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I AM HOLLY - An Anti-Bullying Film by Bedford High School

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Produced by Bedford High School and North Star Digital for Anti-Bullying Week 2015. Bedford High School students stand together against bullying. If you are being bullied, you are not alone. Speak to an adult that you trust. www.bedfordhighschool.co.uk www.northstardigital.co.uk

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Egy rövid reklám.

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Bullying is still a major problem faced by children and adolescents around the world.

While not all bullying victims are willing to come forward, U.S. studies indicate that 28 percent of students in Grades 6 to 12 report experiencing bullying in some form with 30 percent admitting to bullying others. Children and adolescents become bullying targets for a wide variety of reasons though race, ethnic background, appearance, or sexual orientation appear to be the most common.

According to U.S. surveys, more than 70 percent of all students report seeing some sort of bullying in their schools with 41 percent reporting seeing it on a weekly basis. Whether it takes the form of verbal threats, physical intimidation, emotional pressure, or cyberbullying, the mental health problems stemming from being victimized can last a lifetime. Along with substance abuse, depression, and other emotional problems, bullying has also been linked to adolescent suicide and trouble with the law as bullying victims attempt to strike back at their tormentors.

In recent years, we've seen more calls for action to protect children and adolescents from bullying, including laws against bullying in some jurisdictions as well as "zero tolerance policies" adopted by many schools to protect students. As a result, programs designed to curb bullying through education are also becoming more popular.

For example, the Ontario Ministry of Education has launched PREVnet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network) to establish Safe Schools Teams across the province. Using biennial surveys to measure school climate for incidents of bullying, the teams plan out anti-bullying activities as well as conducting a Bullying Awareness and Prevention week each year. Other programs encourage students to intervene when they see a child being bullied in school or in their neighbourhood.

But how effective are these programs? One recent meta-analysis suggests that anti-bullying programs work best for younger students but, for students in Grade Eight or above, may actually be counterproductive. Most studies indicate that the actual benefits of these programs may be small at best and that their overall impact may not be as great as schools hope.

A new study published in the journal Psychology of Violence examines the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs from the perspective of the students themselves. A team of researchers, led by Charles E. Cunningham of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, conducted focus groups of elementary and middle-schools students in Grades Five through Eight. The 38 boys and 59 girls in the study were placed in smaller focus groups to examine their own impressions of anti-bullying programs and how effective they are in getting their message across. All students came from Ontario schools and were familiar with PREVnet and anti-bullying guidelines in their own schools. To encourage all students to participate, the focus groups were broken down by age and gender.

In these focus groups, the students often reported that the posters and teacher presentations used to educate students about bullying tended not to be helpful in engaging students, especially if students found it boring. As one Grade Eight girl pointed out, "It's just one person at the front talking and it just gets boring..So like, a big, school-wide assembly doesn't really work." Another theme that came up fairly often was that many of the anti-bullying presenters "kept saying the same things over and over" leading students to "tune out" the message over time. One Grade Eight girl said that "after you read [posters] like four times, you really don't want to read them anymore."

Students also report problems with negatively worded anti-bullying messages which flatly told them what not to do. Messages such as "don't be a bully" and "bullying is wrong" are often ignored by students who face the regular challenges of their daily lives. An even bigger issue stems from the actual credibility of the people delivering the anti-bullying message. If a teacher or principal delivering the anti-bullying presentation is seen as "not caring" or unwilling to follow through with punishment for bullies, there is little motivation for bullies to stop. Outside presenters coming into schools to deliver anti-bullying presentations are especially likely to be ignored since students have no prior relationship with them and have no way of judging whether those presenters should be believed.

The effectiveness of anti-bullying programs can be undermined in other ways as well. Since bullying is often seen as something that only affects "younger kids", older students often appear visibly bored during anti-bullying presentation, something that younger students see and imitate. Other students, including the ones who are prone to bullying behaviour, might actively try disrupting the presentation since the message makes them uncomfortable. Even afterward, they try discrediting the speaker or the presentation by dismissing what was said as "stupid." Some students even try disrupting the anti-bullying activities directly. There may even be an increase in bullying if bullies choose to rebel against the message being presented by teachers. Many of the students in the focus groups mentioned seeing bullying taking place as a direct response to the anti-bullying activities organized by schools. .

Ultimately, what really determines whether anti-bullying programs are effective is how well the anti-bullying guidelines are followed in schools. If there aren't enough teachers to keep watch or if students get a sense that their accusations of bullying are not going to be believed or acted upon, then nothing is likely to change. There is also the fear of retaliation that many bullying victims often go through even if the bully has been punished. Typically, the only real punishment bullies receive is either suspension or detention which is usually not effective in making students feel safer. This is especially true for students facing racial, sexual, or homophobic harassment. Since these bullies are rarely removed from school except in the most extreme cases, victims continue to face these bullies on a regular basis. The acid test of any anti-bullying program is how well these kind of challenges are dealt with.

Based on their focus group research, Charles Cunningham and his co-authors make the following recommendations:

In designing effective anti-bullying programs, schools need to avoid the kind of negative message that students are likely to tune out. This means using more positively focused motivational messages that are aimed at encouraging students to stand up for themselves. All anti-bullying presentations need to be carefully tested out on students of different ages to see how they respond and to make changes as needed before widespread use.

Schools carrying out anti-bullying activities need to be especially vigilant in dealing with any kind of disruptive behaviour and to encourage students to be as involved as possible.

Schools need to be more careful in monitoring for bullying behaviour, before and especially after anti-bullying activities. Teachers need to be aware that bullying may well become after an anti-bullying presentation and extra vigilance is more important than ever.

Any report of bullying needs to be dealt with as promptly as possible to encourage students to come forward when they are bullied. Schools also need to respond to bullying complaints in a fair and impartial manner. Students need to be shown that bullying of any kind has real consequences and that victims of bullying will be protected.

Ministries and school boards need to ensure that teachers and school staff have the resources they need to pursue bullying complaints. Since many teachers complain that competing work demands makes them less able to deal with bullying, schools need to recognize that anti-bullying activities take priority over other teacher responsibilities.

The problem of bullying will likely always be with us and changes in telecommunications are making some forms of bullying easier than ever. Cyberbullying is becoming an epidemic problem, especially since much of this kind of bullying can be done anonymously.

Much of the racist, sexist, and homophobic harassment that many students experience is often ignored by schools, especially if it reflects attitudes found in the larger community. Victims of bullying and the bullies themselves need to learn that this kind of intimidation will not be tolerated. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

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What Makes Anti-bullying Programs Effective?

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Bullying is still a major problem faced by children and adolescents around the world. While not all bullying victims are willing to come forward, U.S. studies indicate that 28 percent of students in Grades 6 to 12 report experiencing bullying in some form with 30 percent admitting to bullying others.

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How does theatre help deliver the anti bullying message in schools, and is it effective? Australia's largest independent women's website, Mamamia, talked to Brainstorm Productions co-founder Jenny Johnson about bullying, cyber bullying and how Brainstorm Productions uses theatre to bring about effective change and make a real difference in kids lives. Below is a full transcript of this interview:
1. What's the best story you've heard about the difference your performances have made to a child's life?
That's a really hard question. We get to hear so many great personal stories every day! Whether it's how we helped one child protect themselves from cyber bullying or empowered students as a group to say "No!" to bullying. Conversely, if a bully learns to stop and think before doing or saying something that could hurt someone else, we feel a huge sense of achievement. Only this week, a student approached one of our actors. This student had seen one of our performances the previous year, and explained how the show had completely turned her life around. The student was being dominated and harassed by a girl at her school and, after seeing our play, she felt empowered and able to stand up for herself. She then discovered that another girl in her class was feeling the very same way and, now, they've become friends, no longer feeling isolated. It can be very lonely for kids who are being bullied. So, positive friendships and having someone to talk to is really important.

A few years ago we also had a very serious case, where a year nine boy was being physically threatened, frightened and felt very unsafe. He was too afraid to speak up and tell anyone, for fear of what the bullies might do to him as retribution. He decided to approach one of our actors and explain what had been happening. The actor took the time to listen without judgement and encouraged the boy to seek help. The actor took some notes and asked the boy if it was OK for her to speak to someone at the school. The school acted swiftly and the case was referred onto the school counsellor. We actively encourage our audiences to seek help by telling a trusted adult, teacher, counsellor or doctor. Although this can be very scary for kids, it can make all the difference.

