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Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim? What’s the Difference?!
Many Americans have a hard time distinguishing between the terms Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim. Here we break down the various terms to help you distinguish between these three categories.

Cultural Proficiency, Diversity and Equity at North Penn School District
Provides educational materials to support cultural proficiency in school communities, including information on religious holidays and heritage months.

Educator Brief: Supporting Black Immigrant Students & Their Families
Includes information to better understand Black immigrant youth and families and strategies to provide effective supports.

Educator Brief: Understanding & Supporting MENA & Muslim Students
Provides an overview on who Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) families are, what MENA families may experience, and recommendations to support MENA and Muslim students.

Guide to Supporting Muslim Students
Provides resources on celebrating and uplifting Muslim students as well as countering Islamophobia in schools.

Holiday Inclusion Planning Template
Designed to assist in holiday inclusion planning, providing a template to capture key information pertaining to the holidays observed by students in your school community and identify next steps to provide necessary supports to students during holiday observances.

Identity Journeys: The South Asian American Student Experience
A panel of South Asian high school students from across the country discuss their experiences with race, identity, and culture in schools today.

Improving South Asian American Students' Experiences Toolkit 2018
Includes a collection of resources for teachers and education leaders to supporting South Asian students, including data, quick tips, a name pronunciation guide, and more.

Middle East and North Africa Student Experience Panel
A panel of Middle Eastern and North African students discuss their experiences in school.

Hinduism Basics
Provides an overview of Hinduism, including schools of thought, key sources of knowledge, historical contributions, and influence on America.

ING Resources for K-12 Educators, Colleges, and Universities
A collection of resources to foster a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Muslim and other faith-based, racial/ethnic, and cultural communities.

Refugees And Forced Migrants: Teaching the Middle East: A Resource Guide for American Educators
Includes an overview of different refugee population from the MENA region, and a description of terms such as refugees, asylum seeker, forced migrant.

Sikhism: An Educator’s Guide
Provides guidance to help facilitate learning about Sikhs and Sikhi in K-12 classrooms as well as information about Sikh tradition and the issues Sikh students face in schools.

Supporting Arab American Students in Classrooms
Includes an overview of what Arab American students may face as well as strategies and tools to create an inclusive classroom environment.

The History of Hinduism
A two-minute educational video on the history of Hinduism as the world's oldest religion and third most practiced religion today.

The Swastika: Use and Abuse of a Sacred Symbol
This publication is designed to briefly explain the positive meaning and significance of the swastika for Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Zoroastrians as well as note the painful significance of the Nazi symbol for the Jewish community. This was developed as a joint partnership project with the Hindu American Foundation, American Jewish Committee, and Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.

ING Resources for Educators on Islamophobia and Other Forms of Bigotry
ING has developed a handout with links to resources about Islamophobia and other forms of bigotry for educators in K-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities. The resources include in-person and online presentations, training seminars and curriculum about Islamophobia, Muslims and their faith, as well as interreligious and interethnic panels for schools in the context of national and state social studies content standards relating to the study of world history, American history, ethnic studies, religion, and global studies.

ING Youth Program Training and Tools for Young American Muslims
Student resources to supplement education about Islam and Muslims in the classroom and support bullying prevention efforts.

Bullying Prevention Guide for Public and Private Schools (Including Muslim fulltime and Weekend Schools)
Provides guidance and tools for parents, teachers, school administrators, and community members to prevent bullying of students in public and private schools, with a focus on Muslim and Arab students.

Dear Colleague Letter on Shared Ancestry
Reminds colleges, universities, and schools that receive federal financial assistance of their legal responsibility under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its implementing regulations (Title VI) to provide all students a school environment free from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.

Fact Sheet: Protecting Students from Discrimination Based on Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics
Describes Title VI protections for students who are, or are perceived to be, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, or of another religious group.

Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics
Provides guidance and resources on Title VI protections for students from religious discrimination, including harassment based on their actual or perceived shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics, citizenship, or residency in a country with a dominant or distinct religious identity.

U.S. Department of Education: Supporting LGBTQI+ Youth and Families in School – english, versión en español
Includes examples of policies and practice that schools and districts can consider developing to support LGBTQI+ students and families.

U.S. Department of Education Toolkit: Creating Inclusive and Nondiscriminatory School Environments for LGBTQI+ Students
This toolkit offers policies and strategies that schools and school districts can implement to create supportive, nondiscriminatory environments for LGBTQI+ students and families; examples of Federal resources that can be leveraged to implement the strategies listed; and supplemental resources to help readers access additional research and best practices.

LGBTQ Inclusivity in Schools: A Self-Assessment Tool
Provides a self-assessment and planning tool to help school staff understand their current and potential LGBTQ inclusive policies and practices.

