Stories of Success in Bullying Prevention Innovative School-Based Programs
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Prepared by the Center for Safe Schools
This report highlights the valuable lessons learned from staff of eight Pennsylvania schools as they successfully implemented a bullying prevention program.
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Table of Contents
Introduction The Program Coalition Strategy Coalition Partners
Investing in Bullying Prevention in Pennsylvania he Problem of Bullying T The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
Approach Successful Practices eeting School and Educator Needs M Keys of Success Integrating Bullying Prevention Into Existing Initiatives Adopting Innovative Strategies to Engage Students and Staff Encouraging Collaboration Among the Entire School Community Raising Awareness
Lessons Learned from Successful Schools Successes Challenges Schools Are Different, Approaches Are Different Future Opportunities Call to Action
References
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Introduction
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any of us can imagine scenes of bullying in schools: a 12-year-old boy repeatedly shoved against a wall by a stronger boy; a ninth-grade girl taunted for months about her clothes; a small group of students excluding another from a lunch table week after week. In whatever form it takes, bullying is a persistent and widespread problem in the United States. It has been associated with chronic mental health issues and decreased academic performance, and in extreme cases, suicide. In response to this issue, the Highmark Foundation launched the Healthy High Five Initiative in 2006 to improve the health and well-being of Pennsylvania’s children. This 2006-2011 initiative focused on five areas: nutrition, physical activity, grieving, self-esteem and bullying prevention. To date, approximately $25 million dollars have been invested in bullying prevention, reaching more than 210,000 children in communities throughout Pennsylvania. The Highmark Foundation developed and implemented its bullying prevention strategy in partnership with the Center for Safe Schools and the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Windber Research Institute. These organizations worked closely with Dan Olweus of the University of Bergen, Norway and Susan Limber of Clemson University to design a large scale public health intervention for bullying. As a result of these efforts, between 2006 and 2011, the Highmark Foundation supported the implementation of the evidence-based Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) in more than 400 schools in the Highmark service region. The goal of this specific effort was to reduce the incidence of bullying in schools and help children lead happier and healthier lives. This report highlights the valuable lessons learned from staff of eight Pennsylvania schools as they successfully implemented OBPP. The opportunities and challenges that lie ahead are also explored in this publication.
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Coalition Strategy
The formation of coalitions are invaluable to projects of this size and scope since they offer broader networks of mutual support that facilitate successful information sharing, technical assistance delivery and increase accountability.
The Program The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is a multi-level, whole-school intervention designed to reduce and prevent school bullying by increasing awareness and knowledge about bullying, involving teachers and parents in bullying prevention, establishing clear rules against bullying and providing support and protection to victims. It is recognized as a promising program by Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development at the University of Colorado (Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, 2013). OBPP consists of school, classroom, individual and community components. Parent involvement is encouraged at all levels of program implementation. School components involve the establishment of a leadership team, a survey of students’ bullying experiences, review and refinement of policies and procedures and staff training. All of these components are designed to ensure adults have a common definition of bullying and know how to prevent and address bullying issues in the school building. Classroom components include defining and enforcing rules against bullying, discussions and activities to reinforce anti-bullying values. Individual components focus on interventions with students involved in bullying and follow-up activities to ensure students are supported. Community components help connect schools to community groups and other stakeholders that could play a role in bullying prevention and intervention within the community.
Coalition Partners Center for Safe Schools Clemson University – Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life Highmark Foundation University of Bergen, Norway – Dan Olweus (Program Founder) Windber Research Institute – Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Successful Practices 5
Investing in Bullying Prevention in Pennsylvania The Problem of Bullying
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
n recent years, increased attention has been given to bullying because of its prevalence among youth and the negative impact on school climate and youth development (Nansel et al., 2001). Bullying is associated with children’s emotional and physical health problems and, in extreme cases, suicide and school shootings (Rocque, 2012; Kim & Leventhal, 2008).
The Highmark Foundation recognized that there were many bullying prevention efforts under way throughout Pennsylvania that were helping children, however, it made grant funds available to schools interested in implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program because it was designated as a Blueprint Program for Healthy Youth Development by the Center for the Study of Prevention of Violence. OBPP focuses on the whole school and aims to change systems within the school to improve school climate, and reduce incidents of bullying and related behaviors (Olweus, Limber, & Mihalic, 1999).
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The consequences not only impact victims, but bystanders as well (Polanin, Espelage & Pigott, 2012). According to the 2011 Indicators of School Crime and Safety Report, 23 percent of public schools indicated that bullying was a discipline problem occurring at least weekly (Robers, Zhang, & Truman, 2012). To respond to these pressing problems, many schools in the U.S. have implemented evidence-based programs to prevent bullying.
