Preventing Bullying In Schools

Bullying has long been tolerated as a rite of passage among children and adolescents. There is an implication that individuals who are bullied must have "asked for" this type of treatment, or deserved it. Sometimes, even the child who is bullied begins to internalize this idea. For many years, there has been a general acceptance and collective shrug when it comes to a child or adolescent with greater social capital or power pushing around a child perceived as subordinate. But bullying is not developmentally appropriate; it should not be considered a normal part of the typical social grouping that occurs throughout a child's life. Although bullying behavior endures through generations, the milieu is changing. Historically, bulling has occurred at school, the physical setting in which most of childhood is centered and the primary source for peer group formation. In recent years, however, the physical setting is not the only place bullying is occurring. Technology allows for an entirely new type of digital electronic aggression, cyberbullying, which takes place through chat rooms, instant messaging, social media, and other forms of digital electronic communication. Composition of peer groups, shifting demographics, changing societal norms, and modern technology are contextual factors that must be considered to understand and effectively react to bullying in the United States. Youth are embedded in multiple contexts and each of these contexts interacts with individual characteristics of youth in ways that either exacerbate or attenuate the association between these individual characteristics and bullying perpetration or victimization. Recognizing that bullying behavior is a major public health problem that demands the concerted and coordinated time and attention of parents, educators and school administrators, health care providers, policy makers, families, and others concerned with the care of children, this report evaluates the state of the science on biological and psychosocial consequences of peer victimization and the risk and protective factors that either increase or decrease peer victimization behavior and consequences.

Bullying at School is the definitive book on bullying/victim problems in school and on effective ways of counteracting and preventing such problems.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful ANTI-BullyING Program Bullying can be found in every school system, school, and classroom. It is destructive to the well-being of students, creates unsafe schools, and impacts learning. School personnel, parents, and others are increasingly realizing the importance of putting effective anti-bullying strategies and policies in place that will create safe, caring, and peaceful schools where all students feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. Based on Allan L. Beane's proven Bully Free7reg; Program, Bullying Prevention for Schools is a step-by-step guide to implementing an anti-bullying program in individual schools or throughout a district. In Bullying Prevention for Schools, Dr. Beane details how to: Implement training for school personnel and volunteers and awareness sessions for students, parents, and the community Establish policies, rules, behavioral expectations, discipline rubrics, and response plans Prepare intervention and prevention strategies Develop a plan to actively include, involve, and empower students, parents, and the community And much more Bullying Prevention for Schools also contains a wealth of reproducible documents and forms, such as surveys, statement sheets, and intervention questionnaires.

Results from numerous surveys indicate that many students do not feel safe in school. This condition exacts an academic as well as a psychological toll because, as the authors remind us, children must feel safe in order to learn. The authors of Preventing Bullying and School Violence contend that inadequate attention has been given to the role of mental health professionals in preventing bullying and school violence. They propose a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, one that draws upon the skills of the educational, health care, and mental health communities in identifying risk, choosing appropriate interventions, and implementing targeted wellness programs. The authors see bullying as a process, not a problem originating with a single troubled person. Accordingly, they believe that bullying behaviors can be effectively addressed only by targeting the broader social context -- the coercive power and group dynamics that breed and maintain bullying and violent behavior in the school setting. The book is designed to help clinicians, school counselors, and administrators create a safe climate for their students and to respond thoughtfully, but swiftly, when threats arise. The authors offer many practical guidelines for achieving these goals, addressing The critical importance of establishing a strong connection between the family, the school, and the community in creating a healthy academic environment Strategies for working effectively with the complex social bureaucracies that often characterize the entities (such as school boards and governmental agencies) that intervene in cases involving violent children, with an emphasis on developing skills in managing both small and large groups Ways to define and recognize at-risk children who require special attention as a result of having mental illness and/or learning disability Innovative community interventions, such as therapeutic mentoring and home-based therapy, in addition to information on local, state, and federal programs designed to support antiviolence programs in the schools Techniques for promoting wellness among the student population -- not just physical wellness, but also the positive attitudes and coping skills that are the hallmarks of mental health. Preventing Bullying and School Violence aims to empower mental health professionals to work confidently and effectively in educational settings to reduce the distress, enhance the psychological well-being, and secure the safety of all schoolchildren.

This resource offers tried-and-tested strategies based on the author's school-based research and regular work in schools training staff who deal with incidents of bullying.

Grounded in research and extensive experience in schools, this engaging book describes practical ways to combat bullying at the school, class, and individual levels. Step-by-step strategies are presented for developing school- and districtwide policies, coordinating team-based prevention efforts, and implementing targeted interventions with students at risk. Special topics include how to involve teachers, parents, and peers in making schools safer; ways to address the root causes of bullying and victimization; the growing problem of online or cyberbullying; and approaches to evaluating intervention effectiveness. In a large-size format with convenient lay-flat binding, the book features helpful reproducibles, concrete examples, and questions for reflection and discussion. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series, edited by T. Chris Riley-Tillman.

The peer-reviewed report presented as a series of 11 briefs, addresses legislative, policy, and procedural matters with pragmatic and practical strategies for prevention of bullying.

Useful to teachers and other classroom support staff, this work helps learn how to implement Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in your classroom with practical tools, tips, and strategies, meeting outlines, and scripts. The DVD includes scenarios of bullying to help students recognize and respond to bullying behavior.