Moving Beyond Change Efforts: Evidence and Action to Support and Affirm LGBTQI+ Youth
Shares a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on the health, well-being, and needs of LGBTQI+ youth. Also describes the influences of school experiences and environments on the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ youth and shares school-based practices and programs that create safe and supportive environments.

Q&A Resource on Student-Led Groups to Support LGBTQI+ Students and Allies english, versión en español
Provides information about the rights students have to form and participate in Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) and other similar groups.

Supporting LGBTQIA+ Communities in School
Features a three-part series of guides focused on supporting LGBTQIA+ communities in school. Each guide identifies strategies, resources, and action items that support relationship-building and enhance advocacy efforts with LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and communities.

2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People
Shares recent data on the experiences of young people ages 13 to 24 across the U.S. and provides data-driven ways to support LGBTQ+ young people.

Creating Safer Spaces in Schools for LGBTQ Young People
Shares practical tips and tools for creating inclusive and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ young people in schools.

Developing LGBTQ-Inclusive Classroom Resources
Includes best practices and practical strategies for creating learning environments that are safer and inclusive for LGBTQ students.

Promoting Resiliency for Gender Diverse and Sexual Minority Students in Schools
Shares best practices for educators, school counselors, administrators and personnel, based on research on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender diverse, questioning, and intersex students.

Pronouns & Inclusive Language
Provides guidance to the user on properly using pronouns.

Ready, Set, Respect!: Elementary Toolkit
Provides tools to support elementary educators with creating inclusive environments. The lessons focus on name-calling, bullying and bias, LGBT-inclusive family diversity, gender diversity and gender roles.

Resources for Gender and LGBTQ+ Inclusive Schools
Offers educators with tools and training they need to embrace teachable moments, interrupt bias-based bullying, support transgender and non-binary students, and be prepared to answer important questions about LGBTQ+ and gender topics with students and families.

Q&A For Helping Educators and School Providers To Provide Guidance & Support For Parents & Caregivers of LGBTQ Students
Includes background information for helping school professionals to engage and provide support for parents and caregivers with LGBTQ students.

The RESPECT Workshop: Preventing Health Risks and Promoting Healthy Outcomes Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Students
Offers self-paced online professional development curriculum for staff addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth.

Trauma-Informed & Affirming Checklist for Practice with LGBTQ+ Children, Youth & Families
Provides a checklist with action steps for creating LGBTQ affirming spaces.

White House Toolkit on Transgender Equality
Describes challenges that many transgender students face at schools and institutions of higher education, offers examples of policies and practices that create safe and supportive learning environments for transgender students, and provides details on how the U.S. Department of Education supports transgender students who experience discrimination.

U.S. Department of Education: Supporting Transgender Youth In School
Provides guidance on how schools can support transgender students.

Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools
Provides school administrations, teachers, and parents with information about how to provide safe and supportive environments for all transgender students.

Supporting Intersex Students
Provides students, families, and educators with resources to support intersex students.

What We Wish Our Teachers Knew
This brochure, written by intersex youth, shares information for educators on the experiences of intersex students and how to best support them.

Advocating for LGBTQ Students With Disabilities
Provides educators and parents an overview of LGBTQ students with disabilities, as well as actionable recommendations on how to best support them. It includes a blueprint for successfully developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for special services or a 504 plan for academic accommodations for LGBTQ students with disabilities.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Young People with Disabilities
Includes guidance on how to best support LGBTQ+ young people with disabilities and better understand the things that impact them.

Recognizing Black LGBTQ Students in Schools
Describes issues that Black LGBTQ students experience and offers recommendations for school staff to create supportive and inclusive learning environments.

Coming Out: Living Authentically as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans
Shares context on common experiences LGBTQI Asian and Pacific Islander Americans face.

Erasure and Resilience: The Experiences of LGBTQ Students of Color
A collection of research reports that explore the experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Black, Latinx, and Native and Indigenous LGBTQ youth.

The Experiences of MENA LGBTQ Students in U.S. Secondary Schools
Describes how Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) LGBTQ students experience school, including their feelings of safety; hearing biased remarks and experience with victimization based on personal characteristics; experiences with school discipline; and access to and benefit of school supports.

Two-Spirit and Native LGBTQ+ Youth Resources
Offers a compendium of resources to support Native LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirited Youth.

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Protect LGBTQI+ Communities
Shares recent Federal agency actions that support and protect LGBTQIA+ communities, including LGBTQIA+ students and youth.

Resources for LGBTQI+ Students
Provides a list of resources that may be of interest to LGBTQI+ student and allies, including information for filing a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights.

FACT SHEET: U.S. Department of Education's 2024 Title IX Final Rule Overview
Provides and overview of the updated Title IX regulations, which strengthen vital protections for students and provides clear rules to help school meet their Title IX obligation to eliminate sex discrimination in their education programs and activities.

