Our nation’s postsecondary institutions are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students, faculty, and staff who live, work, and study on campus. Faced with emergencies ranging from active shooter situations to fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and pandemic influenza, this is no easy task. Many of these emergencies occur with little to no warning; therefore, it is critical for institutions of higher education (IHEs) to plan ahead to help ensure the safety and general welfare of all members of the campus community. IHEs face unique challenges in planning for potential emergencies in terms of geography, environment, governance, and the population served. Colleges and universities, including community colleges and technical colleges, are large, small, urban, rural, residential, transient, two-year, four-year, public, and private, and often operate around-the-clock. IHE campuses often span large geographic areas, and many have additional locations in other cities, states, or countries. Many IHEs operate complex enterprises in addition to their academic programs, including hospitals, research and development facilities, performing arts venues, athletic complexes, agricultural centers, residential complexes, and transportation systems. They frequently have open campuses that are integrated into the surrounding community, with visitors regularly on campus touring facilities, attending events, and receiving medical care. Many campuses house sensitive materials and information and sponsor activities and events that increase their vulnerability. It is common for major universities to employ people and establish facilities dedicated to research in areas such as nuclear energy, engineering, biochemistry, medicine, public safety, defense, technology, and intelligence. In addition, many universities house critical research. Major universities also serve as contractors to government agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, National Institutes of Health, National Security Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as to the nation’s largest corporations, and thus house important information. Additionally, IHE governance is highly varied and often widely dispersed. Many institutions have decentralized organizational structures and academic departments with differing processes and decision-making responsibilities. In addition, the variance in purpose, structure, authority, and operations among campus police and security agencies makes one-size-fits-all programs and policies impractical. IHEs serve primarily adult students who are capable of making decisions on their own. The campus population is perpetually in flux, changing from day to day, semester to semester, and year to year. Some students commute to and from campus, others attend class virtually, while still others live in housing facilities located on or near the college campus, resulting in a dispersed population. IHEs also often host individuals from other nations. While these characteristics pose challenges, in collaboration with their local government and community partners, IHEs can take steps to plan for these potential emergencies through the creation of a higher education Emergency Operations Plan (higher ed EOP). It is recommended that planning teams at IHEs responsible for developing and revising a higher ed EOP use this document to guide their efforts. It is recommended that IHEs compare existing plans and processes against the content and process outlined in this guide. To gain the most from it, users should read through the entire document prior to initiating their planning efforts and then refer back to it throughout the planning process.

Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education

Politics & Social Sciences

Education, U.S. Department of

Security, U.S. Department of Homeland

Management Agency, Federal Emergency

Social Sciences

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Each school day, our nation’s schools are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for approximately 55 million elementary and secondary school students1in public and nonpublic schools. Families and communities expect schools to keep their children and youths safe from threats (human-caused emergencies such as crime and violence) and hazards (natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and accidents). In collaboration with their local government and community partners, schools can take steps to plan for these potential emergencies through the creation of a school Emergency Operations Plan (school EOP). Lessons learned from school emergencies highlight the importance of preparing school officials and first responders to implement emergency operations plans. By having plans in place to keep students and staff safe, schools play a key role in taking preventative and protective measures to stop an emergency from occurring or reduce the impact of an incident. Although schools are not traditional response organizations, when a school-based emergency occurs, school personnel respond immediately. They provide first aid, notify response partners, and provide instructions before first responders arrive. They also work with their community partners, i.e., governmental organizations that have a responsibility in the school emergency operations plan to provide a cohesive, coordinated response. Community partners include first responders (law enforcement officers, fire officials, and emergency medical services personnel) as well as public and mental health entities. We recommend that planning teams responsible for developing and revising school EOPs use this document to guide their efforts. It is recommended that districts and individual schools compare existing plans and processes against the content and processes outlined in this guide. To gain the most from it, users should read through the entire document prior to initiating their planning efforts and then refer back to it throughout the planning process.

Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans

Littleton, CO; Springfield, OR; West Paducah, KY; Jonesboro, AR. These communities have become familiar to many Americans as among the locations of those schools where shootings have occurred nationwide in recent years. In the aftermath of these tragic events, educators, law enforcement officials, mental health professionals and parents have pressed for answers to two central questions: "Could we have known that these attacks were being planned?" and, if so, "What could we have done to prevent these attacks from occurring?" This publication, The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States, is a recent product of an ongoing collaboration between the U. S. Secret Service and the U. S. Department of Education to begin to answer these questions. It is the culmination of an extensive examination of 37 incidents of targeted school violence that occurred in the United States from December 1974 through May 2000. The findings of the Safe School Initiative suggest that there are productive actions that educators, law enforcement officials, and others can pursue in response to the problem of targeted school violence. Specifically, Initiative findings suggest that these officials may wish to consider focusing their efforts to formulate strategies for preventing these attacks in two principal areas: * developing the capacity to pick up on and evaluate available or knowable information that might indicate that there is a risk of a targeted school attack; and, * employing the results of these risk evaluations or "threat assessments" in developing strategies to prevent potential school attacks from occurring. Support for these suggestions is found in 10 key findings of the Safe School Initiative study. These findings are as follows: * Incidents of targeted violence at school rarely were sudden, impulsive acts. * Prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker's idea and/or plan to attack. * Most attackers did not threaten their targets directly prior to advancing the attack. * There is no accurate or useful "profile" of students who engaged in targeted school violence. * Most attackers engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused others concern or indicated a need for help. * Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures. Moreover, many had considered or attempted suicide. * Many attackers felt bullied, persecuted, or injured by others prior to the attack. * Most attackers had access to and had used weapons prior to the attack. * In many cases, other students were involved in some capacity. * Despite prompt law enforcement responses, most shooting incidents were stopped by means other than law enforcement intervention.

The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States

Education & Teaching

Service, U.S. Secret

Schools & Teaching

There are over 4,000 two-and four-year public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States totaling over 15 million students and several million staff, faculty, and visitors (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2006). Each of these institutions has a commitment to ensure the safety and general welfare of those on their campuses and to provide appropriate policies, procedures, and strategies to maintain a safe campus. Because of recent violent crimes, natural disasters, and other emergencies or crises, colleges and universities are convening committees and task forces to reexamine or conduct a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, and systems related to campus safety and security. As with many critical areas on the agendas of administrators, campus safety requires building support and conducting a thorough and systematic process to produce a quality plan to prepare for and manage emergencies on campus. IHEs have many challenges in practicing emergency management that are related to the distinctive structure and environment of higher education. College and university campuses often cover large geographic areas, and sometimes even resemble small towns with the full extent of services in their vicinity (i.e., medical centers, sports complexes, residential centers, businesses). The campus population changes from day to day, semester to semester, and year to year. Many IHEs operate complex enterprises in addition to their academic programs. Hospitals, research and development facilities, performing arts venues, athletic complexes, agriculture centers, residential complexes, food services, and transportation systems all present a unique set of circumstances that must be considered when designing emergency management plans. These structural and environmental characteristics pose challenges for access control, monitoring movements, defining boundaries for facilities and grounds, standardizing procedures and decision-making processes, and prioritizing resource allocations. IHE governance is also highly varied, complex, and often widely dispersed. Decentralized organizational structures and academic departments may be located in different buildings and have differing decision-making methods. The nature of higher education institutions, with faculty involvement in the governance process, is much different than the hierarchical structure of corporate entities or governmental agencies. Decision-making in such an environment can be slow, and hinder campus response to a crisis. The need for clear lines of authority and decision-making are all the more important at IHEs. Responsibility for developing, testing, and implementing an emergency management plan should be shared and communicated across all departments and functions. This Action Guide for Emergency Management at Higher Education Institutions has been developed to give higher education institutions a useful resource in the field of emergency management. It is intended for community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, graduate schools, and research institutions associated with higher education entities, both public and private. This action guide may be used in a variety of ways: As a starting point in researching the topic of emergency management for those needing an overview of the subject; As a resource for an initiative to develop and implement an emergency management plan at a higher education institution; or As a reference and resource for colleges and universities looking to evaluate their emergency management programs to identify potential areas needing enhancement.

