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How to Prevent Bullying in Schools

A new study identifies the most successful approaches bullying prevention methods.

All 50 U.S. states mandate schools to implement a bullying prevention policy.

But a policy, alone, is not adequate. Despite the requirement, there’s been a slight increase in all forms of bullying during the past 3 years. Bullying resembles experienced basketball players methodically intimidating novice players off the court, kids constantly denouncing immigrant classmates for their cultural differences, or a middle-school girl suddenly being insulted and excluded by her group of friends.

Bullying transpires everywhere, even in the highest-performing schools, and it is hurtful to everyone involved, from the targets of bullying to the witnesses – and even to bullies themselves. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, so it’s a good time to ask ourselves: What are the best methods for preventing bullying in schools?

Not all approaches to bullying prevention are adequate deterrents. Most bullying prevention programs concentrate on increasing awareness of the problem and administering consequences. But programs that rely on punishment and zero tolerance have not been shown to be effective in the U.S.; and they typically disproportionately target students of color. Programs like peer mediation that place responsibility on the children to work out conflicts can increase bullying. (Adult victims of abuse are never asked to “work it out” with their tormentor, and children have an additional legal right to protections due to their developmental status.) Bystander intervention, even among adults, only works for some people – extroverts, empaths, and people with higher social status and moral engagement. Numerous approaches that educators implement have not been evaluated through research; instead, educators tend to choose programs based on what their colleagues use.

2 research-tested approaches that demonstrate the most promise for decreasing bullying (in addition to other forms of aggression and conflict). They are a positive school climate, and social and emotional learning.

Fostering a Positive School Climate

School climate can be difficult to define, though possible to measure. It is the “felt sense” of being in a school, which can arise from a greeting, the way a problem is resolved, or how people work together; it is a school’s “heart and soul,” its “quality and character.” Schools with a positive climate encourage healthy development, while a negative school climate is affiliated with higher rates of student bullying, aggression, victimization, and feeling unsafe.

The elements of a positive climate may differ, but may often include norms about feelings and relationships, power and how it is expressed, and media consumption. Social norm engineering is a conscious process that builds a positive culture among student peers and school adults that becomes self-reinforcing. Similar to healthy immune system, a positive school climate promotes optimal health and reduces the chances of dysfunction or disease.

Leadership is integral to a positive climate. Is bullying minimized as a “normal rite of childhood,” or is it recognized as the harmful peer abuse that it is? Do leaders understand that uninterrupted, severe bullying can present lifelong negative consequences on targets of bullies, bullies, and witnesses? Are school leaders dedicated to promoting all children’s positive psychological health, or do they over-rely on punishing misbehavior? Can they differentiate between typical developmental processes that need guidance versus bullying that needs assertive intervention? Are educators sensitive to their students, and do they value children’s feelings?

Next, are teachers prepared to deal with bullying? Students consistently indicate that teachers miss most incidents of bullying and don’t help students when asked. Many teachers indicate that they feel unprepared to deal with classroom bullying. Some teachers bully students themselves, or show insensitivity toward children who are bullied. Teachers indicate that they receive little guidance in “classroom management,” and occasionally rely on the disciplinary strategies they learned in their own families growing up.

However, restructuring school climate should involve all participants – students and parents, as well as the administrators and teachers – so a school’s specific issues can be addressed, and the flavor of local cultures retained. School climate assessments can be completed sporadically to monitor the effect of improvements.

Developing Social and Emotional Learning

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is well known, and encompasses teaching skills of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision making, and relationships management.

Evidence-based SEL approaches have been shown to deliver cost-effective, solid results. Numerous meta-analyses, research reviews, and individual studies of hundreds of thousands of K-12 students show that SEL improves emotional well-being, self-regulation, classroom relationships, and kind and helpful behavior among students. It diminishes a range of problems like anxiety, emotional distress, and depression; decreases disruptive behaviors like conflicts, aggression, bullying, anger, and hostile attribution bias; and it enhances academic achievement, creativity, and leadership.

A study of 36 first-grade teachers demonstrated that when teachers were more emotionally supportive of students, children were less aggressive and had greater behavioral self-control, compared to the use of behavior management, which did not improve student self-control. One meta-analysis showed that developing emotional competence was protective against becoming a victim of bullying; social competence and academic performance were protective against becoming a bully; and positive peer interactions were protective against becoming a bully-victim (one who has been bullied and bullies others). A series of longitudinal studies indicated positive effects into midlife (e.g., fewer divorces, less unemployment) and even cross-generational effects of early SEL. Compared to a matched control group, the children of the adults who participated in the Perry Preschool Project had less criminal involvement and higher educational and employment achievement. A cost-benefit analysis of 6 SEL programs found them to be good investments, with $11 saved for every $1 spent.