But, if we had to choose just one of our all-time favourite stories, it would be from an Aspergers Victoria event we held in February, this year. Aspergers Syndrome can make kids very vulnerable to bullying, because they struggle to understand gestures, body language and are prone to missing important social cues. This causes frustration often acted out as aggression. We performed our anti-bullying show " The Protectors ", which is designed to give all kids powerful strategies to protect themselves and others from bullying. About a week after the show, we heard back from one of the parents who told us they had watched their boy use his 'Protect Powers', one of the strategies we teach, to help another child in the playground who was being bullied. He knew exactly what to do and told them not to be mean. As explained by the parent, "Which, for a six year old on the spectrum, is the equivalent of making an opening speech in Parliament. It took guts. And, boy, am I proud that my son could be the one to stand up for others. He showed empathy, assertiveness, compassion and conflict resolution thanks to his Protect Powers!" We all cried tears of joy!

For all of us at Brainstorm Productions, we never forget how privileged we are to be making a real difference to children's lives and the lives of their parents.
2. Is it as effective for young children as older?
Yes! Definitely! Our approach is to develop programs that are suitable for the different stages of a child's development to ensure we are delivering age-appropriate messages. Our plays are developed in collaboration with teachers, counsellors and psychologists, and as the head writer, my background includes teaching at all levels including Drama, Communication, Education and Social Sciences at University. However, every school is different and we enjoy spending as much time as is necessary with each teacher, to make sure our program is designed to suit their needs. We know that the needs and understanding of year one kids can be very different to those in grade five and vastly different again for high school students.

For the very young children, our programs incorporate more ethical messages, including the importance of manners, self-respect, respect for others, cooperation, honesty and positive behaviour. If these values are instilled at a young age and reinforced by a positive environment, they will stay with the child forever. Whereas, for the older students, we tend to lean towards more cautionary tales involving stronger themes including binge drinking, violence, cyber safety, their cyber footprint, digital reputation, substance abuse and the legal ramifications of issues such as sexting. This is all achieved in a non-confrontational format and, definitely, presented in a way that is non-threatening.

We feel it's important to make a special connection with each audience and this can only be achieved by understanding each school's unique issues and any special challenges. We employ highly skilled actors, professionally trained, to make each performance and group discussion spontaneous and personal, which can make all the difference, especially for special need groups. And, we can honestly say, that no two group discussions are ever the same. The reason for this is simple; we work with teachers to give more focus or weight to particular issues that the school might be tackling. The actors are highly skilled in reading the signs of interest. It certainly helps make every day interesting!

On the whole, we feel the key to effectively reaching kids of all ages is 'teaching without preaching'. Storytelling, drama, comedy, role playing and music have been used since the beginning of time to educate and engage. It helps unite children in a shared experience and is a great springboard for opening up discussion and assisting with social change; be it bullying, dealing with peer pressure or the consequences of risky behaviour including binge drinking and violence. In this way, we give strong and emotional lessons to kids, albeit sometimes subliminally, whilst entertaining them. We love seeing the kids' faces transformed, be it with a huge smile, a feeling of empathy for the character or a nod of recognition. We have been doing this successfully for a long time and something we have learnt is that the issues may change, but children haven't. It really is a win-win situation for everyone and we feel so lucky that this is our job!
3. Why is performance such a good medium for getting these messages across?
There is a certain magic that only live theatre can create which reaches out and grabs onto all kids; regardless of age, gender, background and religion. Children also learn in different ways and educational theatre can have a profound effect on some children when they see a familiar scenario being played out with clear solutions and skills that they can practice in their own lives. Students come to the realisation that they are not alone and their feelings are validated through the characters on stage. They see the characters demonstrate perseverance and resilience and that gives hope to any child who may be struggling with similar issues.

This is incredibly important when trying to tackle bullying and cyber bullying, not only for the victims but, also, for the bullies themselves. For children that are bullying, they can see and feel how their negative behaviour is affecting their victim and we provide scenarios for children to change these anti-social, destructive and unacceptable behaviours. We also help kids understand how they can intervene safely to support children who are being bullied and not be a bystander and, therefore, an enabler.

We don't only provide schools with performance-based education programs. We also give them and their teachers a comprehensive range of resources, including curriculum-linked lesson plans, interactive whiteboard activities and original songs from our shows. The success of our programs hinges not only on presenting award-winning live theatre, but also, on providing ongoing support and on the school's reinforcement of the anti-bullying message after we have gone. And, of course, theatre is a great FUN way to learn too!
4. How has bullying changed since you set up the company?
The most obvious change has been the rapid rise in the use of technology and social media by kids and young adults. The increase in children having smart phones with cameras has made it possible for bullying to be filmed, posted online and made public, almost instantaneously. Children are also vulnerable to sexting, which can be humiliating and disastrous. Bullies can now access their victims at all hours of the day and night, anywhere, anytime, and cyber bullying is becoming more inescapable for some kids. Bullies can use fake names and anonymous profiles on the largely anonymous internet. Cyber bullying can be even more devastating than actual bullying because it can intrude into safe places like their home. Often, the child being bullied is embarrassed and ashamed to reveal this to their parents. There is no 'off' switch so the effects can be more pervasive. However, most cases of cyber bullying start with a face-to-face misunderstanding or conflict, so our programs aim to give children strategies to diffuse the situation when it first occurs so it doesn't spill over online.

Parents often tell us they feel they can't control what their children do because they're not tech savvy enough and teachers are often not present when it occurs. Historically, teachers would be on hand to defuse situations in the classroom, hallway or playground, but now bullying is taking place out of their reach. Teachers' powers of control have been massively eroded in the last few decades. We strongly encourage parents to educate themselves on what they can do to help their kids. There are some highly effective resources readily available including the government initiative's ' Bullying. No Way' and ' CyberSmart'. We also provide a range of anti-bullying articles on our website that are designed to provide helpful advice and resources to children, parents and teachers.
5. What impact has the internet had on how kids feel about themselves and others?
From what we observe from the children we meet and talking to teachers, the biggest impacts have been on body image, equally for girls and boys. Kids are consuming and idolising flawless images online not realising how these images are digitally manipulated into the 'ideal'. Children are vulnerable to measuring themselves and others by their social media 'likes', which is causing self-esteem and depression issues. The definition of "friend" is being seriously challenged by social media, so we try to educate our audiences on the importance of having regular and meaningful offline conversations.

Last year, we announced an important partnership with the not-for-profit organisation R U OK? to provide advice and tips to students on how to ask someone if they're okay and to regularly check-in with their mates. With more and more children using smart phones and the web for communication, sadly, the skills required to have meaningful conversations can be almost unknown for some kids. As adults, we know the art of conversation takes practice, but, for kids overusing technology, initiating and participating in an important conversation can be a real struggle. Luckily, it is a skill set that can be learnt and practiced.

Like the R U OK? organisation and most people, we are not equipped to offer professional care to anyone suffering depression, but the good news is there are a range of expert services available including Lifeline, Kids Helpline, Reachout, Headspace and BeyondBlue.
6. What's the worst incidence of bullying your company has come up against?
We perform to over 350,000 students every year and we've been doing this for over 30 years, so we've come into contact with some very sad and tragic stories of children being bullied and their outcomes. Whilst bullying has always been an issue, in the past it was not as widely and as openly discussed and a lot of children suffered in silence. Today, we have a much better understanding of the devastating long-term effects and there is a much wider acceptance that prevention programs are necessary for the wellbeing of young people.

As awareness of the issue has grown, so has the level of support provided to schools and kids to help prevent bullying and to provide assistance for the children who have been targeted by bullies. Perhaps, most significantly, legislation was passed this month which provides the new Children's e-Safety Commissioner with the legal right to demand social media sites take down offensive material, with fines of up to $17,000 a day for failing to comply. We sincerely hope this ground-swell of action continues and further safeguards are established. As the technologies evolve, so must the laws to protect children online.
7. How do you devise the show? Do children themselves have input?
All our bullying, cyber bullying and wellbeing programs evolve from close collaboration with teachers, schools, government departments, community organisations and mental health agencies; and all programs are curriculum-based. But, as long time education theatre professionals (over 32 years!!!), and teachers ourselves, our biggest creative influence is most definitely the children.

Our starting point for each new show involves using our own focus group research with teachers, talking with child psychologists, attending conferences as well as sourcing industry studies and reports. But, the most significant results come from our student feedback forms. These provide us with powerful insights into how our shows made the students feel, on a deeper, emotional level. After all, this is what will linger long after the show is over and the actors have left the school. By seeking to understand what aspects of our shows are making the most impact, we're provided with clear guidelines on what content is required for our programs. All our shows have some kind of connection to the most important issues facing our kids today, be it bullying, cyber bullying, anxiety and depression, body image and acceptance.