Action Guide for Emergency Management At Institutions of Higher Education

We know from research that children are more likely to be successful learners of any subject when parents actively support their learning. Today, helping children to make the effort to learn, appreciate and master mathematics is more important than ever. Our increasingly technological world demands strong skills in mathematics, not only in the workforce but also in everyday life, and these demands will only increase over the lifetimes of our children. To ensure that our children are ready for high school and on track for success in college and the workforce, parents must become involved early—and stay involved over the school years—to reinforce children’s skills in and positive attitudes toward mathematics. Starting in elementary school, children should be learning beginning concepts in algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics and logic. In addition, they should be learning how to solve problems by applying knowledge of math to new situations. They should be learning to think of themselves as mathematicians—able to reason mathematically and to communicate mathematical ideas by talking and writing. Through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, President George W. Bush has made clear his commitment to the goals of raising standards of achievement for all children and providing all children with highly qualified teachers and instruction that is based on scientific research. Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics is part of the president’s efforts to provide parents with the latest research and practical information that can help them both to support children’s learning at home and to understand what they should expect from their children’s schools. This publication includes a range of activities for families with children from preschool age through grade 5. These activities use materials found inside your home and also make learning experiences out of everyday routines, such as grocery shopping and doing laundry. The activities are designed for you to have fun with your child while developing and reinforcing mathematical skills. We hope you and your child will enjoy the activities suggested in this publication and develop many more of your own.

Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics

and Outreach, Office of Communications

Early adolescence can be a challenging time for children and parents alike. Parents often feel unprepared and they may view the years from 10 through 14 as a time just “to get through.” However, research and common sense tell us that this view is very limited. During the early adolescent years, parents and families can greatly influence the growth and development of their children. We sell our children short if we expect little from them and we sell ourselves short if we believe that we have no influence. A growing awareness that young adolescents can accomplish a great deal is behind a national effort to improve education in America’s middle grades. At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a promise to raise standards for all children and to help all children meet those standards. In support of this goal, President George W. Bush is committed to promoting the very best teaching programs. Well-trained teachers and instruction that is based on research can bring the best teaching approaches and programs to children of all ages and help ensure that no child is left behind. Helping Your Child through Early Adolescence is part of the president’s efforts to provide parents with the latest research and practical information that can help you support your children both at home and in school. It’s not easy to raise a young teen. Many outside influences distract our children and complicate our efforts. Exhaustion, anxiety, a lack of support and limited resources may make it hard for us to be all that we want to be for our children. But whatever the challenges, we share one aim: to do the best job possible as parents. We hope that you will find this publication helpful in achieving this goal.

Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence

Why is the sky blue? Why do things fall to the ground? How do seeds grow? What makes the sound and music? Where do mountains come from? Young children ask their parents hundreds of questions like these. In search of answers, we use science to both enlighten and delight. Being "scientific" involves being curious, observing, asking how things happen and learning how to find the answers. Curiosity is natural to children, but they need help understanding how to make sense of what they see and to relate their observations to their existing ideas and understandings. This is why parental involvement is so important in children's science education. When we encourage children to ask questions, make predictions, offer explanations and explore in a safe environment, we lend them the kind of support that they need to become successful science students and scientific thinkers. As a parent, you don't have to be a scientist or have a college degree to help your child learn science. What's far more important than being able to give a technical explanation of how a telescope works is your willingness to nurture your child's natural curiosity by taking the time to observe and learn together. Science "happens" all around us every day, and you have endless opportunities to invite your child into the wonders of science. Without expensive chemistry sets, equipment or kits, a child can be introduced easily to the natural world and encouraged to observe what goes on in that world. When you least expect it, a moment for learning will occur: A bit of ice cream drops on the sidewalk and ants appear; some cups float and some sink when you're washing dishes; static electricity makes your hair stand on end when you put on a sweater. Through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, President George W. Bush has made clear his commitment to the goals of raising standards of achievement for all children and of providing all children with highly qualified teachers and with instruction that is based on scientific research. Helping Your Child Learn Science is part of the president's efforts to provide parents with the latest research and practical information designed to support children's learning at home, at school and in the community. It reflects the importance of inquiry processes and content in science achievement as described in the National Science Education Standards, released in 1996 by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. This publication includes a range of activities for families with children from preschool age through grade 5. The activities use materials found in your home and make learning experiences out of everyday routines. The activities are designed for you to have fun with your child while developing and reinforcing science skills. We hope you and your child will enjoy the activities suggested in this publication and develop many more of your own.