Using an online application process, more than 400 public and private schools applied for monetary grants. Schools were selected based upon their capacity to implement OBPP, previous experience with violence prevention efforts and other school-based criteria. Throughout the five-year initiative, the Highmark Foundation provided the OBPP to 252 schools in the Highmark service region through an initiative known as PA CARES. Schools awarded a PA CARES grant received training, technical assistance and program support from a certified Olweus trainer. This trainer guided and supported school personnel through program implementation. The certified trainers played a key role in ensuring that schools implemented OBPP with fidelity.
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Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that is: • Repeated and/or severe; • Intended to hurt another person; and • Involves a power imbalance.
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Approach
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ight schools were selected to participate in interviews about their experiences with bullying prevention. Each school was a part of the PA CARES initiative and, based upon teacher surveys and trainer interviews, demonstrated high fidelity to the evidence-based OBPP model. Fidelity refers to the extent to which a program is implemented as prescribed by the program developer. The schools included in this report represent diverse suburban and rural communities and all grade levels. Four of the schools were elementary schools and four were secondary schools. Typically, the schools had enrollments between 300 and 650 students, with the exception of Cumberland Valley High School, which had an enrollment of more than 2,500 students. The figure below shows where the schools are located as well as the number of schools that are known to have implemented the OBPP in each Pennsylvania county.
• Details about how school staff implemented OBPP; • What challenges accompanied implementation; • What impact OBPP had on students; and • What changes occurred within the school and classroom environment. Center for Safe Schools staff, from May through July 2013, conducted the school interviews. It is notable that no urban schools are represented in this report. This lack of representation is because the urban schools involved in the PA CARES initiative did not meet the fidelity criteria referenced above. In order to learn about OBPP implementation in urban settings, the Highmark Foundation convened an advisory group on bullying prevention in urban schools. Findings of the urban advisory group are reported in a separate publication.
In order to learn about what contributed to each school’s success in implementing the OBPP, an open-ended interview protocol was designed that guided interviews and discussions with school personnel. The protocol examined:
Stories Sites and Estimated OBPP Prevalence
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These schools represented diverse rural and suburban communities and all grade levels.
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Meeting School and Educator Needs
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efore we describe how staff in these schools worked to be successful, it is important to understand their circumstances prior to OBPP. Were schools very similar or different before OBPP? Did some schools have more bullying issues or concerns about school climate than others? School staff described a number of different circumstances that influenced their decision to implement a bullying prevention program. None of the schools reported serious bullying or violence issues. Instead, educators sought to improve school climate more generally, recognizing that any bullying issues worked against this goal. In addition, the schools sought methods to improve staff consistency in their responses to bullying issues. According to one principal, before the bullying prevention program “there wasn’t an official vision…it was just a hit-and-miss approach.” OBPP clarified the definition of bullying and helped to align bullying prevention strategies within the school buildings. This type of alignment was necessary to ensure students understood the importance of the issue and were supported when they shared bullying-related concerns.
Keys of Success Success comes in many forms. The schools that participated in this project described how they developed unique symbols, systems and practices to strengthen their school’s bullying prevention efforts. Among the diverse approaches, four distinct themes emerged that seemed to be hallmarks of successful bullying prevention programming. Specifically, successful schools: • Integrated bullying prevention into existing initiatives; • Adopted innovative strategies to engage students and staff; • Encouraged collaboration among the entire school community; and • Responded to concerns as awareness of bullying issues increased. In the sections that follow, these themes are explored and specific examples from the schools are provided.
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We made a large peace symbol on the wall in our lower hallway. And all the students have their hands on the wall, painted various colors, just to build unity and spread the word peace throughout the building. – Cecil Intermediate School
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Integrate Bullying Prevention Into Existing Initiatives In recent years, the level of scrutiny schools face has increased greatly. New reforms, accountability measures and serious consequences for insufficient academic progress place heavy demands on schools. The result is a set of competing priorities and programs that may have conflicting schedules and limited budgets. Within this environment, schools must find ways to align and integrate bullying prevention activities with existing programs and school structures. The flexibility of OBPP allowed educators to make minor adaptations and enhancements to the model. This flexibility supported initial implementation and sustainability of the program’s key message. Simple ways of integrating the program into everyday life at school kept students and staff aware of the schools’ bullying prevention efforts. For example, Cecil Intermediate School (McDonald, Pa.) worked with its art department to create a mural with messages that corresponded closely with OBPP. Cecil Intermediate School’s peace symbol is an example of curriculum integration and how the school pictured its community. Eisenhower Elementary School (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) made similar curricular connections to OBPP during reading activities. If a reading assignment or storytelling activity included messages about tolerance or cooperation, teachers made connections to bullying in those lessons. For older students attending Marshall Middle School (Wexford, Pa.), teachers made a similar link between world literature lessons about tolerance of different cultures and bullying prevention strategies. These linkages served as continuous reminders for teachers and students about the program. Other schools extensively integrated OBPP with existing pro-social learning initiatives, such as character education programs.