Resource for Drafting Nondiscrimination Policies, Notices of Nondiscrimination, and Grievance Procedures under 2024 Amendments to the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX Regulations
Offers sample text to help recipients of U.S. Department of Education (Department) funds to draft policies that comply with the 2024 amendments to the Department's regulations for implementing Title IX.

Confronting Anti-LGBTQI+ Harassment in Schools: A Resource for Students and Families
Provides examples of the kinds of incidents the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division (CRT) at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Civil Right (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education can investigate as well as actions to take if a student has been treated unfairly because of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Pursuant to a Federal court order, the Departments have been preliminarily “enjoined and restrained from implementing” this document against the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. See State of Tenn., et al. v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., No. 3:21-cv-308 (E.D. Tenn.) (July 15, 2022).

LGBTQI+ Youth
Identifies practices for creating a safe environment for LGBTQI+ youth and how to file a complaint if a student believes they have faced discrimination at school based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, because they do not conform to sex stereotypes, or for another reason.

Community Stakeholder Support: Disrupting Anti-Blackness and Homophobia in Schools
Presents a call to action for school community stakeholders to collaborate with educators to increase policies and practices that center the lived experiences of students who hold the intersectional identities of being both Black and a member of the LGBTQ community. The resource explains how anti-blackness and homophobia show up in schools and offers steps for creating supportive and affirming environments for students who identify as Black and queer.

Don’t Say Gay Policies in Schools: A Choose Your Own Equitable Adventure
Explores different ways educators can navigate teaching in States where policies restrict discussion of non-heteronormative family structures. The resource presents a scenario; shares potential responses; and provides insight on how each response may impact students, curriculum, and overall classroom inclusivity.

Transgender Awareness in Sports: A Choose Your Own Equitable Adventure
This resource explores the different ways in which athletic coaches may respond to negative pushback about transgender students' participation in school sports, and the intents and impacts different responses may elicit. Multiple resources are embedded to assist in navigating these types of conversations and toward cultivating critical consciousness and inclusivity in school sports.

Welcoming Schools: Bullying Resources
Provides tools, lesson plans, booklists, tipsheets, and additional resources to address bias-based bullying and create LGBTQ+ inclusive environments.

Dear Colleague Letter on Race and School Programming
Clarifies the circumstances under which recipients of federal financial assistance from the Department can – consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and its implementing regulations – develop curricula and programs or engage in activities that promote racially inclusive school communities.

Fact Sheet: Ensuring Educational Opportunities for All Students on Equal Terms 70 Years After Brown v. Board of Education
Explains that student access to education and to educational resources, differs by race, color, and national origin in schools across the United States, and summarizes resources describing federal legal obligations to ensure that all students have equal access to education regardless of race, color, or national origin.

Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom: A Resource for Educators
Helps educators understand how they might address the interplay of race and trauma and its effects on students in the classroom.

“And they cared”: How to Create Better, Safer Learning Environments for Girls of Color
Shares common language and practices that can be used to reform exclusionary discipline policies and improve school climate to help address the needs of girls of color.

Building Connections With Students From Diverse Cultural Backgrounds Through Perspective-Taking
Offers five perspective-taking strategies for educators who are working toward improving relationships with students with diverse cultural backgrounds.

Cultural Inclusiveness & Equity Webinar Series – Session 1: Understanding How Social Injustices Impact Student Mental Health
Builds understanding of the impacts of social determinants of health on student academic and social, emotional, and behavioral success.

Cultural Inclusiveness & Equity Webinar Series – Session 3: Engaging in Culturally Inclusive Action to Promote Student Mental Health
Helps educators understand how culturally inclusive classrooms support student mental health and provides strategies for improving current classrooms.

Discussing Race, Racism, and Important Current Events With Students: A Guide With Lesson Plans and Resources
Supports PreK-12 educators with the facilitation of frequent, high-quality conversations with students about race, racism, and important currents events to support self-reflection and constructive classroom discussions.

Exploring Equity Issues: Facilitating Race Talk in the Classroom: Lessons from Student Experiences
Addresses challenges and barriers for students, in particular high school aged youth, in talking about race. It also provides some tips and suggestions for educators who want to facilitate effective discussions about race.

Hmong and Latina/o/x Testimonios: The Pedagogical Space
Spotlights three powerful testimonies written by high school students Agnelia, Liberty, and Tianna. Listen, learn, and tap into the transformative potential of testimonios as a pedagogical tool to take action on the educational inequities that Hmong and Latina/o/x students experience.

How Do We Ensure That Students of Color Feel Respected?
Includes tips from students of color for educators and leaders to help improve their experiences in school.

Practice Briefs for K-12 Educators
Introduces current research, practical examples, reflective questions, and useful strategies for educators advancing racial equity.

