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.

86 Results

6 Ways to Be an Ally (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 and victims. The following resources will help you teach about extremism while ensuring that the threat is…

April 18, 2016

Bias, Bullying and Bad Behavior in Politics: What’s the Takeaway for Youth?

Article

March 15, 2016 The political discourse has reached a point where we have to ask ourselves: What should we tell our children? Young people watch and emulate what adults say and do. For that reason, many adults—parents, neighbors, teachers, caregivers and yes, even politicians—are role models to children. These values—using accurate and appropriate language, standing up for one’s beliefs, checking ourselves when it comes to bias and…

March 15, 2016

ADL Poll: Record Numbers of Israeli Youth Experience Anti-Semitism on Social Media and Online

Press Release

Jerusalem, February 24, 2016 … Nearly four in every five teenagers living in the State of Israel have encountered anti-Semitism on social media and online, the highest level recorded in three years, according to a new survey of Israeli Jewish teens released today by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The poll of 500 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18, conducted in Hebrew by the Israeli polling company Geocartography, found that record numbers of Israeli youths are being exposed to…

February 23, 2016

ADL Commends Department of Education’s Renewed Commitment to Prevent Bullying and Harassment

Press Release

New York, NY, January 5, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed a Department of Education (DoE) letter sent to school districts and colleges and universities across the country which reminded them of their obligations to prohibit discrimination based on actual or perceived race, religion, or national origin. The “Dear Colleague” letter calls for schools to ensure safe spaces for students especially “at risk” during these times – including…

January 05, 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

The Time Is Now: Bringing LGBTQ Topics into the Classroom

Article

June 30, 2015 Over the past few years, our country has made enormous strides on marriage equality and as of June 26, 2015, marriage equality is the law of the land in all 50 states. On that day, the Supreme Court of the United States held that that the 14th Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize marriages lawfully performed in other jurisdictions. Sixty-one percent of Americans support marriage equality. Has our country…

June 30, 2015

Why Is It Important to Teach Young Children to Appreciate Diversity?

Tools and Strategies

Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Although children are not born with prejudice, by early childhood they have already acquired stereotypes or negative attitudes toward those that they perceive as “others.” An article in The Buffalo News reports that about 85 percent of the brain develops between ages 3 and 5, and that impressions and ideas formed between ages 2 and 4 are lasting (Lessons in Respect, 2003). Researchers tracking the…

March 14, 2013

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

Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Environment

Tools and Strategies

For Educators Educational environments that reflect the rich diversity of the community, nation and world assist in opening students' minds and actively engaging them in their learning. Research has shown that prejudice is countered when educational environments foster critical thinking, empathy development and positive self-esteem in students. Review a self-assessment checklist for some criteria for creating positive, anti-bias environments where respect for diversity is taught, modeled, and…

September 01, 2016

How Can Outdoor Play Increase Children’s Anti-Bias Skills?

Tools and Strategies

Early Childhood Question Corner For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers Children’s outdoor play offers many opportunities to teach and reinforce anti-bias behavior. To get you started, incorporate some of the below tips excerpted from Bias-Free Foundations: Early Childhood Activities for Educators (2005, 28): Take advantage of these opportunities by helping children to learn skills such as taking turns, sharing toys and inviting new children to play. For example,…

January 01, 2013

No Name-Calling Week

Tools and Strategies

No Name-Calling Week started in 2004. It was created by K-12 teachers and students and sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (G.L.S.E.N.). to call attention to and end name-calling and bullying in schools. No Name-Calling Week takes place yearly during the third week of January. Below are educational resources to help you create a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, teach students to understand and counter bias and bullying and inspire…

December 24, 2014

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

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, disability and sexual orientation. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center (Patchin & Hinduja, 2020), 49.8% of tweens (9 to 12 years old) said they experienced bullying at school and 14.5% of tweens shared they experienced…

June 09, 2014

National Bullying Prevention Month

Tools and Strategies

Pupils Friends Teasing a Pupil Standing Alone

October is National Bullying Prevention Month National Bullying Prevention Month is an opportunity to reflect on the classroom and school culture and assess the extent to which bullying is part of that culture. It is a time to examine best practices when it comes to creating respectful school environments that foster inclusion and respect. The large body of research on effective responses to name-calling and bullying concurs that schools and other educational institutions can best…

September 18, 2014

Microaggressions Feel Like Broken Glass, So ADL Partnered with MTV

Article

by: Oren Segal September 04, 2014 I can’t tell Asians apart. You’re different for a Black guy. You don’t look Jewish. Microaggressions. They are everyday slights, indignities, put-downs and insults that people of color, women, LBGT populations and other marginalized people experience in their day-to-day interactions. Their impact is often unintended, subtle or seen as innocuous, which makes it easy to dismiss them or tell people who object that they are being…

September 04, 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