Less Physical Harassment Seen in Schools Using Bullying Prevention Program, Study Says
RSSBy SLJ Staff
Elementary schools that used a bullying prevention program saw significantly less physical harassment—as well as fewer teachers reporting that fighting was a serious problem, says a new study by the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington. The year-long study, which appears in the Fall 2011 issue of School Psychology Review fills an important gap because "it's the largest, most rigorous study to date of a school-based bullying prevention program that shows significant reductions in aggression," says Dorothy Espelage, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois and an expert on bullying. Some 33 randomly selected California elementary schools, 1,296 staff members, and 2,490 students participated in the study, which was led by Eric C. Brown, Ph.D., and funded by the Raynier Institute & Foundation. It was conducted in partnership with the Committee for Children and Sabina Low, Ph.D. at Wichita State University. Researchers gave schools Steps to Respect kits, staff training, and data collection reminders, but were otherwise uninvolved in its implementation, mirroring the way the program is typically delivered in schools across the country. The program focuses on students in grades three to six, as well as "every single adult in the school, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers," who are all trained in how to recognize bullying and how to handle reports of bullying, says Allison Wedell Schumacher, a spokeswoman for the Committee for Children, a nonprofit organization that has received praise from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program targets younger kids rather than middle and high schoolers because that's when children are first exposed to bullying, and they want to "nip it in the bud," Schumacher says. The Steps to Respect program is used by thousands of schools nationwide, including the Chicago Public Schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District, and aims to prevent bullying by helping elementary schools create a safer environment through planning, staff training, and teaching students skills for friendship, assertiveness, reporting, and being responsible bystanders. Although the study doesn't address online harassment, the program does offer free cyberbullying prevention lessons for those who join their online community. "Since 1981, we've been working to help children get along, keep themselves safe, and become caring, responsible members of their families, schools and communities," says Committee for Children's Executive Director, Joan Duffell. "This study really shows that we're making progress toward our goals." Why is the program so effective? Schumacher says because it's comprehensive and even offers role playing and practice lessons so that kids know what to expect before they have real face-to-face encounters. "It's not enough when the emphasis is put on kids learning not to bully each other," says Schumacher. This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.
September 22, 2011
"Outcomes from a School-Randomized Controlled Trial of Steps to Respect: A School Bullying Prevention Program" compared schools that used the Committee for Children's Steps to Respect program with schools that didn't. Those that did found 33 percent less physical bullying; 35 percent fewer teachers reporting fighting as a major problem; and 20 percent more staff members reporting that their school was promoting a positive environment. The schools also saw gains in bullying prevention behaviors, such as more bystander intervention and an improvement in overall student climate.