We have a character trait of the month program. Last month, it was leadership. All of the members of our schoolteaching staff, custodians, nurse and principal have a little coupon book, and when you see a student displaying that character trait, you might give him/her a coupon. The individual then places the coupon in a container, and at the end of each month, coupons are randomly drawn recognizing that student for displaying that character trait. It becomes a cultural norm that demonstrates that this is the way we do things, and this is the expectation. I consider it fairly simple and sustainable. – Moraine Elementary School Villa Maria Academy (Erie, Pa.) linked the OBPP bullying prevention rules to their official school values: Before we had Olweus, we lived by what we call the “Five Ps” – polite, prompt, prepared, productive and positive – with posters displayed all over the building. Now we’ve turned the posters into “Good PR,” which is the Five Ps and our Four Rules; and underneath them, “We will not bully others.” – Villa Maria Academy
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Villa Maria Academy further integrated the bullying prevention program by using a series of video vignettes that reinforced the school’s values and discipline expectations. Parents were involved in this integration when they were required to watch these videos with their children. This strategy was one way the school achieved active involvement of parents in the bullying prevention program.
Simple ways of integrating the program into everyday life at the school kept students and staff aware of the schools’ bullying prevention efforts.
By integrating bullying prevention with existing initiatives, the schools were able to reinforce important messages efficiently. Students, in turn, saw important people in their lives (teachers, parents and other adults in authority) sending clear and consistent messages to them about bullying, whether by using visuals (e.g., murals, posters, videos) or lessons that connected to existing school values.
Integrating bullying prevention strategies into existing practices can simplify the implementation process and provide opportunities for the schools to strengthen established systems and procedures. As the principal at Villa Maria Academy says, “Our level of bullying program consequences falls right into place with our discipline system. So it wasn’t anything that students weren’t used to, and it really integrated very, very well.”
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Adopt Innovative Strategies to Engage Students and Staff Programs like the OBPP provide a structure for schools to organize their bullying prevention efforts. Yet, teachers and administrators are able to creatively expand on OBPP to give it additional relevance to the school population and increase buy-in among students and staff. One innovation at Cumberland Valley High School (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) took the form of a student-founded club called, “It Takes One (ITO).” The club aims to build a positive school culture that supports bullying prevention. The mission of ITO is “to foster a school culture in which people not only have the courage to make a stand against bullying, but also the desire to do so.” All Cumberland Valley High School students can join the ITO club, with club leaders serving two-year terms. The club develops and implements bullying prevention activities like planning assemblies, and visiting middle and elementary schools in their district to spread bullying prevention messages. The efforts of ITO members in other school district buildings had a powerful effect on future incoming freshman at Cumberland Valley High School. Incoming freshmen were introduced to OBPP from ITO members who had visited them previously. Furthermore, ITO activities connected to other lessons about tolerance. For example, Cumberland Valley High School produced its own videos about racism and broadcasted them throughout the school’s network. Other schools were innovative in finding time to implement OBPP. Administrators and teachers participating in the interviews were heavily tasked with instructional priorities in a high-stakes accountability climate. To fit OBPP into such a demanding environment, staff developed creative ways to make OBPP work. At Hosack Elementary School (Allison Park, Pa.), staff made implementation compatible with the way Hosack Elementary School scheduled its classes. For example, all third grade classrooms scheduled bullying prevention meetings at the same time. Similarly, Marshall Middle School assigned specific weeks to implement OBPP
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by core content areas. A different content team was responsible each week for developing OBPP lessons that, in turn, were shared with all Marshall Middle School faculty members. By sharing the lesson planning across departments, the level of effort was reduced for any individual teacher. One Marshall Middle School teacher explained this in detail: One week all of the physical education teachers would see all of the students and would teach a lesson about bullying. The next week, the world language teachers would teach a lesson about bullying or diversity. Then the third week, English teachers would take the lead. All the involved teachers created lessons and turned them in on their respective week. They were fantastic. A third example of innovation was evident at Moraine Elementary School (Prospect, Pa.), where teachers engaged older elementary students to help younger ones: To a young, primary-aged child, older children are cool, have status and hold a lot of influence. Moraine Elementary School holds meetings where the younger students are able to report bullying to the older students and receive advice. Usually those older students, if they think the report is serious, will come to a teacher and share what they were told. Then it gets dealt with. Older students have real status among the primary students. It has been helpful to use that status and let them talk to each other. Not only did Moraine Elementary School’s engagement of students increase student knowledge and awareness of bullying, but it infused into the whole school culture the idea of helping one another and involved all students in the school’s bullying prevention efforts. Older students at Moraine Elementary School were more likely to intervene in future bullying events as “defenders” of victims when their teachers asked them to adopt an adviser role. In this school, teachers observed clear examples of student empathy and concern for others as a result of the bullying prevention program.