Teachers also benefit from SEL. Those with emotional and social skills training have higher job satisfaction and less burnout, show more positive emotions toward their students, manage their classrooms more efficiently, and use more strategies that cultivate creativity, choice, and autonomy in their students. Teachers report that they want more SEL support to promote their own emotional and social skills, and to better understand their students’ feelings. But few teacher training programs concentrate on growing the teachers’ emotion regulation skills.

Bullying at Various Ages

SEL approaches should be developmentally wise, since what is significant and possible for children changes at different ages.

For instance, preschoolers are expelled from school at the highest rates of all, but the neurological hardware for their self-control is only just developing. Only then are the connections between the emotion circuitry and the more thinking regions of the prefrontal cortex beginning to be myelinated (insulated for faster connectivity), something that will take until the mid 20s to complete. An SEL program like PATHS or RULER that teaches young children language for feelings, and strategies for thinking before acting, can create better self-regulation.

Occasionally, adults confuse normal developmental processes with bullying. For example, children begin to reorganize their friendships midway through elementary school, something that can naturally create hurt feelings and interpersonal conflict. It should not be misinterpreted as bullying, though, which involves intentional, repeated aggression within an imbalance of power. Normal development also includes experimenting with power, and these normal dynamics should be guided safely toward developing a healthy sense of agency, rather than a hurtful exertion of power over someone else.

The start of puberty marks the beginning of heightened sensitivity to social relationships, an especially important time to cultivate skills for kinder, gentler relationships. Unfortunately, this is the period when bullying is the highest. And while some strategies work well for younger children (for example, advising them to “tell a trusted adult”), this option may fail with teens, and the breakpoint seems to be around the eighth grade. Older teens require approaches that are less informative and influence their need for autonomy, while supporting their values and search for meaning. Physiologically, the brain changes during puberty confer a second chance for recalibrating their stress regulation system. That opportunity should be productively seized.

Methods should also consider individual differences between children. Even SEL programs can falter here, over-relying on just 1 or 2 emotion regulation strategies, like breathing or mindfulness. But children differ in their temperaments, sensitivities, strengths, and vulnerabilities. The best SEL approaches guide students toward discovering strategies that work best for them – strategies that are emotion- and context-specific, personalized, and culturally responsive. This approach entails progressive flexibility on the part of the educators.

Methods work best if they are not separate teachings or from kits that end up in the classroom closet at the end of the year. In order to be effective, skills should become fully entrenched across the curricula and the entire day, in all settings, and implemented by all adults – permeating the ecosystem. Only approaches used and taught as intended are successful.

Schools Need Parents’ Help

Families matter, too. Bullying in schools sometimes arises from harsh parenting practices or sibling bullying at home.

Even parents’ workplaces matter. Adults experience bullying in their workplaces at about the same rate as children in schools, and it’s even found among teachers and in senior living communities. Simply put, bullying is not just a childhood problem; it is a pervasive human problem. And children are not shielded from the wider social world – bullying of children who belong to groups targeted in the national political discourse has drastically increased on playgrounds nationwide.

Children are more apt to thrive when we encourage their humanity, and offer them language and strategies and values to help them identify, express, and, thus, regulate their feelings. When parents, teachers, and administrators gain new awareness into the complex roots of bullying and adopt new strategies for addressing it, schools can be agents of change.

Cyberbullying in School: Preclusion and Assistance

How to Handle the Aftermath When Technology Becomes Torture

A survey by the Cyberbullying Research Center concluded that almost 34% of students in middle and high school had experienced cyberbullied in 2016 – the highest percentage reported since the organization began tracking cyberbullying 10 years ago. As this problem grows, it’s imperative for students, parents and educators to understand the effects of cyberbullying and what can be done to prevent it. This blog post provides a holistic approach to the issue and features information about the types of cyberbullying, how students can protect themselves and what measures can be taken to deal with it after it occurs.

Cyberbullying Defined

Cyberbullying happens when someone harasses, torments, threatens or humiliates someone else via the use of technology – including text messages, social media sites, email, instant messages and websites. Similar to face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying can present in several different kinds of behaviors. Here are some common cyberbullying examples.

Flaming

Flaming transpires when individuals post derogatory comments on someone’s web or social media page or via instant messages, emails or chat rooms. This usually happens during an online fight, and the communication often contains angry, foul language.