While we are dealing with serious problems, we are committed to creating programs that are safe, supportive and non-judgmental and to provide children with positive and useful tools that they can use in their everyday lives. We don't include extreme stories, dramatic tragedies or inappropriate settings. Our aim is to tell stories about the challenges kids face, but deliver them in an extraordinary and powerful way. We deliver results-based programs and, from the feedback we get, we know we are making a real impact on the lives of children, teachers and parents.

To read the Mamamia article, click here.
Crisis Helplines
Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; Suicide Call Back Service - 24/7 Helpline 1300 659 467.

If you or someone you know requires immediate assistance, then please call either Emergency Services (000) or Lifeline (13 11 14).

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Do Anti Bullying Program for Schools Work? Let's Ask an Expert

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How does theatre help deliver the anti bullying message in schools, and is it effective? Australia's largest independent women's website, Mamamia, talked to Brainstorm Productions co-founder Jenny Johnson about bullying, cyber bullying and how Brainstorm Productions uses theatre to bring about effective change and make a real difference in kids liv...

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Last week, the nation heard the tragic story of Phoebe Prince-a 15-year-old high school freshman who committed suicide after she faced relentless bullying from classmates at her school. The story has shocked parents, school administrators, and students around the country wondering how this tragedy could have happened and what should ...

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No one said raising kids would be easy. But nothing cuts to the core of a parent's insecurity greater than when our mini-me's behave in a way we find reprehensible. It's incredibly hard to admit that our child might be a bully; it raises fear, anxiety, insecurity and even defensiveness. Our children, after all, are but a reflection of who we are as parents, right?
The fact is, it's a long and bumpy road to adulthood. Conflicts will arise, and children will have to navigate their way through various protocols and peer interactions that maybe they haven't encountered before. All without the aid of maturity and social skill proficiency. And as they enter the elementary school years and beyond, kids have unsupervised time with other kids -- as they should -- and parents are not around to witness, let alone monitor, their child's behavior.
Rosalind Wiseman is an internationally recognized author and educator of children and teens. She wrote Queen Bees and Wannabees, the book that inspired the movie Mean Girls, and developed a bullying curriculum used nationwide by teachers and administrators. She urges parents to understand the following:

Roles change. Today the bully. Tomorrow, the bullied. Children are not fixed in their roles. Depending on the situation, children can just as easily be the bully as they can the target.

They have a private life. Parents must assume and accept that they won't know everything that goes on with their child.

Kids have 2 sides. Children will act differently at home than they will at school. Your 7th grade son who kisses you goodnight before grabbing his stuffed animal will never show that side of himself to his friends.

You're still a good parent. There are many reasons why parents aren't aware of their child's inappropriate behavior, and it's not because the parent is irresponsible.

After the Dreaded Call
So what should you do if you get a call from the school, or another parent, informing you that your child has mistreated a peer? Rosalind offers this advice:

Breathe. Take a deep breath and be receptive to what you may hear.

Be grateful you've been alerted. Thank the parent or teacher for informing you and acknowledge how difficult it was for them to make the call.

Take a moment. Accept that you may need time to process what you heard.

Make a pledge. Assure the parent or school that you will talk with your child.

Take their info. Follow up if you need to get further understanding, or to discuss what you are doing to address the problem.

There may be times when the parent of the victim is so upset or wrought with anger that they approach the parent of the bully by yelling or talking fast. Rosalind advises parents on the receiving end to say, "I really want to hear what you are telling me, but I can't hear you when you talk like that."
"Successful bullies have strong verbal and social skills," says Rosalind. "They can read other children very well. If they feel they're going to get in trouble for what they did, they will often go home and tell their parents a skewed version of what happened at school that will justify their actions." But Rosalind cautions parents to remember there is always another side.
"Parents must hold their child accountable," she urges, "even if the child feels he was provoked. Ask your child if any part of what the school or other parent said is true." Why?

It prevents putting your child in a position to lie. You are saying to your child, "Okay, there's a lot about your story that I believe, but is there anything about the other side of the story that has merit?"

This allows you to get as much of the story as possible while also getting your child to try and see things from another point of view

The accused child may be so focused on defending his innocence or justifying his actions, he may gloss over the other party's side, or minimize the impact of his behavior

The child must accept responsibility for his or her role in the situation

Carrie Paul, a former guidance counselor in a New York City elementary school, agrees that parents must open the lines of communication with their children and has this to add:

Parents should try to find the source of their child's anger. Is something happening at school? At home? In the case of repeated incidents, are there impulse control or anger management issues?

Parents should work to instill empathy and help the child understand the power of words and actions. Ask the child ?How would you feel if someone did this to you? How would you feel if someone treated your sister this way?'

Role play so that the child can learn the appropriate way to deal with a situation.

"I firmly believe that all schools should not only have an anti-bullying policy, but enforce it," Paul says. "This way, when an incident happens at school, the school doles out the consequences." This helps deflate the anger that the bully may feel towards the target, since the rules are the same to anyone who breaks them. Parents should then support the school's policy.

What Not to Do
What should parents not do when confronted with the news that their child acted in an unsavory manner?

Don't look for someone to blame. As in: "She didn't learn that at home. It must be when she spent time with her cousins!"

Don't justify the behavior by saying, "Well, this happened to my child so he was just acting in response.' Remember the saying ?two wrongs don't make a right?"

Don't say, "I know my child and she would never do that!" You don't necessarily know who she is on the playground or at a slumber party.

Bully Prevention
Can parents do anything to prevent their children from becoming bullies? Rosalind says no. "Kids are messy. We're all messy. Kids can be brutal. You can't send your child to a school that won't have bullying. You can't control external factors."
But, Rosalind believes we can control the safety and dignity of our own family units. How? "By creating a respectful home where the parents don't demean each other; by choosing for our own friends people who treat others with dignity; by looking inward and seeing what expressions of anger we may or may not be modeling."
And ultimately, we must realize that life is a learning process. Our children are relatively new at it, and they can't learn without making mistakes. It's how we help them deal with those mistakes that matter.

ť Check out Sheila's Blog Post on Fighting Bullies Peacefully for more tips

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(Gulp!): What to Do When Your Child Is the Bully

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No one said raising kids would be easy. But nothing cuts to the core of a parent's insecurity greater than when our mini-me's behave in a way we find reprehensible. It's incredibly hard to admit that our child might be a bully; it raises fear, anxiety, insecurity and even defensiveness.

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Nekem egy kicsit nehezen érthető volt, de azért hasznos lehet.

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Objective To evaluate the effects of an antibullying school intervention in elementary schools.

Design Two-year follow-up randomized intervention group-control group.

Setting Forty-seven elementary schools in the Netherlands.

Participants Three thousand eight hundred sixteen children aged 9 to 12 years.

Intervention During the first study year, an antibullying school program was implemented in the schools in the intervention group.

Main Outcome Measures A questionnaire measuring bullying behavior, depression, psychosomatic complaints, delinquent behavior, and satisfaction with school life and peer relationships was filled out by the students at 3 times to obtain the following data: a baseline measurement, a first-effect measurement at the end of the first year, and a second-effect measurement at the end of the second year.

The number of bullied children decreased by 25% in the intervention group compared with the control group (relative risk, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.98). The intervention group also showed a decline in the scale scores of victimization (−1.06 vs 0.28; Results P<.01) and active bullying behaviors (−0.47 vs 0.12, P<.05). Self-reported peer relationships also improved in the intervention schools (0.48 vs 0.11; P<.05), and there was a trend for a decrease in reported depression in the intervention schools (−0.33 vs −0.10; P<.10). At follow-up, there were no differences between the intervention and control groups for the outcome measures. Schools had also lowered their antibullying activities during the second study year.

Conclusions An antibullying school policy can reduce bullying behavior. To keep bullying at a consistently low level, schools must continue antibullying measures every year. Continued counseling may help schools in their efforts to establish a lasting antibullying policy.

Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that is widespread among schoolchildren and is often characterized by repetition and an imbalance of power. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting, kicking, and name-calling, as well as more indirect forms such as exclusion and gossiping. One of the first large-scale studies on bullying behavior in Norway indicated that 1 of every 7 children was bullied regularly. Subsequent studies in several countries have also shown that a substantial number of children are bullied.

Several studies also show that children who are being bullied, and to a lesser degree the bullies, have higher incidences of health complaints and depression. Other studies have found an association between bullying and suicidal thoughts.

Since the 1980s, antibullying interventions have been implemented in schools in many countries. A first large-scale intervention campaign was carried out in Norway and was evaluated by Olweus. Results showed that schools implementing an antibullying policy had significant and lasting decreases in bullying behavior. As a result, antibullying interventions were implemented in other countries.