I have several students who ride the bus to school with one of my autistic students. These students came to me and reported that terrible things were said to this child on the bus over and over again. It definitely fit the definition of what we’re telling them bullying is. They reported this to me, and I’ve been able to deal with the students doing the bullying. They knew it was a hurtful thing and was bullying. At one point in time, the students would have tried to make the bully stop what he was doing. Now, they realize that they needed to help the student. They had the student walk with them when getting off the bus. That was more of what we wanted them to do, rather than to fight and argue with the bully. I do think that it’s more promising now than it was before the Olweus program. Finally, schools were innovative in how they celebrated students’ active engagement in bullying prevention.
The principal at Eisenhower Elementary School explained how he recognized one student’s intervention in a bullying incident on the school bus: We made a big deal about a student bystander who helped a victim. It was a “spur of the moment” idea, but I went up to the fourth-grade area and asked all the fourthgrade teachers to bring their children into the hallway, about 100 kids. I started talking about expectations of the fourthgraders in regard to bullying, helping others and making a positive difference in the lives of other students. I told the story about the bus bullying incident. I recognized the student bystander who responded and we all clapped for him. It was really an emotional moment since it reinforced teacher expectations and made public how a bystander’s actions were great. I felt emotionally charged because we want kids to do the right thing.
The physical education teachers talked about the locker room behavior and how bullying can occur during those situations, what to do if it occurs, ways to handle it and how it makes people really feel. The students heard a loud and clear message in physical education. – Marshall Middle School Successful Practices 15
Encourage Collaboration Among the Entire School Community Collaboration in any professional field is essential – colleagues meet and exchange ideas with one another, share the burden of demanding workloads and build greater camaraderie in pursuit of a common goal. Collaboration is known to be especially critical in schools. When collaboration is frequent, staff development is generally promoted because teachers have more opportunities to interact in ways that are likely to improve their instructional practice. Given the importance of collaboration, it is not a surprise that a bullying prevention (BP) committee is a central component of the OBPP program. The BP committee coordinates all aspects of OBPP in the school and requires significant collaboration among its school and parent members. In successful schools, collaboration also occurred among teachers, among students, between teachers and students and with parents and members of the community. Teachers found ways to work across grade levels and subject areas; students collaborated across classrooms and with adults; and teachers welcomed parents as partners in bullying prevention. When this type of collaboration occurred, the results were often profound.
Once the school received the parents’ letter, we asked them for permission to share that story anonymously with the whole staff. The letter’s contents clearly told our staff that these are the kinds of things you don’t see because students don’t want you to see them. The type of things that are going on here at Cumberland Valley High School happen even to student athletes, the type of student who could be sitting in any one of our classes. Just sharing that story with faculty was huge. The parents of the Cumberland Valley High School student helped in two ways: they brought a compelling reason to engage school staff in bullying prevention and helped break down stereotypes about what typical bullied students are like. Parents at Penns Manor Elementary School (Clymer, Pa.) were also key partners in working with school staff to prevent bullying in their school. We had three parents on the BP committee that met with school administrators and were willing to spend time working with school staff on this issue. A lot of initial brainstorming meetings occurred, talking about things that garnished enthusiasm for OBPP. It just took off from there.
Such was the case at Cumberland Valley High School, where parents were invited to contribute their perspectives about bullying at a staff training session. One student’s parents chose to share a very personal story, in the form of a letter, about their child’s experiences with bullying at the school.
When all teachers in a school work together to create clear, positive messages about bullying prevention, the effort is more likely to be
successful.
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From this example, it is apparent that parent-teacher collaboration can serve to focus school faculty on the damaging and surprising nature of bullying. When teachers and parents work together as equal partners, effective change can occur to address bullying. Collaboration also occurred within the community. Staff at Moraine Elementary School enlisted owners of local shops, gas stations and restaurants to display posters and other information about its bullying prevention efforts. In doing so, they enabled students to make connections between their school’s goals and their parents and friends when they were outside school. Teacher and student collaboration was also evident in several of the schools interviewed. In some cases, students helped with basic components of OBPP implementation such as creating and displaying posters with school bullying rules or serving as “buddies” to early elementary classmates. Older students took on more complex projects, including producing a video about stereotypes and racism, in ways that tied into the general message and intent of the bullying prevention program.