Helping Your Child Learn Science

America has long been regarded as a center of innovation and creativity. In the last 50 years, American ingenuity has pioneered space exploration, developed life-saving medicines, and launched the World Wide Web. Harnessing this power of innovation for the benefit of American schools is fast becoming an education imperative. Our country’s productivity and prosperity depend on our education system’s ability to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This guide highlights six providers of academic course work that are going beyond the convention of brick-and-mortar schools by delivering rigorous curricula to students through Internet technology. These providers, along with the schools and districts they serve, recognize that American students must master advanced technical skills and solve complex problems to prepare for demanding higher education and workforce environments. Education is not a “one-size-fits-all” endeavor, and advances in technology provide an opportunity to personalize education, use time more efficiently, and tailor instruction in innovative ways. Online course work enables students to attend class inside or outside of school, learn concepts at their own pace, and receive extra help or more challenging assignments. We know that rigorous course work is one of the best ways to improve student achievement. Yet too few high schools—especially those serving low-income and minority populations—offer challenging courses. The providers profiled in the following pages demonstrate how implementing online classes can enrich curricula and enable a greater number of students to challenge themselves. This guide is one in a series of Innovations in Education publications produced by the U.S. Department of Education that highlights promising practices like strategies to engage parents in their child’s education.

Connecting Students to Advanced Courses Online (Innovations in Education)

Improvement, Office of Innovation and

Imagine that you wake up one morning to find out you have no memory! You’re not able to remember who you are or what happened in your life yesterday or the day before that. You’re unable to recognize your children, and you can’t communicate with neighbors and other people because you no longer know how to greet them, and you can’t understand what they are saying. You don’t remember what the words “elections,” “wars,” or “movies” mean. Just as having no personal memory deprives us of a sense of our own identity, having no historical memory deprives us of a sense of our national identity and, in the words of Mrs. Lynne V. Cheney, noted author and wife of the vice president of the United States, of “a perspective on human existence.” Knowledge of U. S. history enables us to understand our nation’s traditions, its conflicts, and its central ideas, values and organizing principles. Knowledge of world history enables us to understand other cultures. In addition, without historical memory, we miss a great source of enjoyment that comes from piecing together the story of the past—our own, our nation’s and the world’s. Our historical memory is enriched by our understanding of geography, which lets us better see the physical context of cultures and environments around the world and across time. Through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, President George W. Bush has made clear his commitment to the goals of raising standards of achievement for all children and of providing all children with highly qualified teachers and with instruction that is based on scientific research. Helping Your Child Learn History is part of the president’s efforts to provide families with the latest research and practical information that can help them to support their children’s learning at home. By showing interest in their children’s education, families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding—that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and is well worth the effort required. We hope that you find this publication a valuable tool for developing and reinforcing your child’s interest in and knowledge of history—and that you and your family may increase your appreciation for why such knowledge is important.

Helping Your Child Learn History

Interagency Affairs, Office of Intergovernmental and

The 2011 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics is the 47th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977–78, 1983–84, and 1985–86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the Digest, material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to data on educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. Although the Digest contains important information on federal education funding, more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices.

Digest of Education Statistics 2011

Reference

Snyder, Thomas D.

Dillow, Sally A.

Almanacs & Yearbooks

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