In the Netherlands, several antibullying measures have been developed to help schools prevent and diminish bullying. In 1995, school, teacher, and parent organizations joined in a collaborative effort to develop national standard antibullying guidelines for schools. This resulted in a protocol for schools to adopt antibullying measures that mirror many of the principles of the Olweus program. Adoption of these antibullying measures was voluntary. Many schools adopted the guidelines and instituted an antibullying school policy, but a substantial number of schools did not develop a specific antibullying policy or implement antibullying activities.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of this antibullying school program in elementary schools. We studied effects on bullying behavior and on related outcome measures such as depression and health complaints. To evaluate the effects, we used a randomized intervention group-control group design. We hypothesized that bullying and related health complaints in schools that participated in the antibullying intervention would decrease compared with schools that did not participate in the intervention.

To study the effect of an antibullying school program, the design included an intervention group and a control group (control group 1). For both groups, a baseline measurement (T0) and 2 follow-up measurements (T1 and T2) were obtained. In addition, another control group was added to the design (control group 2). This group was included in case the schools in control group 1 would start an antibullying school policy on their own during the first year as a result of the baseline measurement. However, this second control group did not contain any baseline measurement data and consequently was less than ideal for analysis. Therefore, control group 2 was included in the analyses only if schools in control group 1 started their own antibullying policy and had their staff trained.

Two hundred Dutch elementary schools were approached to participate in the study. Schools were eligible for participation if they did not have an antibullying school policy and their school staff was not recently trained in antibullying activities. Fifty schools agreed to participate. For logistic reasons, only 15 schools could participate in the intervention group. Schools were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or to 1 of the 2 control groups until each of the 3 groups contained 15 schools; the remaining schools were divided among the 2 control groups.

Children from the 3 highest grades (age, 9-12 years) participated by completing a questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed in classrooms under examinationlike conditions 3 times during the study: the first and second measurements were obtained during the school year, in November 1999 and May 2000, respectively, and the third measurement was obtained at the end of the follow-up school year in May 2001.

The design of the study was approved by the local medical ethics committee. All parental advisory boards of the participating schools were informed about the study and gave written informed consent for participation.

Two questions were asked about general bullying behavior: How often did other children bully you in recent months? How often did you bully other children in recent months? Questions were based on the Dutch version of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire with somewhat modified answer categories. Children could answer both questions on a 6-point scale: "not bullied at all," "1 or 2 times," "a few times a month," "once a week," "2 or 3 times a week," and "almost every day." Items were dichotomized into bullied ("a few times a month" or more often) and not bullied ("1 or 2 times" or less often). In addition, active and experienced bullying behavior was measured with items addressing 6 types of victimization: name-calling, exclusion, hitting or kicking, having things stolen or hidden, being rumored or gossiped about, and being teased. Children were asked if they experienced or performed any of these behaviors during the last 4 weeks. Items were summed for both scales of active and experienced bullying behavior.

Students were asked about a series of health symptoms (eg, headache, sleeping problems, or abdominal pain) and for each symptom were asked to report whether in the last 4 weeks they had experienced the symptom never, sometimes, or often. Items were summed into a scale.

Depression was evaluated with the Short Depression Inventory for Children. This questionnaire contains 9 items, for example, "The last weeks I felt down." For each item, respondents answered whether this was true or not true. All items answered as true were summed.

Delinquent behavior was measured with a 7-item scale. Each item addressed a different form of delinquent behavior, such as "Have you stolen something at school?" All items that were answered positively were summed.

Experience of school life was measured with 3 scales from the Dutch School Experience Questionnaire: "satisfaction with contact with other students" (8 items, eg, "I would rather be in a classroom with other children"), general satisfaction with school life (10 items), and satisfaction with contact with teachers (15 items). For each item, answer options were always, often, sometimes, or never. Items were summed, with higher scores indicating more satisfaction.

Compliance with the components of the intervention was measured by teacher reports. A questionnaire with questions regarding antibullying activities performed during the school year was distributed among teachers in the participating classes at the end of the second and third years (T1 and T2).

Multilevel logistic and linear regression analyses (MLwiN; Multilevel Models Project, Institute of Education, London, England) were used to calculate effects of the intervention at the end of the first and second years of the study. Three levels were included in the analyses: school, classroom, and individual. Outcomes were measured at the individual level, corrected for influences from a higher level, that is, classroom and school. Baseline levels of the outcome measure and grade, sex, and school size were included as covariates in the regression model. Odds ratios obtained from logistic regression were converted to relative risk by using the method described by Zhang and Yu. P values were 2-tailed. Significance levels for an effect were P<.05, and for a trend were P<.10.

The antibullying program was developed in the Netherlands and mirrors many principles that also underlie antibullying programs in other countries, such as the Olweus program. The program aims to include teachers, bullied children, bullies, noninvolved children, and parents in the efforts to lower the bullying behavior.

An important part of the program is that teachers undergo training. Another important component is the development of a written antibullying school policy describing the activities that a school plans to perform during the course of the school year and how to deal with bullying incidents. Training of teachers and assistance for the schools was given by the KPC group, an organization that specializes in training school staff and assisting schools with the implementation of new curricula and guidelines. Schools in the intervention group were assisted with the development of an antibullying school policy during the first year of the study.

At the beginning of the school year there was a meeting for school board supervisors to explain the program and create support. There was a 2-day training session for teachers to create awareness of bullying behavior, to assist them in applying antibullying measures, and to instruct them on how to deal with bullying incidents among children. During the intervention year, teachers could consult the training staff with questions about their antibullying activities.

Schools were supplied with the booklet Bullying in School: How to Deal With It, which describes how a school can develop an antibullying policy and undertake various measures. They were also supplied with the Bullying Test, a computerized questionnaire that children can complete anonymously in the classroom and that gives the teacher an insight into the bullying behavior of the students.

Schools were asked to develop a written antibullying school policy and to include in their activities the core program as described by Olweus: set clear rules against bullying, have regular measurements of bullying behavior by means of a questionnaire, have a curriculum of lessons on bullying behavior and social skills, have good supervision during recess, and inform parents about and involve them in the antibullying policy of the school.

The main criterion for including schools in the intervention group was that their teachers participate in the 2-day training. One school was originally part of the intervention group but indicated having no time for the training and, consequently, was excluded from the intervention group and the study.

The participating schools included 156 classes participating in the study during the first year. A questionnaire regarding the antibullying activities during the first year was returned for 107 classes (response rate, 69%). Results are given in Table 1. Most teachers in the intervention group participated in the training. None of the control schools had a substantial part of their staff trained in antibullying measures during the study. The results indicate further that intervention schools performed more antibullying activities, although not for all components of the intervention. Specifically, the use of an antibullying survey in the classrooms and the creation of antibullying rules were done significantly more often in the intervention group. At the end of the first year, 6 of the 14 schools in the intervention group had a written antibullying policy. One of the 18 schools in control group 1 had a written policy, and no school in control group 2 had a written antibullying policy.

The participating schools included 113 classes participating in the study during the second year. A questionnaire regarding the antibullying activities during this second year was returned for 105 classes (response rate, 93%). Results are given in Table 2. There was no significant difference in activities between the intervention group and the control groups. The main reasons why schools in the intervention group discontinued activities during the second year of the study were that they considered the antibullying activities to be a 1-year project, the school decided that another issue should get priority during the following year, or simply that there was no time to perform the activities every year. Schools with a written antibullying policy performed more antibullying activities during the follow-up year than those without a written policy.

Effects of antibullying policy

A total of 3816 children participated in the study: 1214 students in the intervention group (at T0), 1552 students in control group 1 (at T0), and 1050 students in control group 2 (at T1) ( Figure). Because most of the schools in both control groups did not have their staff trained and did not have a written antibullying school policy during the first year, control group 1 was used in the main effect analysis as the comparison group because this group also included a baseline measurement (T0).

The intervention group and control group 1 included 2848 students in the upper 3 grades; 2766 (97%) participated in the baseline measurement (T0), and 2224 (78%) participated in the first-effect measurement (T1). During the following school year children in the lower 2 grades of the initial sample, who were still in elementary school, participated in the second-effect measurement (T2), and 1591 children (58% of the initial total sample, 82% of the initial lower 2 grades) filled out the questionnaire ( Figure).

For the nonresponders of the first-effect measurement (T1), there were no differences in outcome variables of the initial measurement between nonresponders from the intervention group and those from the control group. Nonresponders of the second-effect measurement (T2) differed only on the baseline scores of psychosomatic complaints (0.97 vs 1.21; t = 2.71; P = .007).

