School Violence And Bullying

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.

Since 2005, bullying, school violence, and school safety literatures have expanded dramatically in content, disciplines, and empirical studies. However, despite this massive expansion of research, there has also been a surprising lack of theoretical and empirical direction to guide efforts on how to advance basic science and practical applications of this growing scientific area of interest. Bullying, School Violence, and Climate in Evolving Contexts outlines a novel unifying model that brings together previously distinct literatures on a wide range of issues (e.g., the structure of school violence and bullying, similarities and differences across cultural groups, weapons in schools, student suicidal ideation and behaviors, teacher-student and student-teacher victimization, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, school climate, etc.). Drawing from numerous large-scale research studies from around the globe, the authors examine the theoretical foundations of school safety and bullying and propose a series of groundbreaking new theoretical and practice proposals. This is a perfect book for doctoral candidates, young academics hoping to forge into new areas of bullying research, and seasoned scholars who delve into the conceptual areas of school violence and bullying.

Since 2005, bullying, school violence, and school safety literatures have expanded dramatically in content, disciplines, and empirical studies. However, despite this massive expansion of research, there has also been a surprising lack of theoretical and empirical direction to guide efforts on how to advance basic science and practical applications of this growing scientific area of interest. Bullying, School Violence, and Climate in Evolving Contexts outlines a novel unifying model that brings together previously distinct literatures on a wide range of issues (e.g., the structure of school violence and bullying, similarities and differences across cultural groups, weapons in schools, student suicidal ideation and behaviors, teacher-student and student-teacher victimization, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, school climate, etc.). Drawing from numerous large-scale research studies from around the globe, the authors examine the theoretical foundations of school safety and bullying and propose a series of groundbreaking new theoretical and practice proposals. This is a perfect book for doctoral candidates, young academics hoping to forge into new areas of bullying research, and seasoned scholars who delve into the conceptual areas of school violence and bullying.

This report has been prepared by UNESCO and the Institute of School Violence and Prevention at Ewha Womans University for the International Symposium on School Violence and Bullying: From Evidence to Action, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 17 - 19 January 2017. It aims to provide an overview of the most up-to-date available data on the nature, extent and impact of school violence and bullying and initiatives to address the problem. The symposium is one of a series of international meetings UNESCO has organised to address school violence and bullying and it is intended to promote evidence-based action by educators, policy makers, professionals and practitioners in the education, health and other sectors. Consequently, this report aims to provide education sector stakeholders with a framework for planning and implementing effective programmes to prevent and respond to school violence and bullying as part of wider efforts to address violence against children.

Argues that the rise in school violence is the consequence of a society that promotes and encourages aggressive and competitive behavior, and proposes ways to transcend these destructive trends and stress compassion over bullying.

This book examines the global phenomenon of school violence and its wide range of behaviours, from school shootings to minor theft, bullying and sexual harassment. Studying the Nordic countries and taking Sweden as an example and case study, the book discusses key features of sexuality, bullying and cyberbullying, radicalization, and violent extremism. It examines different approaches to school violence and discusses them in relation to political and ideological influences, gender relations, and socio-economic conditions. It presents trends in prevention of school violence, policing the school and dilemmas in educating against violent extremism. Since most of the research in this field has been done in post-industrial democracies such as Australia, the UK and the US, the book contributes to the debate by offering new perspectives on violence in schools from the Nordic countries.

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.