Seen and Affirmed: What Black Educators and Students Need to Thrive
Shares best practices to support Black educators and students based on interviews with school leaders.

Unpacking the Pennsylvania Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education Competencies
Explores Pennsylvania’s cultural relevant and sustaining education competencies and provides recommendations for putting each one into practice.

We Need Supportive Spaces That Celebrate Us: Black Girls Speak Out About Public Schools
Offers eight recommendations for changes schools can make to support Black girls and root out policies, attitudes, and actions that perpetuate anti-Black racism. These recommendations were developed through focus groups with Black girls who attend public schools and reflect their experiences and needs.

English Learner Family Toolkit
Designed to help families choose education services that meet their child’s needs. U.S. educators, elementary and secondary school teachers, principals, and other school staff can also share the toolkit as a resource for English learners and their families.

English Learners Who Are Black
Shares data and information on English learners enrolled in K-12 U.S. school who are Black.

Newcomer Toolkit
Designed to help U.S. educators; elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff who work directly with immigrant students—including asylees and refugees—and their families.

Protecting Access to Education for Migratory Children: A Resource for Families and Educators
Highlights specific access to education challenges faced by migratory children, explains to families where they can go for help, and aims to help public schools understand their responsibilities to serve these children under Federal civil rights law.

Educator Brief: Supporting Black Immigrant Students & Their Families
Provides insight into the experiences of Black immigrant youth and families and well as strategies to support and engage these students and families in school communities.

OSEP Fast Facts: Black or African American Children With Disabilities
Shares data and information on Black or African American Children with disabilities.

Disproportionality in Special Education Fueled by Implicit Bias
Provides data on disproportionality in special education and provides tips and resource to more accurately identify and place students of color with disabilities.

Ignored, Punished, and Underserved: Understanding and Addressing Disparities in Education Experiences and Outcomes for Black Children with Disabilities
Discusses the experience of students of color with disabilities, with a particular focus on Black students. It provides recommendations for educators, district leaders, and policy makers to reduce discrimination and better support students of color with disabilities.

Confronting Discrimination Based on National Origin and Immigration Status
Outlines the responsibilities of public schools in providing equal access for children to enroll and participate in public elementary and secondary schools without regard to their or their parents’ or guardians’ immigration status.

Fact Sheet: Preventing Racial Discrimination in Special Education
Provides guidance addressing the interplay of the Title VI prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race/color/national origin in the administration of special education in public schools.

Protecting Students: Race, Color, or National Origin Discrimination
Provides resources related to Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 including laws, issues, case resolutions, frequently asked questions, and more.

Addressing Race-Based Hate Speech and Microaggressive Behavior in Schools
Defines race-based hate speech and microaggressions, and encourages teachers to foster a safe and supportive learning environment by addressing race-based hate speech, jokes, and subtle prejudice-oriented references intended to insult and harm students.

Confronting Anti-Black Racism
Includes materials to use with middle and high school students to help them understand the long history of anti-Black racism in the United States, and think about ways to address it in their own communities.

Exploring Strategies School Systems can Utilize to Support Black Students Who Encounter Racial Stress and Trauma
Provides a space to reflect on the experience of working within schools and school districts and learn strategies to help students navigate a culturally complex world while decreasing negative physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes. It also highlights existing policies within school systems and assess how those policies impact access to equitable and high quality mental and behavioral health care for communities of color.

Families Learning from Families: Disrupting Racism at the Intersections in Schools
Focuses on advancing community of care amongst each other by sharing our stories, approaches, and lessons learned, starting by centering a community member.

Addressing Bullying Among Hispanic and Latino Children and Youth at School Setting
Provides information about the prevalence of bullying among Hispanic and Latino students in the school setting and covers effective prevention efforts to address bullying in the school setting. English and Spanish versions are available.

Identity-based bullying and mental health among Black and Latino youth: The moderating role of emotional suppression
Examines the prevalence of identity-based bullying and the links between identity-based bullying and mental health for Black and Latino youth.

Refugee and Immigrant Youth and Bullying: A Toolkit for Teachers and School Personnel
Explores the factors that contribute to bullying with refugee and immigrant students and provides strategies to address bullying that include cultural considerations.

Students of Color are Disproportionately Bullied and Harassed at School
Includes bullying statistics for students of colors and provides approaches for families to address bullying at school with their children.

The Impact of Bullying on Mental Health in the Black Community
Explores the impact of bullying on mental health for Black, African American, and Afro-Caribbean youth. It outlines actions that can be taken to reduce the impact of identity-based bullying.

The Racist Bullying At School Was Unbearable, So I Decided To Speak Out
Shares reflections by a high school student about his experience, and the experiences of his peers, with confronting racist harassment in hostility in their school.