Advocacy

Behaviorally challenging kids are often on the receiving end of the most unenlightened, ineffective, sometimes brutal treatment society has to offer, and this treatment is disproportionally applied to Black and Brown students. In this section, you'll learn about what Lives in the Balance is doing to heighten awareness and advocate on behalf of the kids and their caregivers, including our documentary film, The Kids We Lose. There are lots of ways for you to get involved. You can get started by becoming an Advocator...and by clicking on your state above.

Highlights

Changing Course School Discipline Initiative

As part of our commitment to end discipline referrals, detentions, suspensions, expulsions, paddling, restraint, seclusion, and disproportionality, we've launched the Changing Course School Discipline Initiative, providing free training in CPS to qualifying schools. Apply here.

advocacy for behaviorally challenging kids and their caregivers

Can't Do it Without You

Become a Lives in the Balance Advocator to help us heighten awareness of the counterproductive disciplinary practices commonly applied to our most vulnerable kids...and change things for the better.

The Kids We Lose: A Lives in the Balance Documentary

Winner of the Best Feature Documentary Award at four different film festivals, this film exposes the brutal, counterproductive, inhumane treatment often applied to kids with behavioral challenges.

How Punitive Is Your State?

It's not easy being a kid these days, but it's even tougher if you live in one of the states in the US that employ the most punitive school discipline. Which states? Our Punitive Index will tell you.

Compassionate Communities

Compassionate Communities is your way to show that you and your classroom or school are subscribing to certain values in your interactions with kids. And there's never been a more important time to do that.

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