Support Services for Students (Staff Reported)
- School Provides Services for Substance Abuse or Other Problems (Staff Reported)
- School Collaborates with Community Organizations to Address Youth Problems (Staff Reported)
School Attendance and Discipline
- Reasons for School Absence in Past Month
- Truancy (Student Reported)
- Truancy or Cutting Class Is a Problem at School (Staff Reported)
School Climate
- Academic Motivation (Student Reported)
- School Connectedness (Student Reported)
- School Supports (Student Reported)
- Caring Relationships with Adults at School (Student Reported)
- High Expectations from Adults at School (Student Reported)
- Meaningful Participation at School (Student Reported)
- Students Who Are Motivated to Learn (Staff Reported)
- School Motivates Students to Learn (Staff Reported)
- School Is a Supportive and Inviting Place to Learn (Staff Reported)
- Adults at School Care About Students (Staff Reported)
- Adults at School Believe in Student Success (Staff Reported)
- School Welcomes and Facilitates Parent Involvement (Staff Reported)
- School Gives Students Opportunities to Make a Difference (Staff Reported)
- School Fosters Youth Resilience or Asset Promotion (Staff Reported)
- Students Respect Each Other’s Differences (Staff Reported)
- Cultural or Racial/Ethnic Tension at School (Staff Reported)
School Safety
- Perceptions of School Safety
- Fear of Being Beaten Up at School
- Physical Fighting at School
- Carrying a Gun at School
- Carrying a Weapon Other Than a Gun at School
- Perceptions of School Safety for Students (Staff Reported)
- Perceptions of School Safety for Staff (Staff Reported)
- Student Physical Fighting Is a Problem at School (Staff Reported)
- Student Weapons Possession Is a Problem at School (Staff Reported)
Youth Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use
- Alcohol/Drug Use in Past Month
- Alcohol/Drug Use on School Property in Past Month
- Alcohol Use in Past Month
- Alcohol Use in Lifetime
- Binge Drinking in Past Month
- Drinking and Driving or Riding with a Driver Who Has Been Drinking
- Cigarette Use in Past Month
- Cigarette Use in Lifetime
- E-Cigarette Use in Past Month
- E-Cigarette Use in Lifetime
- Marijuana Use in Past Month
- Marijuana Use in Lifetime
- Student Alcohol and Drug Use Is a Problem at School (Staff Reported)
- Substance Abuse Prevention Is an Important Goal at School (Staff Reported)
- Substance Use Prevention Education Is Provided at School (Staff Reported)
Youth Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury
A Deeper Look
Issue Briefing: School Climate and California LGB Youth
Click the image to view the recording and slides:
Issue Brief: Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth in California
Click image to view brief:
Data Briefing: New Data on Youth in Schools
Data Briefing Recording:
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Children of Immigrant Families
Children Living with One or More Foreign-Born Parent, 2016
Federal immigration policies and rumors about impending policies have a bigger impact on children in California than on children in most other states. In California, nearly half of children have at least one foreign-born parent. In contrast, this group accounted for about one-quarter of all children in the United States. In California, odds are youth sense the rising fear and uncertainty of family stability at home or in their community, which over time can have negative impacts on emotional and physical health.
The direction of current immigration policy may have unintended consequences beyond harming child health and well being. Without immigrant parents, the United States would have about one-million fewer children (PDF, pg. 10), adding to an already documented shortage of children relative to adults. Fewer children means increasingly serious consequences for supporting the future labor force and sustaining an aging population. Each child — regardless of country of origin — is more important to our future than ever before. The health and well being of all children should be our nation’s priority.
Data in Action
Children’s Partnership and the California Immigrant Policy Center share research findings and identify actions to support healthy development of children in immigrant families in The Effect of Hostile Immigration Policies on Children’s Mental Health.
Recently Released Data
We are continuously updating our data. Click the links below to see the latest:
- Children Living in Limited English-Speaking Households (65,000 Residents or More)
- Children Living with Foreign-Born Parents (65,000 Residents or More)
- Children Living with Foreign-Born Parents, by Income Level (65,000 Residents or More)
- Foreign-Born Population, by Age Group (65,000 Residents or More)
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