why bullying programs succeed or fail

7/27/2019 Why Bullying Programs Succeed or Fail

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Why Bullying ProgramsSucceed or Fail

© 2013 Peaceful Playgrounds




This is a poem written by Natalie, a highschool student.

I used to get bullied, and I didn’t know what to do

I wouldn’t want to come to school I’d pretend I had the flu

But now things are so different

School’s a better place to be Because of the peer mentorsAnd what they did for me.




Natalie is not alone in her experiencewith school bullying. In fact, thirty-sixstates have passed anti-bullyinglegislation which is indicative of the

growing concern over bullying in schools.The tipping point has been the school

shootings in which three fourths of theshooters’ school histories are indicativeof being a victim of bullying orexperiencing on-going harassment.

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Additionally, 75% of students whocarried weapons at school brought themto attack others because they feltpersecuted, bullied, threatened,

attacked, or previously injured by otherswhile at school. (Data from the SecretService Safe Schools Initiative

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On a related issue, 50% of boys and 30% of girls who admitted bullying others at schoolcarried a weapon. Conversely 36% of boysand 15% of girls who were bullied reported

carrying a weapon.Clearly bullying has captured the nation’s

attention. Research indicates that 30% of middle school students report being involved

in bullying within the last semester. Victimsmake up 17% and perpetrators make up19%. Forty-eight percent of elementaryschool students report being bullied within

the last year.




What is bullying and how does it differfrom fighting? Bullying has threecomponents. 1. Negative behavior withintent of harming. 2. Behavior repeated

over the course of time. 3. Relationshipin which there is an imbalance of powerbetween the victim and bully. Boys’ bullying often takes on the look of

physical bullying, including fighting,hitting, kicking or shoving. A commoncharacteristic of the victim is that theyhave difficulty defending themselves.




Both girls and boys are victims and bullies.Girls type of bullying usually takes the formof non-verbal threatening bullying and canlook like isolation or exclusion from group

activities or shunning. A recent movieportrayed that behavior in a film call MeanGirls.

Bullying can have serious consequences for

both victim and bully. Research indicatesthat victims can show signs of headaches,stomachaches, depression, misplacedaggression and difficulty with relationships

and academics.




Bullies also suffer as a result of the sociallyunacceptable behavior going unchecked.Unchecked bullies are three times morelikely as their non-bullying peers to end up

with a criminal conviction by age 24.Research indicates that bullies are indesperate need of positive, pro-social rolemodels including peers and adults.

Schools have wrestled with bullyingprograms for years. The next section willdeal with schools and bullying programs thatwork and those that don’t.




Bully Programs that don’t work Zero tolerance Policies- While good

intentioned, doing nothing buteliminating bullies from schools is neither

feasible or effective. Since researchindicates that 20% of students bullyanother at some time in their schoolcareer, kicking out 20% of the studentsobviously won’t work.




Group therapy for students who bullyalso does not work. First and foremost,the bully needs good role models.Containing them with like offenders ,

while well intentioned is a recipe fordisaster and an over exposure to nonsocial behaviors.




Conflict Resolution Programs- Sincebullies victimize, putting the bully andvictim together can be extremelyupsetting to the victim. Mediation is not

the appropriate response. No onedeserves to be bullied.




What works in School wide BullyingPrevention Programs

The research is clear on what works. Thefollowing ten points outline thecomponents of effective school widebullying programs.




School wide approach. First and foremostthe foundation of any bullying preventionprogram requires school wide approachand commitment. Buy in from the staff

and administration is not onlyappropriate but essential. This requireschanging the norms for social behaviorand school climate. The school wide

message needs to be: Bullying is wrong.It violates school rules and will not betolerated. It must stop immediately.




Assessment. Successful interventionprograms assess bullying byadministrating an anonymous bullyingquestionnaire to students. This

questionnaire should identify bullying “hot spots” on campus and also serve asa baseline for future reference andsuccess indicators.

Buy In. Get staff and parents on boardwith the new bullying program. Themajority of the staff should be onboard

for the program to be successful.




Bullying Prevention Leadership Team.Form a group to coordinate and providedirection for implementing a bullyingprogram. This team should commit to

ongoing reviews of the bullying situation,training, data and lessons to beimplemented.




Staff Training. Train staff in bullyidentification, prevention, andintervention. The staff needs to betrained on how to intervene to stop

bullying. For on the spot interventionrefer to the “Stop Bullying Now Program” which is a link at the bottom of this podcast and an outstanding resource for

schools.




Policies and Rules on Bullying. Establishand enforce school rules and policies onbullying. Align these with state legislationand district bullying policies.

Bullying Intervention and Supervision is akey. Supervisors/teachers should bepresent in identified hot spots in whichbullying occurs.




Intervene consistently to observations of bullying behavior. Bullying requiresseparate follow up meetings as needed.Policies and consequences should be

predetermined and clearlycommunicated.




Implement a classroom instructionalcomponent in which lessons anddiscussions on school environment keepstabs on the bullying situation. A 20-40

minute weekly meeting with mini lessonsand instruction on bullying preventionsstrategies is needed. It is best if an anti-bullying theme can be incorporated

throughout the curriculum and schoolevents.




Continuous program with no end date. Revisitbullying prevention themes and intertwinethem in classroom curriculum.

Most research on bullying boils down to 4

rules that schools should adopt regardingbullying.

Do not bully.

Help others when you see bullying occur.

(Step in or get help of an adult.) Include others (invite students to be a part of

games and activities.)

Tell an adult at home or school if you

experience bullying.




Systemic changes in the schoolenvironment in the form of schoolclimate initiatives take time to implementbringing about the change.

For additional resources on bullyingprograms and schools visit Stop BullyingNow, a program from the Department of Health and Human Services.


http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/






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