Impersonation

“Probably the most common form of impersonation involves fake accounts or profiles designed to impersonate the victim. One form of impersonation, known as ‘fraping,’ involves someone gaining unauthorized access to the victim’s social media account, impersonating them and posting inappropriate content as the victim,” says Margaret Arsenault, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Face2Face Youth Group Inc. “While some kids may think of it as a harmless prank, impersonating someone online and damaging their very real – and arguably fragile – reputation can have serious consequences. We remind the kids we interact with that once something gets out to the Internet, it’s impossible to control it. Even things that are deleted can exist as many, many electronic copies elsewhere and resurface.”

Outing

This kind of cyberbullying involves sharing someone’s private information in order to publicly humiliate him or her. Outing can contain posting photos, emails, text messages or videos on the Internet or forwarding them to other individuals.

Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking occurs when an individual uses technology to repeatedly harass, intimidate and threaten another individual. Cyberstalkers may track of their victims and make attempts to meet them. Many cases of cyberstalking involve adults grooming teenagers to have sexual relationships with them.

Catfishing

“Catfishing is when someone pretends to be someone they are not and sometimes assumes another person’s identity online, including the identity of the victim,” says Jennifer Ponce, Prevention Education Manager with Laura’s House. “They might do this to post inappropriate content or manipulate and hurt other relationships the victim has online.”

Harassment

Harassment involves the relentless sending of malicious, abusive or threatening messages to an individual or group online. This can be done to the victims in public or private.

Trickery

Similar to outing, trickery involves revealing private information about another individual. When someone participates in this type of cyberbullying, the person befriends someone and gains his or her trust with the specific intention of sharing that person’s embarrassing information online.

Denigration

This happens when someone posts rumors and gossip about someone online. Cyberbullies use denigration to destroy the target’s relationships and reputation.

Trolling

“This is the granddaddy of all cyberbullying techniques. It’s a term almost as old as the Internet itself. Trolling is the deliberate act of provoking a response through the use of some type of inflammatory statements – such as using insults and bad language – in an online forum,” Arsenault says. “Back in the day, trolling was found on bulletin boards and on similar online forums. Today trolls ‘live’ on social networking sites. The goal is generally to incite someone to anger, perhaps so they post something inappropriate or embarrassing. Trolling is often done to try to make the troll feel better by making others upset.”

Exclusion

“Exclusion is creating groups or events and excluding someone,” Ponce says. “This can also happen by not tagging someone in a photo or inviting them to an event, as well as excluding someone from an online conversation.”

While it is important to understand what the different cyberbullying behaviors are, in order to get a comprehensive overview, it’s also important to understand the bullies themselves and why they do what they do to their peers. There are many reasons that students may participate in these behaviors, including boredom, revenge, anger and to provoke reactions from their victims.

Moreover, the anonymous nature of the Internet makes it easier for individuals to cyberbully others, especially if they are social outcasts themselves who would not have the courage to bully anyone in person. In other instances, some people become cyberbullies because they are part of the in crowd, and they are mimicking the behaviors of their own peer groups to gain acceptance.

The Impact of Cyberbullying

Being the victim of bullying is already a stressful experience, but when the Internet is added to the mix, it can be particularly painful due to the reach that the bully has on the victim, according to Arsenault.

“Before the Internet, kids who were bullied at school often had a respite when they got home. Today, bullying happens in person and online, so it can be incessant,” she says. “For those victims of bullying who spend a lot of time online, especially on social media, they are literally subjected to the bullying and its negative effects around the clock.”

Furthermore, the indelible nature of the Internet can amplify the stress and hurt that the victims of cyberbullying feel, which is ultimately the bully’s goal.

“In these instances, the victim feels even more powerless since it is very easy to disseminate information online and very hard to retrieve and remove what is already out there,” Ponce says. “A lot of times, a cyberbully may use the Internet or cell phone as a weapon of choice, and the bullying can very easily spill over into more harm at school with their peers.”

As a result of the persistent nature of cyberbullying, there can be a lot of negative effects that students can experience, such as:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Decreased academic performance
  • Feelings of isolation
  • Changes in eating and sleeping habits
  • Lowered self-esteem
  • Increased school absences
  • Loss of interest in hobbies and other activities
  • Using alcohol and drugs to cope
  • Withdrawing from family and friends
Self-Harm and Cyberbullying

If not monitored closely, the impact of cyberbullying can cause excessive stress and depression, and students who are victims may feel drawn to self-harm as a result of their experiences. A study published in The Journal of Medical Internet Research, students who have been cyberbullied are twice as likely to engage in self-harming behaviors and to have suicidal thoughts than those who have not.

