We hope these recommendations add value to you and the communities you serve.
Bullying Prevention Resource Books
Bully B.E.A.N.S.
By Julia Cook
Most children are unprepared for how to handle it when bullying happens to them or someone they know. Bully B.E.A.N.S helps children identify bullying and offers clear and impactful action strategies for both targets and bystanders.
By Dan Olweus
The definitive book on bully and victim problems in school and on effective ways of counteracting and preventing such problems. On the basis of the author’s large-scale studies and other research, it is known that bullying is a serious problem in all societies that have been studied so far, and that more than 15 percent of the school population in primary and secondary-junior high schools are involved, either as bullies or victims.
By Sameer K. Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin
As social media apps, gaming platforms, and other online environments have given present more opportunities to adolescents to cause harm to their peers, the proportion of youth who’ve experienced cyberbullying continues to rise. This bestselling guide from the co-directors of the Cyberbullying Research Center provides the tools you need today to keep your students safe in this increasingly connected world..
Bullying Today: Bullet Points and Best Practices
By Justin W. Patchin and Sameer Hinduja
Before bullying surfaces in your school, you need to be ready. This book is organized so you can find the answers you need to make meaningful changes in the way you prevent and respond to bullying.
Schools Where Everyone Belongs
By Stan Davis
This new edition is packed with practical guidelines and proven strategies for implementing a whole-school approach for reducing bullying. The author draws on theory and research, as well as over two decades of experience as a school counselor and consultant to provide educators with his creative ideas and successful techniques.
Digital Safety Resource Books
Disconnected: How to Protect Your Kids from the Harmful Effects of Device Dependency
By Tom Kersting
Based on the latest studies on the connection between screen time and neuroplasticity, as well as the growing research on acquired ADHD and anxiety, Disconnected presents a better way to move forward. Kersting shares indispensable advice for parents on setting boundaries and engaging in concentration and mindfulness exercises.
Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World
By Mike Brooks and Jon Lasser
Mike Brooks and Jon Lasser, psychologists with extensive experience working with kids, parents, and teachers, combine cutting-edge research and expertise to create an engaging and helpful guide that emphasizes the importance of the parent-child relationship. They reject an “all or nothing” attitude towards technology, in favor of a balanced approach that neither idealizes nor demonizes the digital.
The Boogeyman Exists; And He’s In Your Child’s Back Pocket
By Jesse Weinberger
The discussion about digital safety needs to begin the very first time your child uses a tablet or a smartphone without mom or dad literally sitting right next to them. Children as young as 8 years old are regular consumers of pornography. Middle school students are going to prison as a result of felony sexting. Sexual predators are hanging out in the same games and apps where your children are. Get educated, today.
The Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story
By Julia Cook
A young girl has a frank conversation with her computer, who reveals knowing in detail about all of her online activities. The book concludes with concrete five rules for safe online behavior.
Emergency Operation Resource Books
Lockdown Drills: Connecting Research and Best Practices for School Administrators, Teachers, and Parents
By
A comprehensive resource on what lockdown drills are, why they are necessary, and how best to conduct them. The first book to offer a comprehensive examination of lockdown drills in K–12 schools, Lockdown Drills balances research findings with practical applications and implications.
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why
By Amanda Ripley
Discover how human beings react to danger–and what makes the difference between life and death. To understand the science behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts.
Personal Preparedness Resource Books
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence The Gift of Fear
By Gavin de Becker
In this empowering book, Gavin de Becker, the man Oprah Winfrey calls the nation’s leading expert on violent behavior, shows you how to spot even subtle signs of danger—before it’s too late. Learn to spot the danger signals others miss. It might just save your life.
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
By
The authors share some unexpected answers, gripping stories, and a tapestry of unlikely connections. The Starfish and the Spider argues that organizations fall into two categories: traditional “spiders,” which have a rigid hierarchy and top-down leadership, and revolutionary “starfish,” which rely on the power of peer relationships.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
By Daniel Kahneman
In this path-breaking book, Kahneman shows how the mind works, and offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and personal lives – and how we can guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble.