Mean (SD) age of students at the baseline measurement was 10.1 (1.1) years. Fifty percent of the sample were girls. Table 3 gives data on general bullying behavior in intervention schools and control schools.

Effects after the first year

At the end of the first year, the number of bullied children decreased significantly in the intervention schools compared with the control schools. In the intervention schools, the number of bullied children decreased from 17.7% to 15.5%, while the number of bullied children in the control group increased from 14.6% to 17.3%. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that children in the intervention group were at a relative risk of 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.98) of being bullied at the end of the first school year compared with the control group ( Table 4). Thus, the number of bullied children decreased by 25% in the intervention group compared with the control group.

Scale scores on specific bullying behavior also indicated that children in the intervention schools experienced significantly less bullying behavior ( Table 5). Children also indicated less active bullying behavior. Furthermore, there was a trend for fewer depressive symptoms in the intervention schools compared with the control schools at the end of the first year. Children in the intervention group also indicated higher satisfaction with contact with other students.

Effects after the second year

At the end of the follow-up year there were no significant differences in bullying behavior between schools in the intervention group and the control group ( Table 6). There were also no differences between the groups in other outcome measures such as depression, psychosomatic complaints, and satisfaction with school life ( Table 7).

The results of this randomized control study indicate that schools can reduce the number of children being bullied. The number of bullied children decreased by 25% in the intervention group compared with the control group at the end of the first year. Self-reported peer relationships improved at the intervention schools, and there was a trend toward a decrease in reported depressive complaints in the intervention schools in comparison with the control schools.

Compliance in the intervention group was high for attending the 2-day training for teachers, using the bullying questionnaire to establish levels of bullying behavior, and setting clear rules against bullying in the classroom. Compliance was low for some components of the intervention. For example, schools did not often involve the parents in their antibullying efforts. Awareness is considered important in combating bullying through a school-based intervention program. It may well be that attending the training sessions and frequent use of the Bullying Test raised awareness of the bullying problem and made teachers more vigilant during the first year.

In the longer term, at the end of the second study year, there were no significant differences in outcome variables between the intervention and control schools. One explanation might be the decline of antibullying measures in the intervention schools during the second year. Although schools were asked to continue their activities, no training or counseling was given in the second year. This absence of ongoing support may have been an important reason for discontinuation of the activities in the second year. Another explanation is that not all schools in the intervention group developed a written antibullying school policy. Schools with a written policy did continue more of their antibullying measures. Furthermore, several schools indicated that they considered the antibullying activities part of a 1-year project and wanted to give their extra time and attention each year to a different health subject that needed special attention.

Other studies have found mixed results on antibullying school measures. Olweus evaluated a nationally implemented antibullying intervention in Norway and found substantial (up to 50%) reductions in bullying victimization. However, other authors evaluated the same program and found no overall effects. This difference in results is explained by the higher level of counseling given to schools in the Olweus study. Evaluation of similar programs in England and Belgium reported positive effects, although smaller than those reported in Norway. A recent study in Finland found substantial reductions in bullying behavior, especially among schools with high levels of implementation of antibullying activities.

Some strengths of our study are the randomized controlled design and the use of multilevel analysis, which controls for clustering effects at the group level. Effect analyses included baseline levels of bullying behavior to correct for initial differences between the groups. An adverse factor in the design was that schools in the control group performed several antibullying activities. All schools were expected to be involved in some antibullying activities. However, these control schools can still be considered part of the control group because their staff did not undergo any antibullying training and most control schools did not develop a written antibullying policy.

Future implementation of the antibullying intervention in elementary schools should be more focused on developing a written antibullying policy and include regular follow-up counseling. A follow-up project is under way to investigate how schools can implement more antibullying activities and continue their activities each year with the help of ongoing consultation.

We conclude that an antibullying school intervention can reduce bullying victimization. However, to keep bullying behavior at a consistently low level, schools must continue antibullying measures every year. Regular follow-up counseling could help schools to continue their antibullying school policy.

Correspondence: Minne Fekkes, MSc, PhD, Youth Department, TNO (Netherlands Organization of Applied Scientific Research) Prevention and Health, PO Box 2215, 2301 CE Leiden, the Netherlands ( m.fekkes@pg.tno.nl).

Accepted for Publication: November 23, 2005.

Author Contributions: Dr Fekkes had full access to all data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Funding/Support: This study was supported by grant 22000061 from ZorgOnderzoek Nederland, The Hague, which had no role in the design or conduct of the study or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

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Effects of Antibullying School Program on Bullying and Health Complaints

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Objective To evaluate the effects of an antibullying school intervention in elementary schools. Design Two-year follow-up randomized intervention group-control group. Setting Forty-seven elementary schools in the Netherlands. Participants Three thousand eight hundred sixteen children aged 9 to 12 years. Intervention During the first study year, an antibullying school program was implemented in the schools in the intervention group.

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If a child is being bullied at school should parents intervene? Talking to the school, the other parents, the other child are all options, but is it better to let your children fend for themselves? Shutterstock

Having your child bullied at school is one of the greatest fears of parents - and research shows this fear is well founded. School bullying has been described as the single most important threat to the mental health of children and adolescents.

Well-controlled studies show that being bullied in primary school increases the risk of serious mental health problems into adolescence and ongoing depression leading well into adulthood.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't?

So when parents find out their child is being bullied, they are right to be concerned. But what exactly should they do about it? Should they tell the school, approach the parents of the other child, or just let their child deal with it?

It can be difficult to weigh up the sometimes conflicting advice given to parents. Parents desperately want to help their child, but if they jump in too quickly to protect their child they can be labelled as over-protective or over-indulgent.

School authorities often recommend parents leave the school to handle it. This is fine if the school is successful in stopping the bullying. However, this is not always the case. Most school programs to address bullying make only modest improvements, leaving some children to continue to be bullied.

This could be why we often hear of parents taking matters into their own hands. This can lead to uncertain legal ground if parents reprimand other children and to ugly arguments between parents. Clearly none of these approaches is ideal.

New research on how parents can help their children

We now know that parenting specifically affects children's risk of being bullied at school. A meta-analysis in 2013 concluded that warm, supportive parenting is a protective factor and negative parenting is a risk factor for children being bullied at school.

Another large well-controlled study from the UK showed that having warm supportive family relationships also helps buffer children against the adverse emotional consequences of being bullied. This means that when children feel supported by their parents, they are less likely to attract bullying. They also have someone to turn to at home when things are not going well at school, which helps them cope.

Research has identified two additional ways parents can make a positive difference to children's relationships with peers: parents can coach children in social skills and they can actively support their children's friendships.

Parents see children every day so are in an ideal position to help children find ways to deal with peer problems. Parents can improve children's social skills, which can help children become better accepted by peers, and support children's friendships by organising play-dates and other activities that help children develop close friendships with children at school. Having good friends at school helps protect children against bullying.

A program at the University of Queensland called "Resilience Triple P" teaches parents to support their child, support their child's friendships, coach their child in social and emotional skills, and communicate effectively with the school and other adults.

A total of 111 families were randomly allocated to either receiving the program or not, and monitored over nine months. Schools of both intervention and control families were informed that parents had a concern about bullying.

Compared with families in the control condition, children whose families received Resilience Triple P showed greater reductions in victimisation, distress and depression. Teachers reported children became better accepted by peers. Children reported liking school more.

Resilience Triple P involves parents in helping children deal effectively with peer problems. However, if the child's efforts do not work, or if the child is in danger, the parents step up as advocates for their children.

How parents can help children cope

If your child talks to you about problems with other children at school, this is good news. Very often children don't tell anyone about being bullied; they might feel ashamed or worried how their parents will respond. It is important that when children approach parents with a problem, parents stop and listen. If parents become emotional or over-react, this may discourage children from confiding further.

If a child is not communicating, there are signs that indicate they could be being bullied at school. These signs include trying to avoid school or social situations, greater sensitivity and mood swings, changes in eating and sleeping, and unexplained physical symptoms. If children are demonstrating any of these patterns, parents could gently ask children how things are going in various areas of their lives.

Whether or not a child is being bullied, it is important for parents to support their children's friendships, as an investment in children's ongoing mental health and well-being. This means making time for children to catch up with friends and getting to know other parents as a way of supporting your child's relationships.

When children are upset by other children's behaviour, parents can provide a valuable sounding board. They can help children interpret situations and decide what to do.

Very often problems can be solved if the child can stand up for themselves calmly. Parents can help children practise how to do this.