Conversely, the victims of bullying are not the only ones who are vulnerable to self-harm and suicidal behaviors: The study also indicates that young people who cyberbully others are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing these feelings than those who don’t.

What to do if You’re the Victim of Cyberbullying

Students who are victims of cyberbullying may feel so overwhelmed that they don’t know how to handle the situation. Here are some steps they can take to manage these situations and get the help they need.

Ignore the bully.

More often than not, cyberbullies will stop their behavior if their victim just ignores them. Bullies crave reactions, so students should keep in mind that reacting with similar behaviors in order to make bullies stop will not work. In fact, responding will probably intensify the situation and make it worse.

Talk to a trusted adult.

Students should be aware that they don’t have to suffer through cyberbullying in silence. When they experience it, they should let their parents know what’s going on so they can get help and emotional support. Additionally, telling someone at the school, like a teacher, coach or counselor, can encourage the abuse to stop.

Block the bully.

“The student should immediately block the bully on the platform and any other social media sites with which they are able to contact the victim. Every social media site has a method to block other users. Chances are your kids know how, even if the parents don’t,” Arsenault says. “This prevents the cyberbully from sending any more messages, pictures or videos to the child. In most cases, blocking someone prevents them from being able to locate your profile on the service altogether.”

Switch your email or phone number.

Another way that students can cut off a cyberbully is by switching his or her email address and phone number. This way, the person has no way to get in contact.

Gather evidence.

“Some social media platforms use temporary posts, such as Snapchat, and virtually all platforms allow users to delete their own images and messages, sometimes even those sent privately. Taking a screenshot of the offending post is a record that can be used to substantiate a complaint, even if the bully later deletes the posts in question,” Arsenault says.

Contact the police if necessary.

In some cases, such as with photos that are considered child pornography, the evidence of cyberbullying is not legal to have, so documenting it will get the student, or his or her parents, into legal trouble. When this occurs, parents should contact the police to document the instances of cyberbullying and take legal action against the person committing it. Also, victims of cyberbullying can contact the police if threats of violence have been received.

Report the website.

If someone is being bullied via a website or social media platform, that person should contact the site to make the administrators aware of the issue. Since bullying behaviors are against the terms of service, getting the person kicked off the site can make the bully stop harassing the victim.

Devise a safety plan.

“We always encourage our adolescents to create a safety plan if they are in an unhealthy relationship; this includes bullying and cyberbullying. Part of that plan might be changing your passwords, blocking the people who are bullying you and reporting any negative or offensive posts,” Ponce says.

Obtain additional support.

“There are a lot of local organizations that are here to help and can provide valuable resources to an adolescent who has experienced any type of bullying,” says Ponce. “If a student is feeling distressed or anxious, or having feelings of sadness or depression about the situation, they shouldn’t be afraid to seek professional help to start healing and navigate the process. The school counselor is also another valuable resource. Finding friends, family and outside support services is essential in helping an adolescent through this.”

Avoid Self-blame.

Students may think they are at fault when they’re the victims of cyberbullying, particularly if the bullies are people they’ve had friendships or romantic relationships with. It’s important for them to realize that they are not responsible for how other people are treating them, and they should not feel guilty about it.

Cyberbullying Prevention

Because the consequences of cyberbullying can be so severe  –  for the bully as well as the victim  –  it’s essential for teachers, parents and even other students, to work together to prevent cyberbullying. Here are some strategies that can help.

Teachers
  • It’s OK for them to report any online abuse that happens to them.
  • Participate in cyberbullying prevention training to better understand it and learn strategies for addressing it.
  • Educate students about what cyberbullying behaviors are and why they’re wrong.
  • Foster an environment of mutual respect and tolerance in the classroom.
  • Integrate the Internet and social media into lesson plans to teach students how to be respectful to others online.
  • Work closely with parents so they understand cyberbullying.
  • Employ anti-cyberbullying policies in the classroom.
Parents
  • Monitor children’s online activities.
  • Seize children’s mobile devices if they are caught mistreating people online.
  • Educate about children how to use technology responsibly.
  • Be aware of whom children are speaking to, and making friends with, online.
  • Understand the signs of someone who is a bullying victim.
  • Learn how to use the technology that children are using in order to get an assessment of their online world.
Students
  • Think before making every post online, and avoid creating posts that can have a negative impact on your reputation.
  • Learn what cyberbullying is and what behaviors are involved in cyberbullying.
  • Avoid posting inappropriate photos online because they can be the fuel that cyberbullies use.
  • Treat everything and everyone with respect.
Cyberbullying Laws

Cyberbullying behaviors are not just an annoyance; in some states, they’re a crime.

