A large-scale study by the NEA and Johns Hopkins University that examined school staff's perspectives on bullying and bullying prevention somewhat refutes that hypothesis, finding 98 percent of participants all teachers and education support professionals thought it was "their job" to intervene when they witnessed bullying. But just 54 percent received training on their district's bullying prevention policy. Without such training, some of Dillon's other suggestions as to why bullying is so prevalent -- that adults don't recognize some behaviors as bullying and that bullying is often ineffectually addressed using the traditional discipline system of applying punishment to a perpetrator -- make sense.
So whom should we blame for the state of bullying? As Dillon puts it, "The reality is that no one is to blame, yet everyone is responsible. According to Dillon, effectively addressing a bullying problem requires a culture change. A true culture change takes time, but a few key steps to help principals get started:.
Even when a school leader doesn't have a formal bullying prevention agenda, teachers can create safe, bully-free zones in their classrooms:. Bullying is an enormous problem, and we must all do our part to impact it. If nothing else, remember one of Dillon's suggestions intended for school leaders but I think applicable to all :. Simple and genuine gestures, such as regularly greeting students, talking to students, and addressing students by name, help to make students feel connected.
Anyone can start doing those types of things today. If you are interested in further resources on bullying and its prevention, check out Learning First Alliance member resources and the StopBullying website. Five Tips to Help Principals Prevent Bullying According to Dillon, effectively addressing a bullying problem requires a culture change. A true culture change takes time, but a few key steps to help principals get started: Practice What You Preach Don't use your status as the school leader as the lever for change; instead, "listen before talking and reflect before acting" to ensure your staff feel valued this is backed up by the NEA survey, which found an important predictor of adult willingness to intervene in bullying was their "connectedness" to the school, defined as their belief they are valued as individuals and professionals in the learning process.
Assess the Extent of the Problem Survey students, staff and parents to find out how much and what type of bullying is going, as well as where and when, to target prevention efforts. Assess your community. Collect accurate, local data, and then share that data to motivate the community to take action to prevent bullying. Educate your community on what bullying is and its long-lasting effects, what policies and rules are in place, what is expected of them and how they can help.
A community working together is integral to reducing bullying and harassment. Look for support from other school leaders, teachers, staff, students, parents or guardians, and community members. Educated adults can teach and engage students in positive behavior towards other students, how they can intervene when bullying occurs and how to handle being bullied. Have a conversation. Having open dialogue, or the opportunity for it, is important for students to understand the effects of bullying and to encourage them to create a positive environment instead.
Provide bullying prevention activities such as assemblies, creative art campaigns or other communications that reinforce the positive messages of community. Focus some class time on a candid discussion of bullying and its effects. Changes will not happen overnight. As a school administrator, you have the unique opportunity to lead and encourage these efforts and create a safer, more positive learning environment for all students. CDT Register Now. CST Register Now. Link to twitter Link to facebook Link to youtube Link to instagram.
This requires the efforts of everyone in the school environment- teachers, administrators, counselors, other non-teaching staff such as bus drivers, nurses, school resource officers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and school librarians parents and students.
Adults are not always very good at estimating the nature and extent of bullying at their school. Frequently we are quite surprised by the amount of bullying that students experience, the types of bullying that are most common, or the "hot spots" where bullying happens.
As a result, it is often quite useful to assess bullying by administering an anonymous questionnaire to students about bullying. What are the possible benefits of conducting a survey of students?
Findings can help motivate adults to take action against bullying. Data can help administrators and other educators tailor a bullying prevention strategy to the particular needs of the school. Data can serve as a baseline from which administrators and other educators can measure their progress in reducing bullying. Bullying prevention should not be the sole responsibility of an administrator, counselor, teacher-or any single individual at a school.
To be most effective, bullying prevention efforts require buy-in from the majority of the staff and from parents. Form a group to coordinate the school's bullying prevention activities. Bullying prevention efforts seem to work best if they are coordinated by a representative group from the school. This coordinating team which might include an administrator, a teacher from each grade, a member of the non-teaching staff, a school counselor or other school-based mental health professional, a school nurse, and at least one parent should meet regularly to digest data from the school survey described in Strategy 2; plan bullying prevention rules, policies, and activities; motivate staff, students, and parents; and ensure that the efforts continue over time.
A student advisory group also can be formed to focus on bullying prevention and provide valuable suggestions and feedback to adults. All administrators, faculty, and staff at your school should be trained in bullying prevention and intervention. In-service training can help staff to better understand the nature of bullying and its effects, how to respond if they observe bullying, and how to work with others at the school to help prevent bullying from occurring.
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