101 Tools for
Tolerance
Simple Ideas for Promoting Equity
and Celebrating Diversity*
Ideas for Your School
*A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center www.tolerance.org
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101 Tools for
Tolerance Ideas for Your School *A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center www.tolerance.org |
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| 1. Donate tolerance-related books, films, magazines, and other materials to school libraries. Organize a book drive. | 2. Buy art supplies for a local school. Sponsor a mural about the cultural composition and heritage of your community. | 3. Volunteer to be an advisor for a student club. Support a wide range of extra-curricular activities to help students "find their place" at school. |
| 4. Coach a girls' sports team. Encourage schools to provide equal resources for boys' and girls' athletics. | 5. Sponsor a Conflict Resolution Team. | 6. Ask school counselors what resources they have for supporting gay and lesbian youth. Offer additional materials if necessary. |
| 7. Assess your school's compliance with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Organize a class project to improve compliance. | 8. Donate a tape recorder to a school that is conducting oral history projects. Suggest a focus on local struggles for civil rights. | 9. Start a pen pal program. Get students in touch with people in different parts of the community, country or world. |
| 10. Applaud the other team. Promote good sportsmanship and ban taunting. | 11. Encourage schools to go beyond the "heroes and holidays" model to develop a rich, on-going multicultural curriculum. Give Teaching Tolerance materials to educators in your community. | 12. Provide confidential methods for students to report harassment or bullying. |
| 13. Encourage school administrators to adopt Internet-use policies that address on-line hate, harassment and pornography. | 14. Discourage the use of divisive school emblems or mascots. | 15. Ensure that schools comply with the McKinney Act, the federal law mandating educational services for homeless children. |
| 16. Create a bilingual (or multilingual) calendar highlighting school and community activities. | 17. Invite bilingual students to give morning greetings and announcements on the PA system in their home languages. | 18. Make sure that school cafeterias offer options for students and staff with dietary restrictions. |
| 19. Celebrate "Someone Special Day" in addition to Mother's Day or Father's Day. Keep adoptive and foster students in mind when planning family-oriented programs. | 20. Ask schools not to schedule tests or school meetings on the major holidays of any religious group. Develop a school calendar that respects religious diversity. |
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