Parents might also help children learn how to ignore minor issues, strengthen friendships with kind children, resolve ongoing conflicts and get help from a teacher when needed.

Approaching the school and other adults

If a child is unable to deal with a distressing issue by themselves, it is important that the parent communicates for the child. If the child is experiencing problems at school, parents should first contact the child's school. This would involve approaching the child's teacher if the issue is with another child in the class, or perhaps the school management if the issue is broader.

It is important when approaching the school for parents to plan carefully what they want to say. Schools can easily become defensive about the issue of bullying. It is important parents stay calm and explain exactly what happened and how their child was affected. The parent can request help in improving the situation and then check how this goes over time.

There are other adults who may be supervising children when bullying occurs. Parents may need to have conversations with out-of-school-hours care staff, sporting coaches, scout leaders and dance teachers.

The situation is a bit more sensitive if the problems occur when your child is being supervised by friends or family members. The same principles apply though - you need to calmly request the other adult's help without blaming them or putting their child down. Sometimes this can start by acknowledging the children are having problems - and suggesting you could work together to help them.

Generally it is a risky move to approach parents of another child at school bullying your child, if you don't already have a good relationship with them. Your approach is unlikely to improve things and may result in heated conflict. This may worsen the relationship between the children, making it more difficult for the school to resolve the issue.

What if nothing works?

Sometimes, despite parents' best efforts to support their child and seek help from the school, the bullying continues. Ongoing bullying poses an unacceptable risk to any child.

If your child is experiencing ongoing distress from bullying, and the school doesn't address it despite your requests, consider other options - including going to higher education authorities and reporting cases of physical assault or cyber-bullying to police.

Parents should also consider whether another school might provide a better option for their child, but it's important to involve the child in this decision.
Editor's note: Kayrn will be answering questions between noon and 1pm AEDT on Wednesday March 18. You can ask your questions about the article in the comments below.

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What should parents do if their child is bullied at school?

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Having your child bullied at school is one of the greatest fears of parents - and research shows this fear is well founded. School bullying has been described as the single most important threat to the mental health of children and adolescents.

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School bullying takes its toll later in life too. Ashley Rose/Flickr, CC BY-SA

Being bullied at school is an unpleasant and relatively common experience for many young people, but does it lead to long-lasting harm? A growing number of studies have found that being bullied is associated with an increased risk of developing symptoms of anxiety and depression, self-harm and even suicidal ideation.

Many would argue that it seems obvious that bullying might cause some young people to develop depression - but how strong is the evidence that this is the case?

Does teenage bullying contribute to clinical depression?

In new research published in The British Medical Journal, we built on the work of other studies to investigate the strength of the association between being bullied as a teenager and developing depression as a young adult.

We used data from the " Children of the 90s Study " - a large birth cohort study based at the University of Bristol, which has been charting the health of families since the early '90s. We were particularly interested in bullying occurring during the early teenage years, given this is a time both when the influence of peers rises, and rates of depression begin to increase.

At 13 years, participants filled in detailed questionnaires about their recent experiences of different types of peer victimisation. When they were 18 years old, participants came back into the lab and took part in clinic assessments that were used to derive diagnoses of depression.

Of the 683 children who reported frequent victimisation at 13 years, 101 (14.8%) were depressed at 18 years. Of the 1446 children reporting some victimisation, 103 (7.1%) were depressed, and of the 1769 children reporting no victimisation at 13 years, 98 (5.5%) were depressed.

Children who were frequently victimised had over a two-fold increase in odds of depression compared with children who were not victimised by peers. So is this enough to show that being bullied causes depression?

Ankakay/Flickr, CC BY

Sadly, some children are more at risk of being bullied by their peers than others. In particular, children who are more shy and withdrawn are more likely to be bullied than their less anxious peers.

This makes it difficult to disentangle cause and effect - does being bullied lead to an increased risk of depression, or are kids with higher levels of depressive symptoms simply more likely to be targeted by bullies?

Are there other characteristics that might explain this association? Using data on children's mental health and their family experiences, we were able to adjust for a large number of factors that might have explained the relationship between bullying and depression.

Even when statistically controlling for these factors, we still found that teenagers who were frequently bullied were nearly twice as likely to be depressed at 18 compared to their non-bullied peers. The more frequent the bullying, the increased likelihood of developing depression as an adult.

How important is bullying as a risk factor for depression?

In our sample, up to 30% of depression at 18 years might be attributed to being bullied as a teenager if bullying really is a cause of depression. However with our type of study, we can never be certain that there isn't some other, unmeasured variable that might explain our findings.

But given that researchers would never randomly assign children to be bullied or not in order to test whether this association is causal, we must rely on evidence from observational studies such as ours.

Also, we can't say for sure whether our findings generalise to other populations. That's why it is so important that research such as ours is replicated using different samples from different populations.

For now, the weight of evidence is sufficiently strong that bullying should be considered as an important risk factor for depression. There are effective school-based interventions, and schools should be supported in implementing these.

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Nearly a third of early adulthood depression linked to bullying in teenage years

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Being bullied at school is an unpleasant and relatively common experience for many young people, but does it lead to long-lasting harm? A growing number of studies have found that being bullied is associated with an increased risk of developing symptoms of anxiety and depression, self-harm and even suicidal ideation.

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Children often need to be told to be inclusive. Ludo via Umkehrer/www.shutterstock.com

"Racist and anti-immigration views held by children," warned a recent headline in The Guardian, reporting the results of a survey of nearly 6,000 British schoolchildren conducted by the charity Show Racism the Red Card.

It's clear that prejudices are present among young people, due to a complex range of influences, many beyond their schools' control. However, new evidence suggests that schools which work hard to promote an inclusive environment can help curb negative attitudes between groups of children in the classroom.

Much research has focused on how self-identity is reliant upon our membership of flourishing social groups. By the age of seven, children are aware of the groups to which they belong, and prefer being a member of an "in-group", such as fans of a certain football team or members of a different ethnic group. Much of the evidence within this strand of research suggests that, on a day-to-day basis, children do not hold negative attitudes towards children outside of these groups, and are more worried about not being excluded themselves.

Among the most powerful influences on young people's behaviour are norms: the rules, stated or otherwise, which govern society. Such rules exist within children's groups: for example, to share or not to share, how to dress, or who can be included in an activity.

Norms within the school context are often explained to children within school charters - a document or statement that outlines how teachers expect pupils to behave in order to create a harmonious learning environment. By attending school, children agree to adhere to this set of generic rules. For example, one clause might be that all children have the right to learn in peace, regardless of their age, gender or ethnicity. Many schools adopt such a method, but little work has tested how efficient it is in beating prejudice.

Making inclusion the norm

In a study we just published, my colleagues and I carried out an experiment with 229 seven to 11-year-olds to explore this further. In this case, the children were asked to imagine that they were going to compete in a drawing competition. Participants were introduced to photographs of children they would never meet and told some were going to be their team mates and the rest the other team. In the past, it's been shown that this leads to participants suggesting they would verbally bully a member of an opposing team, if members of their own team in the competition asked them to.

We were most interested in what might happen if a pupil's peer group urged them to exclude those who were in the opposing team in the drawing competition, but the school stepped in and told the children to behave inclusively.

Half of the children heard a message recorded by a teacher instructing them to act in a kind and inclusive manner towards people from other groups and schools, or risk the consequences. Such an intervention is akin to the norms promoted by teachers, in either a formal charter-style, or more informally in the classroom. The children were then given a survey and asked to rate how much they liked, trusted and would like to play with members of both their own, and the other team.

Boy being builied via Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com

When children were told by a teacher to be more inclusive, it had a positive effect on their attitudes towards their competitors. These children scored higher in the survey - meaning they were more likely to trust and like the opposite team - compared with participants who didn't hear a message from the teacher. This was still the case even when the child's team mates had asked them to exclude their competitors.

Peer groups matter too

Unfortunately, this was not always the case. When children thought their team mates within the competition would be able to read their answers to the survey, they reverted to saying they wouldn't like or trust members of the other team. These results suggest that telling children to be more inclusive can be a useful intervention at the school level, but must work in conjunction with an effort to encourage peer groups to be positive and inclusive between each other.

This matches what other researchers have found: one of the most powerful influences on the development of children's attitudes, are children themselves.

Our research pinpoints that we can successfully intervene in schools to help minimise prejudice between groups of children. School charters emphasising equality and inclusion that are endorsed by teachers and make clear there will be genuine consequences for those who flaunt the rules, should be encouraged. But it is vital to recognise that school rules alone are not enough to change attitudes. Teachers and children must work together to develop a harmonious multicultural environment in British schools.