School Climate Resource Books
Officers and Educators: Merging Our Worlds
By John Calvert, Heather Calvert
Our story started around our dinner table thirteen years ago, when Heather came home after a frustrating day at school. She placed blame on how the situation unfolded in the hands of the officer who had responded to help and was fueled by anger, passion, and helplessness. John listened, patiently waiting to explain the reasons why the officer had taken the course of action he did. We realized that these two professions are often thrust together with little to no strategic planning. At the end of the day, both share a common goal—keep schools and students safe. But when we come from two completely different professional worlds, it takes strategic work on both sides to make this happen.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
By Jonathan Haidt
A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.
The Power of Our Words
By Paula Denton, Ed.D.
Learn how teachers can use language—words, tone, and pace—to increase student engagement, build a positive classroom community, and more effectively manage behavior.
Social Emotional Mental Well-being Resource Books
15-Minute Focus: Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience and Connection Strategies that Bring Calm into the Classroom
By Ginger Healy
Packed with clear definitions, facts and statistics, heartfelt stories, and applicable discussion points, “15-Minute Focus: Regulation and Co-Regulation” is rooted in the principle that relationships come first – it only takes one safe, committed adult to help a child heal and build resilience through co-regulation.
30-Minute Groups: Managing Big Emotions: Identifying Triggers, Developing Coping Strategies, and Communicating Effectively
By Ginger Healy
This workbook will equip you with everything you need to do just that! Teach social-emotional learning (SEL) skills in thirty-minute lessons for small group or classroom instruction. It’s flexible, adaptable, and requires minimal prep time – no extra materials required!
99 Non-Lame Journaling Prompts for Teens: Journal with Writing Prompts for Teenage Girls and Boys, A Book for Self Discovery and Self Expression, Fun Daily Prompt Notebook
By Mindful Magic Journals
This journal is packed with fun, thought-provoking, and sometimes downright weird prompts. Get ready to write about yourself, your life, the past, the future, and plenty of interesting hypothetical scenarios.
Beyond Crises: Overcoming Linguistic and Cultural Inequities in Communities, Schools, and Classrooms
By Debbie E. Zacarian, Margarita Espino Calderon, Margo Gottlieb
Above all, we learned that the “normal” many of us have yearned for was never good enough — that we must envision a “better world,” where we build on our multilingual students’ unique assets and cultivate their inner brilliance. It’s this “better world,” a world in which communities, schools, and classrooms work together as a whole-child ecosystem, this book sets out to create.
Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal
By Donna Jackson Nakazawa
Scientists now know on a bio-chemical level exactly how parents’ chronic fights, divorce, death in the family, being bullied or hazed, and growing up with a hypercritical, alcoholic, or mentally ill parent can leave permanent, physical “fingerprints” on our brains.
By Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli
Compelling new research shows that health care is in the midst of a compassion crisis. But the pivotal question is this: Does compassion really matter? Now, for the first time ever, a rigorous review of the science – coupled with captivating stories from the front lines of medicine – demonstrates that human connection in health care matters in astonishing ways. Never before has all the evidence been synthesized together in one place.
Divergent 10th Anniversary Edition (Divergent Series, 1)
By Nicolas Delort
Beatrice Prior’s society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself.
Handbook of Mindfulness in Education: Integrating theory and research into practice
By Kimberly Schonert-Reichl and Robert Roeser
This handbook summarizes the state of the science and describes current and emerging applications and challenges throughout the field. Chapters discuss mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy programs that have produced positive student outcomes, including stress relief, self-care, and improved classroom and institutional engagement.
Happy Teachers Change the World: A guide for cultivating mindfulness in education
By Thich Nhat Hahn and Katherine Weare
The first official, authoritative manual of the Thich Nhat Hanh/Plum Village approach to mindfulness in education. Spanning the whole range of schools and grade levels, from preschool through higher education, these techniques are grounded in the everyday world of schools, colleges, and universities.
