Best Practices in Bullying Prevention:

1
Best Practices in Bullying Prevention

• One Size Does Not Fit All
• Presented by Kathleen Conn, Ph.D., J.D., LL.M.
• Assistant Professor, Neumann University
• Adjunct Professor, Widener School of Law

2
The Bottom Line

• Bullying in schools is
• worldwide phenomenon
• Starts early and continues throughout the grades
• Causes externalizing and internalizing problems,
  weapon carrying, suicidal ideation and even
  accomplished suicides

3
Some Kids Can Brush It Off

• But some cant

4

5
The Heartbreak Is Real
6
What Can We Do About It?

• Schools are adopting bullying prevention programs
• States are passing anti-bullying statutes
• Law Schools are holding bullying symposia
• BUT ITS NOT WORKING!

7
Olweus as the Gold Standard?

• The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program reduced
  bullying by up to 50 in schools in Norway and
  Sweden
• But both the schools and the cultures are
  different in the U.S.

8
Results of OBBP in U.S. Mixed

• Some schools using the Olweus program report
  reductions in bullying and peer victimization,
  increases in bystander interventions
• But many do not see any positive results
• And OBBP is expensive

9
Mixed Results with All Interventions?

• Ttofi and Farrington (2011) located 622 reports
  of anti-bullying programs worldwide from
  1983-2009
• They examined 89 studies reporting results of 53
  different programs
• They divided programs according to sizes of
  schools in which they were implemented, and
  research designs

10
Its Not Working

• NO EFFECTS in under-200 students category, only
  moderate effects in over-200s schools
• Of the research design with the best results, the
  age-cohort study design, only one study was in
  the United States
• Overall, 17-23 reduction in bullying
• Most positive effects were seen in Scandinavian
  countries

11
Dont Think Laws Will Help

• State anti-bullying laws have been passed in 49
  states
• Nieman, Robers Robers (2012) analyzed results
  of the effectiveness of state statutes on
  reducing bullying
• Only the most severe statute had a consistent
  positive effect
• State laws do not provide parents access to the
  courts

12
Some Laws May Hurt . . .

• Does No Child Left Behind incentivize
  non-reporting of violence in schools?
• Who wants the label of Persistently Dangerous
  School?
• 2003-2004, only 52 schools in the entire nation
  were classified as persistently dangerous none
  in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los
  Angeles, Miami, San Diego, or Washington, D.C.

13
Persistently Dangerous

• PDE reports that in 2012-2013, only 6 schools in
  the state were persistently dangerous, all in the
  Philadelphia School District (PSD)
• Numbers decreasing
• In 2010-2011, 19 schools, all in PSD
• In 2011-2012, only 12, all in PSD
• Frankford, Lincoln, Strawberry Mansion High
  Schools on the list last several years

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Some Laws May Hurt . . .

• Pennsylvanias Anti-Bullying Law requires schools
  to adopt anti-bullying policies
• Requires schools to review policies every 3 years
  and report development and implementation of
  policies
• School policies must mandate reporting of
  bullying to the school, but law does not describe
  a specific investigation process, nor does it
  require records kept

15
Whats Should Schools Do?

• Administrators need to approach the problem with
  a cautious eye
• Do due diligence
• Get the research studies
• Read what worked in schools your size, your
  location, with your population . . .
• And with your problem

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Whats the Best Course?

• Find out what your problem is
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  publishes a guide to measuring instruments
• Actual surveys are in the guide
• http//www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullyCom
  pendiumbk-a.pdf.

17
Whats the Best Course?

• Treat the bullying problem as a group phenomenon
  the interaction between bullies, victims,
  bully-victims, and bystanders
• Focus on changing the overall classroom
  interactions

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Whats the Best Course?

• Acknowledge the importance
• of family environments
• Ambivalent and less cohesive family
  relationships, harsh discipline practices, and
  inconsistent and authoritarian parenting is in
  the background of many bullies and bully victims

19
Whats the Best Course?

• Be prepared to wait for results
• Program duration and intensity are important
  variables
• Fidelity of implementation must be monitored
• Everyone has to be on the same page, including
  students

20
Every School Is Different

• One size does not fit all
• Some programs work well in some schools
• School size, student demographics, community
  mores, community participation need to be
  considered
• Administrator and staff personalities must
  influence program choice

21
Visit and Study Successes
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Kathleen Conn, Ph.D., J.D., LL.M.connk_at_neumann.e
du

• Thank you for your
• attention.