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How to reduce prejudice among groups of children at school

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"Racist and anti-immigration views held by children," warned a recent headline in The Guardian, reporting the results of a survey of nearly 6,000 British schoolchildren conducted by the charity Show Racism the Red Card. It's clear that prejudices are present among young people, due to a complex range of influences, many beyond their schools' control.

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About 80% of homophobic and transphobic incidents that young people experience take place in schools. from www.shutterstock.com

Over the past few weeks, proselytising and campaigning about the role of the Safe Schools Coalition has reached fever pitch.

While the program faces continuing malicious attacks from the right, many Australians have been thrust into a discussion that invokes the idea of "the gay agenda", sexuality recruitment and indoctrination about sexuality and gender.

While social and psychological research wholeheartedly dismisses these claims, the voices that propagate them continue on without recognition of the broader aims and outcomes that the program legitimately addresses.

The Safe Schools Coalition doesn't only supports students who are diverse in gender identity or sexuality. It supports everyone within the school environment, including teachers, principals and straight/cisgender students. Specifically, the program provides schools with crucial resources that disrupt violence and aggression based on gender and sexuality in schools.

Bullying that relates to gender or sexuality is the most common form of violence that students encounter in schools.

While figures from Australia are unavailable, research from the US indicates that 80% of students will experience some kind of gender-based bullying during their primary and high school studies, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity.

This type of bullying includes any kind of threatening or harassing behaviours that are based on gender role expectations. As such, it encompasses sexual harassment, coercion and assault; insults, intimidation and assaults based on perceived or actual sexual orientation; and verbal or physical harassment.

Violence of this kind can manifest in school environments when gender roles are clearly defined by language and culture. Students (and in some cases teachers) subsequently discriminate against those who may deviate from these expectations.

Some common examples of this include girls who are called "sluts" if they wear particular clothes or makeup, or boys who are called "faggots" if they are not into sports or refuse to look at pornography.

Similarly, transphobic bullying can happen when students do not fit neatly into binary gender understandings.

These environments are particularly hostile for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) students. They are likely to hear eight homophobic insults a day, with one-third of these either perpetrated or condoned by school staff.

Some 80% of homophobic and transphobic incidents that LGBTQ young people experience take place in schools.

Importantly, an emerging body of research has demonstrated that teachers are often not equipped to respond to moments of gender-based violence.

While aggression related to race and ethnicity is often responded to firmly and with confidence, school staff often ignore instances where aggressors target a student's gender.

Research has shown that teachers often fail to intervene in these instances because they see them as inevitable or not serious. This is additionally problematic as students often frame gender or sexuality-based aggression as joking or not serious (like other forms of bullying are).

They may also suggest that the victim deserved the violence. Each of these attitudes fosters a culture of non-reporting, further facilitating aggression of this kind.

In my research, teachers suggested that the students who were at risk of gender-based or homophobic bullying had exceptional strengths that protected them from emotional or psychological damage from such incidents.

Teachers often failed to recognise that homophobic language, or epithets like "slut" and "poof", could be harmful to students. When moments of homophobia or gendered aggression occurred, they often dismissed it as not serious or as an inevitable product of adolescent relationships.

Each of these positions is equally concerning as they allow bullying that relates to gender and sexuality to go unchecked in school environments, communicating to students that these actions have no institutional consequences.

Programs such as the Safe Schools Coalition confront these attitudes by providing teachers with resources to purposefully recognise and disrupt bullying that relates to gender and sexuality. They also provide support for students who may be experiencing this aggression regardless of whether they are same-sex attracted or gender diverse.

Some commentators have suggested that the removal of the Safe Schools program constitutes state-sanctioned homophobia. This notion recognises that by removing the limited support structures for addressing violence related to gender and sexuality, institutions become complicit in its (re)production.

Homophobia and transphobia are not issues only for LGBTQ students. These aggressions affect whole school populations by preventing students from behaving in particular ways in case they are "called out" as gay or lesbian, or told that their masculinity or femininity isn't "correct".

Programs that address aggression based on gender norms and associated sexualities enable a more positive learning and social environment, with greater behavioural flexibility for all students.
Victoria will be on hand for an Author Q&A between 3:30 and 4pm AEDT on Thursday, March 4, 2016. Post your questions in the comments section below.

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Bullying linked to gender and sexuality often goes unchecked in schools

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Over the past few weeks, proselytising and campaigning about the role of the Safe Schools Coalition has reached fever pitch. While the program faces continuing malicious attacks from the right, many Australians have been thrust into a discussion that invokes the idea of "the gay agenda", sexuality recruitment and indoctrination about sexuality and gender.

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It's also, unfortunately, a time when a lot of people get bullied, and there hasn't been much research on how exercise, with all the good things it does for one's mental health, might help shield people from the many harmful effects of bullying.

That's what a team led by Dr. Jeremy Sibold of the University of Vermont set out to investigate in a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

The authors took data from 13,583 responses to the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which asks teens a bunch of demographic and behavioral questions - as well as some about whether they've experienced real and in-person bullying - and examined the correlations between exercise and a few different important outcomes.

"25.1% of students who reported exercising on 6 to 7 days per week felt sad for 2 weeks or more in the past 12 months, compared to 35.7% of students who reported exercising on 0 to 1 day.

Of students who exercised on 6 to 7 days in the past week, 15.9% reported suicidal ideation, and 6.4% reported suicide attempt in the past 12 months, compared to 24.6% and 10.3% of students who exercised on 0 to 1 day, respectively."

The benefits of exercise held both for students who were bullied and those who weren't:

"Of bullied students who exercised 6 to 7 days per week, 34.7% felt sad or hopeless compared to 42.5% of bullied students who exercised on 0 to 1 day, whereas 10.5% of nonbullied students who exercised 6 to 7 days per week felt sad or hopeless compared to 18.1% of nonbullied students who exercised 0 to 1 day.

"Similarly, 36.8% of bullied students who exercised 6 to 7 days in the past week reported suicidal ideation compared to 45.9% of bullied students who exercised 0 to 1 day, whereas 11.8% of nonbullied students who exercised 6 to 7 days in the past week felt sad or hopeless compared to 20.7% of nonbullied students who exercised 0 to 1 day.

"In addition, 16.2% of bullied students who exercised 6 to 7 days in the past week reported suicide attempt as compared to 20.4% who exercised only 0 to 1 days. In nonbullied students who exercised 6 to 7 days per week, 3.5% reported suicide attempt versus 6.4% who exercised 0 to 1 day."

Taken together, these results certainly point to the idea that exercise can help prevent the worst psychological damages of bullying from setting in.

But as the researchers point out, there are limits to what can be gleaned from this sort of correlational study - for instance, it might be the case not that exercise causes improvements in mood, but rather that people in a better mood are more likely to muster the will to exercise.

It would also be really interesting to see a study like this that factored in the severity of bullying. On the surveys in question, the bullying items are all in yes/no forms along the lines of "During the past 12 months, have you ever been bullied on school property? [emphasis in original]"

None of them measures how severely or frequently the respondent was bullied, so there could be hidden effects here that are worth exploring.

It would also be interesting to learn more about how exercise both protects kids from the worst symptoms of bullying and prevents it altogether: It's natural to expect, after all, that kids who exercise a lot are in better shape and, depending on the form of exercise, might have an easier time finding other kids to hang out with.

Both of these might help prevent them from being victimized, or at least reduce the frequency and severity of victimization.

So this study adds what could be a really important insight to the ongoing debate over how to tackle bullying, but there's still a lot we don't know.

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It's also, unfortunately, a time when a lot of people get bullied, and there hasn't been much research on how exercise, with all the good things it does for one's mental health, might help shield people from the many harmful effects of bullying.

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The Texas City, Texas, teen put a gun to her chest and killed herself in front of her family after being relentlessly bullied, her family said. Brandy's sister, Jackie, said the teen had always been bullied for her weight, and cyberbullying ramped up in April. People called her fat and ugly and sent her messages saying, "Why are you still here?" Because the suspects used an app that wasn't traceable, the police weren't able to do anything about it, her family was told.

Sheriff's deputies plan to address cyberbullying when they speak with students in the Texas City Independent School District , where Vela went to school.

"Today's young adults and teenagers have grown up with technology and they have access to it 24/7. Many times they become very bold over technology and text things they would never say directly to someone's face," said Melissa Tortorici, the communications director for the school district. "It's extremely difficult to stop someone from sending messages when apps make it easy to remain anonymous."