Finally, one of the most common instances of collaboration was among teachers themselves. Teachers at Penns Manor Elementary School described team-based approaches to OBPP implementation. Our team is really open to lots of ideas. When we meet, we’re creative and all pull together. There has never been dissension during meetings. We try to talk things out and come to consensus. Besides support from school administrators, a great team is needed. Collaborative teams were also integral to Marshall Middle School and Eisenhower Elementary School: Teachers sat together on the committee where each was assigned one content area a week. The teachers then used the content to facilitate a classroom discussion and integrate it into their classroom curriculum. – Marshall Middle School At the first faculty meeting we had the OBPP committee present the program to the school staff. Anyone who was not able to attend the faculty meeting gathered for an alternate afternoon meeting to help them understand what to look for and how to handle bullying issues if they came up. So everyone at the school, including cafeteria workers and custodians, had training. – Eisenhower Elementary School In successful schools, school administrators supported collaboration and sent clear messages that made bullying prevention a priority for everyone. In certain instances, administrators were gateways to important resources or provided motivation to the school faculty. Very good administrative support is needed because without that, you don’t get anything done. Having principal buy-in for the program enabled us to get the level of support needed. – Penns Manor Elementary School
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Raising Awareness One of the immediate effects of working together, being innovative and integrating OBPP was a change in how students thought about bullying. Students and staff learned the definition of bullying when it was repeated in classroom meetings and displayed on posters and murals. In turn, teachers and students enhanced their awareness of bullying and how to respond to it. One Cecil Intermediate School staff member remarked succinctly, “Probably the biggest success that I see with students is that they can speak better about bullying.” Such awareness took the form of more reporting of potential bullying to teachers and general cultural shifts in the schools. Other staff also described how awareness among teachers was more evident following implementation. For example, staff at Cumberland Valley High School stated, “Students are definitely more aware of bullying. They’re quicker to report things to us.” In addition, staff at other schools described how their students’ awareness of bullying has increased over time. Students now recognize bullying when they see it; and they know the role that bystanders play in bullying prevention. Prior to implementing OBPP, staff did different things and handled things their own way. Olweus has really provided a way to deal with bullying. Regardless of what grade the student is in, he/she is hearing the same message from the teachers year after year. – Moraine Elementary School We have expanded the students’ knowledge of bullying. Kids are aware of it and know what to do when it happens. We have the four Olweus rules, and students know those rules so well at this point. – Moraine Elementary School
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We really focus a lot on the bystanders, and those bystanders have come forward to report bullying when they see it. Before, they just didn’t really know how to handle that situation. – Moraine Elementary School Through increased student reporting, we know of a number of students this year who have been bothered by other students. Once a report is made, staff take action. Students understand that teachers are going to do something about it and realize it is not something they can easily get away with anymore. – Cecil Intermediate School Shortly after a class meeting, a principal saw a student mistreat another student in the hallway and it was something that he typically would not have reported. The student went into the principal’s office and said, “We just had our class meeting and it wasn’t right.” He then stepped up and reported it. It’s a lot of those little things that add up. – Cumberland Valley High School In successful schools, teachers and staff define bullying in consistent ways, and they are comfortable discussing bullying with students. Teachers have regular conversations with students about bullying and social relationships, and work with students to brainstorm solutions to social problems. These types of discussions and other bullying prevention activities raise awareness about bullying and increase the likelihood that bystanders will respond in a supportive way.
Parents described the emotional toll bullying had on them when they were of school age.
According to the staff at two schools awareness can lead to improved responsiveness to bullying among teachers and students. I do believe that the teachers will become more proactive because of their comfort level. Students have increased awareness. – Marshall Middle School I think the biggest success is our kids’ understanding of how they can help. If they’re being bullied, they know what they can do, or if they see bullying, they know how they can help. The expectation is if it’s safe and you’re able, you should help a child being bullied or tell another child to stop bullying. So a third-grader on the bus was verbally bullying a first-grader and this fourth-grader stepped in and said, “Please don’t do this, stop that.” I think those are the success stories, so if we get this generation of children to understand it’s not ok to bully, they can do something about it in a safe way. That’s a total victory and something that will change society over time. – Eisenhower Elementary School
Finally, these school efforts impacted parents’ awareness of bullying as well. One of the more poignant cases of parent awareness occurred at Penns Manor Elementary School, where parents were invited to monthly lunches to improve their understanding of OBPP. During one of those meetings, a staff member observed parents who described the emotional toll bullying had on them when they were of school age. I thought that was great because there were issues that would have never come up had we not invited parents to that meeting. At a few of the meetings we had parents crying when recalling their own bullying victimization. Those issues were brought to a head and resolved. Otherwise, they probably would have continued to fester. – Penns Manor Elementary School In this case, bullying prevention may have served a cathartic purpose for parents and strengthened both parent and school commitment to bullying prevention. These outcomes point to the fact that well-implemented bullying prevention programs create greater awareness for many different people who are within the program’s sphere of influence.
