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Mix It Up!

An Effective Practice

Description

Mix It Up is a school-based program that provides the tools and resources needed to implement a social tolerance curriculum and related activities. The classroom curriculum consists of a year-long planner filled with project templates, lesson plans, and a timeline for implementation. One of the primary activities undertaken by participating schools is the Mix It Up at Lunch Day. On this day, students take a different seat in the lunchroom to meet new people. An additional component to the curriculum is Mix It Up Dialogues, in which students meet in small groups to discuss school social climate and the importance of reaching across boundaries.

Goal / Mission

Mix It Up seeks to create inclusive school communities by breaking down social barriers and conflicts that lead to bullying and violence.

Results / Accomplishments

In 2007, an estimated 4 million students in 10,00 schools participated in Mix It Up At Lunch Day.
*95% of respondents said Mix It Up at Lunch Day prompted students to interact with people outside of their normal social circles.
*92% of respondents said Mix It Up at Lunch Day increased awareness about social boundaries and divisions within school.
*83% of respondents said the event helped students make new friends.
*79% of respondents said as a result of the Day students have heightened sensitivity towards tolerance and social justice issues.
*78% of the respondents said as a result of the Day students seem more comfortable interacting with different kinds of people.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program
Primary Contact
Teaching Tolerance
A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 956-8200
http://www.tolerance.org/teach/index.jsp
Topics
Community / Civic Engagement
Community / Social Environment
Education / School Environment
Organization(s)
Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program
Source
http://www.tolerance.org
For more details
http://www.mixitup.org
Target Audience
Children, Teens

Related Promising Practices

  1. Steps to Respect: A Bullying Prevention Program
  2. Bullying Prevention Program
  3. Cooperative Learning
  4. School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program
  5. Challenge Day / Be The Change
  6. Get Real About Violence

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Related Content for: Mix It Up!

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.