Social Media Safety Tips

While the Internet can be a valuable resource to help students prepare for tests and conduct research for assignments, as well as stay in touch with their friends, it’s still important for them to be safe when using technology – specifically social media sites. Here are some tips to help teens stay safe online.

  • Never share password information with others.
  • Don’t post address, telephone number or school location online.
  • Use strong privacy settings, so only friends and family can view posts.
  • Be careful when clicking on links, and don’t click links from unknown individuals.
  • Don’t accept friend requests from strangers.
  • Use strong passwords and update them frequently.
  • Don’t respond to abusive posts.
  • Never open attachments from unknown individuals.
  • Don’t allow programs to track location.
Cyberstalking Anonymous Reporting Apps

Sandy Hook Promise

STOPit Solutions

Science Reveals Prevalent Threads in School Shootings

Justifiably, we will heed a call to action in response to the shooting that left two young people dead at Saugus High School.

One political tribe will extend its thoughts and prayers and the other will demand sensible gun control. In a matter of days, the rhetoric and, sadly, the memory of the event, will vanish from the headlines. That is until it happens again.

The problem of mass shootings is complex. Likewise, a tangible solution will most likely be complex, but the threat can be assuaged by investigating the cohesion among mass shooters.

Ponder that most elected officials and every corporation of importance is protected by the employment of multidisciplinary teams trained in threat assessment.

These teams scrutinize behaviors such as threats posted on social media or those communicated to third parties. These depend not on political talking points, but on scientifically validated behavioral analysis. Yet inexplicably, in most jurisdictions, our children are not protected by this approach. This needs to change.

Criminologists Jillian Peterson and James Densley have been pursuing data-driven prevention strategies.

Their research has reviewed all mass shootings involving four or more deaths since 1966, and all shootings in workplaces, schools, and places of worship shootings since 1999. Their data reveal four commonalities among perpetrators of these mass shooters:

  • First, these mass shooters experienced early childhood trauma and exposure to violence at an early age.
  • Second, virtually every mass shooter they studied had reached a recognizable crisis point in the weeks or months leading up to the shooting.
  • Third, most of the shooters had studied the actions of other shooters and sought validation for their motives.
  • Fourth, the shooters all had the means to carry out their plans. For instance, in 80% of school shootings, perpetrators got their weapons from family members.

Likewise, the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center published its 2019 annual report this month scrutinizing mass shooters for commonality. The findings revealed that two-thirds had a history of mental health symptoms, including depression, suicidal tendencies or psychosis.

Practically all had a significant life stressor within five years and made threatening communications. Three-fourths provoked concern from others prior to the attack. Research by the FBI identifies the same commonalities.

In spite of this, the media and many politicians tend to view each mass shooter as unique. They are not. Their focus ignores the commonalities and instead centers on the identification of the individual’s motive.

These actors and their narrative, whether it’s Incel, white nationalism, religious extremism or ideology, should be considered pieces of a larger puzzle. Rather than staring at the individual actor trying to understand him, it’s important to examine them in a broader perspective for commonality with other attackers.

The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, the FBI, and criminologists such as Peterson and Densely realize that we can save lives by identifying and managing threats in a coordinated, behavior focused, multi-disciplinary methodology.

The science confirms that regardless of the narrative or motive, in nearly every instance other persons knew some details of a planned attack.

A coordinated system of information gathering, including anonymous reporting, as well as public awareness of the need to say something when people become aware of concerning behavior is needed.

Every regional jurisdiction must possess a multidisciplinary threat management plan to investigate concerning behaviors. These teams must utilize behavior driven standardized criteria based on science. Recognizing the commonality with childhood trauma, these teams must ensure that children receive evidence based services.

Some ideas put forward by Peterson and Densely to prevent future mass shootings: potential shooting sites can be made less accessible with visible security measures like metal detectors and police officers.

They advocate for weapons to be better controlled, through age restrictions, permit-to-purchase licensing, universal background checks, safe storage campaigns and red-flag laws, measures that help control firearm access for vulnerable individuals or people in crisis.

Peterson and Densely also recommend making it more difficult for potential perpetrators to find validation for their planned actions by pointing to media campaigns like #nonotoriety, which seeks to starve perpetrators of the oxygen of publicity and by looking at how we consume, produce, and distribute violent content on media and social media.

The crisis of mass shootings and school shootings is complicated. But there also are common threads. Solutions need to be based in science not exaggeration.