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Lessons Learned From Successful Schools
Successes
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he teachers, administrators and school counselors interviewed for this report described many successes that followed their OBPP implementation. Some of the successes, like student and staff awareness, occurred over the short term. Other successes, like creating a more positive school climate, took several months after initial implementation to establish. Four areas of success have resulted from effective implementation of OBPP in these schools: Increased awareness among students, parents and staff about what bullying is and how often it occurs. The interviews conducted for this report yield a consistent finding: careful, school-wide implementation of OBPP helps students and staff members understand more fully the definition of bullying. Class meetings, posters and frequent positive reinforcement of the program messages helped staff and students understand the problem of bullying and how to address it. Creative, collaborative development of custom materials and activities supported OBPP. Interview data indicate that teachers and other school personnel worked together in innovative ways to make OBPP effective in their schools. Interviewees shared responsibility (by grade level or subject) for OBPP activities or integrating OBPP lessons into existing curricula. Greater agency among students and teachers helped to address bullying. Several interviewees observed that following OBPP implementation there was greater awareness of bullying behavior within the school. This awareness resulted in students and teachers becoming more active in identifying and responding to incidents of student bullying and suspected bullying behaviors. The interviewees described several cases in which students helped each other apply lessons from OBPP in their schools.
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Improved classroom and school culture. Interviewees reported significant improvements in the social climate of classrooms and the entire school building following OBPP implementation. In some cases, the results were subtle, while in other instances the changes that took place were obvious.
Challenges Urban schools may experience unique successes and challenges associated with bullying prevention. Because there were no urban schools included in this sample, the lessons described in this report may not reflect the experiences of successful urban schools. Recognizing this, the Highmark Foundation convened a work group on bullying prevention in urban settings. A separate report of the work group’s findings will be released in late 2013. In addition to the successes that resulted from OBPP implementation, interviewees described a few challenges they encountered while putting the program into place. The most common challenge was fitting all the different program components into an already tight schedule. School staff found creative ways to handle the logistical issues by sharing the OBPP workload and integrating the bullying lessons into existing curricula or activities. The second most common challenge described by these schools was obtaining buy-in from teachers and parents. When bullying prevention programs are initiated at a school, resistance from staff is not uncommon, particularly when awareness of bullying issues is low (Olweus & Limber, 2010). Other challenges schools faced included insufficient parent engagement, confusion about the definition of bullying among some students and difficulties in using OBPP language and materials with older students.
As school staff and certified trainers worked together to implement bullying prevention programs, new opportunities to think creatively and work collaboratively to address student bullying emerged. Successful Practices 21
Schools Are Different, Approaches Are Different While on the surface the eight schools featured in this report appear similar, their specific programs and administrative practices differ. The schools vary in how classes are scheduled, how their faculty work together, what levels of parent engagement exist and how school-community connections are forged. These circumstances matter as schools decide how to implement a bullying prevention program. For example, OBPP’s classroom meetings – a foundation of the program – needed to fit into each school differently. The flexibility of the Olweus model provided opportunities for schools to integrate classroom meetings into different parts of the school day and develop customized class meeting content, while maintaining fidelity to the research-based OBPP model.
Future Opportunities As these schools have found, OBPP can provide a valuable framework for organizing a school’s bullying prevention efforts and can focus schools on students’ social and emotional needs. Based upon conversations with educators and research, we believe there are additional opportunities to strengthen bullying prevention through the combined use of a multi-tiered bullying prevention framework and interventions matched to the needs of the students and staff of the school. Social emotional learning (SEL) programs may bolster school-wide efforts by helping students master skills that will prepare them to respond effectively to interpersonal challenges, including bullying. Enhanced efforts to engage the community in bullying prevention may also be warranted to ensure that students receive consistent support across settings.
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Greenburg and colleagues (2003) have defined SEL programs as programming that “builds children’s skills to recognize and manage their emotions, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish positive goals, make responsible decisions and handle interpersonal situations effectively.” A SEL program supports individual development and “enhances students’ connection to school through caring, engaging classroom and school practices.” (Greenburg et al, 2003, p. 468) When selecting an approach to bullying prevention, schools should consider the unique characteristics and needs of their students. If bullying is a primary concern and other forms of
Schools can choose from many well-established programs, including best practices, as they work to improve their school climates.