Nurturing Students’ Character: Everyday teaching activities for social-emotional learning
By Jeffrey S. Kress and Maurice Elias
An easy-to-use guide to incorporating social-emotional and character development (SECD) into your teaching practice. The links are clear―elementary and middle school students have better odds of academic success if you nurture their social and emotional skills.
Self-Compassion: Stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind
By Kristin Neff
More and more, psychologists are turning away from an emphasis on self-esteem and moving toward self-compassion in the treatment of their patients—and Dr. Neff’s extraordinary book offers exercises and action plans for dealing with every emotionally debilitating struggle, be it parenting, weight loss, or any of the numerous trials of everyday living.
The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing ourselves and transforming our communities through mindfulness
By Rhonda V. Magee
This book profoundly shows that in order to have the difficult conversations required for working toward racial justice, inner work is essential. Through the practice of embodied mindfulness–paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in an open, nonjudgmental way–we increase our emotional resilience, recognize our own biases, and become less reactive when triggered.
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A proven way to accept yourself, build inner-strength, and thrive
By Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer
Are you kinder to others than you are to yourself? More than a thousand research studies show the benefits of being a supportive friend to yourself, especially in times of need. This science-based workbook offers a step-by-step approach to breaking free of harsh self-judgments and impossible standards in order to cultivate emotional well-being.
We Are Okay
By Nina LaCour
An intimate whisper that packs an indelible punch, We Are Okay is Nina LaCour at her finest. This gorgeously crafted and achingly honest portrayal of grief will leave you urgent to reach across any distance to reconnect with the people you love.
By Daniel G. Amen
Your brain is always listening and responding to these hidden influences and unless you recognize and deal with them, they can steal your happiness, spoil your relationships, and sabotage your health. Dr. Daniel Amen shows you how to recognize harmful dragons and gives you the weapons to vanquish them. With these practical tools, you can stop feeling sad, mad, nervous, or out of control and start being happier, calmer, and more in control of your own destiny.
Teacher (for students) Resource Books
I’M NOT Scared, I’M Prepared!
By Julia Cook
I’M NOT Scared… I’M Prepared! will enhance the concepts taught by the ALICE Training Institute and make them applicable to children of all ages in a non-fearful way. By using this book, children can develop a better understanding of what needs to be done if they ever encounter a “dangerous someone.”
Meesha Makes Friends (Big Bright Feelings)
By Tom Percival
Meesha loves making things, but can she make friends? From the creator of Ruby Finds a Worry, the perfect picture book for helping children navigate social situations and connect with peers.
The Ant Hill Disaster
By Julia Cook
The Ant Hill Disaster thoughtfully addresses fears associated with both natural and man-caused disasters. It models effective parenting and teaching responses.
The Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story
By Julia Cook
A young girl has a frank conversation with her computer, who reveals knowing in detail about all of her online activities. The book concludes with concrete five rules for safe online behavior.
What to Do When the News Scares You: A Kid’s Guide to Understanding Current Events (What-to-Do Guides for Kids)
By Jacqueline B. Toner
This latest installment in the bestselling What To Do series tackles children’s feelings of anxiety around current events and what is portrayed in the news. Scary news is an inevitable part of life. This book can support and guide efforts to help scary news seem a bit more manageable for young people.
Threat Assessment Resource Books
Comprehensive School Threat Assessment GuidelinesThe Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story
By Dewey Cornell
Presenting the only K-12 school threat assessment model supported by controlled studies, this new manual is a sequel to the author’s original manual, Guidelines for Responding to Student Threats of Violence.
Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America
By Mark Follman
Through meticulous reporting and panoramic storytelling, award-winning journalist Mark Follman chronicles the decades-long search for identifiable profiles of mass shooters and brings readers inside a groundbreaking method for preventing devastating attacks. The emerging field of behavioral threat assessment, with its synergy of mental health and law enforcement expertise, focuses on circumstances and behaviors leading up to planned acts of violence—warning signs that offer a chance for constructive intervention before it’s too late.