“collaborative practice model” (p. 739) outlines the range of supports used in Philadelphia’s OBPP effort, including cross-organizational coalitions of stakeholders, insuring the program fit with the missions of coalition members, establishing school readiness and commitment, creative and collaborative implementation, ongoing training and an embedded evaluation. Therefore, while urban schools present additional challenges to implementation, these may be addressed with innovative, supplemental supports. Tailoring program implementation to a school’s urban or suburban environment is not enough. Programs must use step-by-step training, active learning models, focused skill development and explicit goals to achieve impact (Durlak, Weissberg, & Pachan, 2010). Furthermore, any bullying prevention or school climate program must include components that are known to enhance implementation such as administrative support, effective staff training and adequate time (Mihalic, Irwin, Fagan, Ballard, & Elliott, 2004). These best practices can sustain schools as they seek to create and maintain a positive school environment, regardless of what particular program is chosen.
interpersonal violence are uncommon in the school, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program may be sufficient to address the school’s needs. If educators identify a range of social or behavioral concerns among students, the school may benefit from additional school-wide and classroom strategies, including evidence-based SEL programming. The schools presented in this report were largely suburban elementary schools, and they had at least a committed core staff to initiate OBPP. Schools with larger enrollments, older students or less staff buy-in must take those factors into consideration and make adaptations as needed. For instance, bullying prevention in urban communities could pose unique challenges requiring implementation solutions much different than those presented here. The challenges of an urban climate (e.g., greater poverty, higher rates of punitive family discipline (Hong, 2009)) were addressed in a Philadelphia OBPP implementation project with supplemental strategies such as socialized recess and school-wide incentives (Black, Washington, Trent, Harner, & Pollock, 2010). Black’s description of a
Schools interested in addressing bullying and improving school climate, should at minimum, adhere to the U.S. Department of Education’s recommended best practices for bullying prevention, which can be found at www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/secletter/101215.html If a school selects OBPP as an organizing framework or if it chooses to organize its efforts using a different multi-tiered system, the school should focus some class time on teaching about bullying and bystander roles and on teaching related social and emotional skills. Schools can choose from many well-established SEL programs that match their students’ specific needs. The Highmark Foundation plans to promote several evidencebased SEL programs that can be used to supplement bullying prevention efforts in a school. A few examples are listed on page 24.
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Call to Action This report clearly underscores that with teamwork and creative efforts, schools can successfully implement OBPP while dealing with other pressing school demands. The interviews also indicate that high-quality implementation can occur in ways that do not overburden school staff and that involve parents and the community. Schools that are implementing OBPP, as well as those without experience in bullying prevention, can apply these lessons. Schools should consider working with a qualified bullying prevention consultant who can assist them in training staff and can advise them on
specific strategies to prevent and address bullying concerns. A list of qualified Pennsylvania trainers can be found at the Pennsylvania Bullying Prevention Network available at www.safeschools.info/bullying-prevention. Knowing the success that followed Highmark’s investments in bullying prevention, it is important to identify and support the schools in the state that did not have the opportunity to grow their bullying prevention efforts. Given the positive outcomes associated with a well-implemented bullying prevention program, parents, schools and other stakeholders can pursue
Evidence-Based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs Steps to Respect
Steps to Respect seeks to decrease school bullying by increasing awareness and responsiveness among school staff, foster socially responsible beliefs among students and teach social-emotional skills to decrease bullying. More information www.cfchildren.org/steps-to-respect
PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) Program
The PATHS Program is grounded in SEL. Developed for more than 30 years, PATHS has been included or cited in more than 40 published studies and texts. It has earned the highest possible rating from the elite Blueprints Project of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado. More Information www.channing-bete.com/prevention-programs/paths
Too Good for Violence
Too Good for Violence (TGFV) is a school-based violence prevention and character education program for K-12 students. It enhances pro-social behaviors, skills and protective factors. TGFV curricula are geared to each grade level through eighth grade, in addition to a high school curriculum. Trained staff delivers the program. More Information www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx
I Can Problem Solve (ICPS)
The I Can Problem Solve program helps elementary students develop alternative solutions, anticipate consequences and effectively solve problems. Lessons are 20 minutes in length, introduce central SEL concepts and provide skill instruction in social and emotional competencies. Student-teacher dialogue is a key component of ICPS. More Information www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx
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several strategies to improve school and community approaches to bullying prevention and intervention. Strategies include, but are not limited to: • Establishing parent-school-community partnerships to plan and implement bullying prevention strategies in communities, including strategies to align school-community supports for students affected by bullying; • Identifying and disseminating tools that will support research-based bullying prevention practice. This includes model policies, bullying and school climate surveys and classroom activities/programs that build SEL skills that are linked to bullying prevention; and
• Expanding funding for program materials, training and technical assistance to support bullying prevention. Such strategies fit with the Highmark Foundation’s effort to empower communities and schools to work together to create sustainable systems. Having invested in more than 400 schools with OBPP, there is now significant knowledge in communities to improve their response to bullying in the future. In short, a call to action for bullying prevention requires cooperation and resources from many stakeholders such as school and district leaders, teachers, parents, students, community members and bullying prevention experts. The prevention process each school follows must be tailored to its unique circumstances, but collaboration, innovation and integration are likely to serve them well.
Working with technical assistance – whether a certified OBPP trainer or an expert in improving school climate – can make a difference in successful implementation. Successful Practices 25
References
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Black, S., Washington, E., Trent, V., Harner, P., & Pollock, E. (2010). Translating the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program into real-world practice. Health Promotion Practice, 11, 733-740. Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. (2013). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program - Promising Program. Boulder, CO. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., & Pachan, M. (2010). A Meta-Analysis of After-School Programs That Seek to Promote Personal and Social Skills in Children and Adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 294-309.
Olweus, D. (1997). Bully/victim problems in school: Facts and intervention. European Journal of Psychology of Education.Special Issue: Children with special needs., 12, 495-510. Olweus, D. & Limber, S. P. (2010). Bullying in school: evaluation and dissemination of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80, 124-134. Olweus, D., Limber, S., & Mihalic, S. (1999). Blueprints for violence prevention: Vol. 9. The Bullying Prevention Program. Boulder, CO: Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado. Polanin, J. R., Espelage, D. L., & Pigott, T.D. (2012). A Meta-analysis of school-based bullying prevention programs’ effects on bystander intervention behavior. School Psychology Review, 41, 47-65.
Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O’Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H. et al. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58, 466-474.
Robers, S., Zhang, J., & Truman, J. (2012). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011 Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
Hong, J. S. (2009). Feasibility of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in Low-Income School. Journal of School Violence, 8, 81-97.
Rocque, M. (2012). Exploring school rampage shootings: Research, theory, and policy. The Social Science Journal, 49, 304-313.
Kim, Y. S. & Leventhal, B. (2008). Bullying and suicide. A review. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 20, 133-154.
i
For a comprehensive look at the research on OBPP efficacy, see Cecil, H. & Molnar-Main, S. (2011). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in High Schools: A Review of the Literature. Camp Hill, PA: Center for Schools and Communities.; and Farrington, D. P. & Ttofi, M. M. (2009). School-Based Programs to Reduce Bullying and Victimization. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 6, 1-148.
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See, for instance, McLaughlin, M. & Talbert, J. (2010). Professional Learning Communities: Building Blocks for School Culture and Student Learning. V’U’E’, Spring 2010.
Leary, M. R., Kowalski, R. M., Smith, L., & Phillips, S. (2003). Teasing, rejection, and violence: Case studies of the school shootings. Aggressive Behavior, 29, 202-214. Lubell, K. M. & Vetter, J. B. (2006). Suicide and youth violence prevention: The promise of an integrated approach. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11, 167-175. Mihalic, S., Irwin, K., Fagan, A., Ballard, D., & Elliott, D. (2004). Successful Program Implementation: Lessons From Blueprints (Rep. No. NCJ 204273). U.S. Department of Justice; Office of Justice Programs; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M. D., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. C. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094-2100. Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. (1st ed.) Wiley-Blackwell.
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For example, see Maine’s free resources: http://www.maine.gov/education/bullyingprevention/tools/
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The Highmark Foundation and the Center for Safe Schools have been working together since 2006 to implement strategies to keep Pennsylvania children safe from bullying and other forms of peer aggression. For more information about this work, visit www.highmarkfoundation.org and www.safeschools.info/bullying-prevention.
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The Highmark Foundation is a charitable organization, a private foundation and an affiliate of Highmark Inc. that supports initiatives and programs aimed at improving community health. The Highmark Foundation’s mission is to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals residing in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia communities served by Highmark Inc. More information about the Highmark Foundation can be found at www.highmarkfoundation.org.
Highmark Foundation 120 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Toll free: 1-866-594-1730 Healthy High Five, the hand in the hand symbol, Health eTools for schools and Halt! are registered trademarks of Highmark Foundation. Highmark is a registered trademark of Highmark Inc. Copyright Š Highmark Foundation 2013. All rights reserved. December 2013