As technology has become more ingrained at increasingly younger ages for children, cyberbullying has become a serious issue that teachers and parents are trying to combat. Melania Trump, the next first lady of the United States, has said that ending cyberbullying will be her focus because social media culture has become "too mean and too tough," especially in regard to children and teens.

In May, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine declared that it's time to recognize bullying as a serious public health issue. But zero-tolerance policies aren't going to cut it.

"We need to understand that this is a public health problem faced by a third of our children," said Dr. Frederick Rivara, chairman of the committee compiling the report. "It has a major effect on their academic performance as well as their mental and physical health."

The effects of bullying

In addition to causing depression and anxiety and leading to alcohol and drug abuse into adulthood, the harmful effects of bullying manifest themselves physically in kids and teens by disrupting their sleep, causing gastrointestinal issues and headaches.

Researchers also noticed that bullying causes changes in the stress response system of the brain, affecting cognitive function and self-regulating emotions. Children who are bullied as well as those who bully others are more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide.

Bullies themselves are negatively impacted by their own behavior. They are more likely to be depressed, are at great risk for poor psychological and social outcomes and are more likely to engage in high-risk activities such as vandalism and theft.

Determining the scope of bullying hasn't always been easy due to differences in how it's defined or measured, but the committee looked at research suggesting that anywhere between 18% and 31% of kids are affected by bullying. Cyberbullying affected between 7% and 15% of kids, and it's on the rise.

There are also vulnerable subgroups at a higher risk for bullying, including kids who are obese or disabled, who identify as LGBT or who have fewer peers of the same ethnicity within their school.

What is bullying?

For the sake of having a consistent definition of what bullying means, the committee referred to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's current definition: Bullying is any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated, and bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social or educational harm.

The report also focused on ages 5 to 18 years, in line with the CDC, because it's just as important to address bullying in early childhood as well as emerging adulthood.

Because cyberbullying is carried about by some of the same individuals and directed at the same targets, it is included within the broader definition rather than standing on its own. But Rivara acknowledged that more research needs to be done in order to understand cyberbullying and the most effective ways to combat it.

Even if cyberbullying isn't repetetive, which bullying often is by definition, it is still harmful because "a single perpetrating act on the Internet can be shared or viewed multiple times," according to the report.

How to prevent it

Given the proven short- and long-term "psychological consequences" for both the bullied and bullies themselves, the report committee determined which type of evidence-based programs can help to prevent it in the future. The report also includes suggested guidelines and policies for the future.

The recommendations include arriving at a consistent and comprehensive definition for bullying, more longitudinal studies about its prevalence, evaluating antibullying policies, developing and implementing evidence-based programs, and training and partnering with social media companies on policies to identify and respond to cyberbullying.

And it's time to shift away from zero-tolerance policies in schools and switch to Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports or PBIS, which have a proven track record in more than 20,000 schools, according to committee member Catherine Bradshaw, a developmental psychologist and youth violence prevention researcher.

"Zero-tolerance policies were developed to address a variety of behaviors around bullying, but they don't work and may actually be harmful," Rivara said. "Under zero tolerance, bullies would be expelled or suspended. This decreases their chances of getting better or completing school and ultimately getting a job. They need help. With different programs, we can end the behavior but help them at the same time."

The PBIS programs have reduced rates of bullying, improved discipline and academic performance and created a better and healthier climate in the schools utilizing them, Bradshaw said. The programs focus on social emotional learning, which helps kids and teens to learn how to regulate their emotions, build empathy and identify the difference between teasing and bullying.

This can be used in conjunction with more intensive programs that are aimed at kids who are already involved in bullying, as a target or a perpetrator.

"Children need to be taught these skills like they would math and science," Bradshaw said.

But Bradshaw also said there is more room for utilizing innovation and technology to better identify and prevent bullying.

"We see a disconnect between the rates of bullying mentioned by kids and what adults are seeing and hearing," she said.

For that reason, the committee is calling for more data collection on bullying, like increased surveys among students, even if they are anonymous. Then, teachers can have a better idea of where the bullying is occurring and what type of bullying it is, and they can increase supervision. More research also needs to be done around bullies themselves, as well as bystanders.

As part of the training recommended by the committee, Bradshaw believes that more professional development models on bullying intervention could benefit from emerging technology. Role play through video games could seem more real and convincing to kids and adults working through scenarios as the bully, target or bystander, for example.

Preventing bullying outside school

Policies and programs need to transcend schools and reach the state level and federal agencies, the committee advised. All 50 states have adopted or revised laws to address bullying over the past 15 years, and almost all include cyberbullying. But the report encouraged state attorneys general to continually work with researchers on the best and most updated guidance for amending laws or creating new ones in anti-bullying campaigns.

Families were also a focus of the report.

Start the conversation at home before bullying occurs, Bradshaw said. Parents and families can provide critical emotional support, which helps kids open up about bullying that they are experiencing or witnessing. Family members can also help them cope and figure out how to handle and diffuse any situation that might arise, according to the report.

StopBullying.gov is a one-stop shop for kids, parents and teachers to learn the signs and symptoms of bullying, as well as strategies for stopping it, Bradshaw said.

What people learn about bullying early on can make a difference later.

"The important skills we're teaching kids now, when they're in school, are the same skills they need for life," Rivara said.

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bullying is a 'serious public health problem

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Bullying is a 'serious public health problem,' experts say

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The Texas City, Texas, teen put a gun to her chest and killed herself in front of her family after being relentlessly bullied, her family said. Brandy's sister, Jackie, said the teen had always been bullied for her weight, and cyberbullying ramped up in April.

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That number has gone down significantly since the federal government started collecting data on the problem in 2005. A decade ago, 28% of students reported being bullied.

Why? One reason is that anti-bullying laws seem to actually work. That's what a new study in JAMA Pediatrics suggests, although not all bullying laws are equally impactful.

Bullying behavior is typically defined as a persistent pattern of harassment and intimidation that's directed at an individual and can be physical or verbal.

Bullying behavior is meant to scare, isolate and humiliate the victim. It can come in the form of threats, spreading rumors, attacks or purposeful exclusion of the victim. Bullying can create deep emotional scars for victims and for bystanders who witness this behavior. The impact can be felt for a lifetime, and it leaves people depressed, anxious and can even lead to suicide.

Anti-bullying laws address an old problem

In the wake of several high-profile suicides among students who were chronically bullied, and after two students who said they were constantly bullied attacked their fellow students in 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado, various states started passing laws to stop bullying behavior among students. Every state in the country now has something on the books.

"It's hard to believe 15 years ago we didn't really have anti-bullying laws," said lead author Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler.

Hatzenbuehler is an association professor in the department of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University. What makes the study important is that it's the first to look for a direct effect of these laws on students.

What's striking about the study's findings, Hatzenbuehler said, is exactly how much of an effect these laws have had to stop bullying.

The laws, he said, have helped everyone, even segments of the population that are typically seen as more at risk: the obese or overweight, people with disabilities and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Looking at data from more than 60,000 high school students in public and private schools in 25 states, the study found that states that did have anti-bullying laws with at least one Department of Education recommendation saw fewer instances of bullying.

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education created a document that laid out 11 recommendations for effective bullying laws. They included spelling out what is prohibited behavior, training in bullying prevention and monitoring to make sure the policies are enforced.

This study found that the states with laws that had even one of these Department of Education suggestions showed 24% less reports of in-person bullying and 20% less reported cyberbullying.

Students in Alabama, for instance, saw a decline in bullying that was so significant only 14% reported a problem; whereas in South Dakota 27% of students reported being the victim of bullying. Across the 25 states studied (there was not enough data on the other states), the average rate of bullying matched the CDC figures at around 20%.

That still leaves millions of U.S. children face regular harassment and don't feel safe when they go to class.

While more work needs to be done to fully understand the combination of law that works best -- the study was observational and did not get at why these laws were effective -- what does seem to consistently work is when states define what bullying behavior is prohibited, and it helps when the law requires schools to create and enforce anti-bullying policies.

The authors theorize laws that are specific about what constitutes bullying may empower school administrations to stop the behavior. Earlier studies have shown that programs that have the most impact also teach parents and teachers that bullying should not be the norm, and encourage peers and adults to intervene to stop the behavior.

In the future, Hatzenbuehler hopes to expand the study to include younger children. Middle schoolers do tend to face a disproportionate amount of bullying compared with other age groups, according to earlier studies. But Hatzenbuehler thinks his study effectively shows that bullying doesn't have to be business as usual among children.

"Laws actually work, and as we get a better understanding of what combination of law works best we can create a gold standard of legislation," that will be even more impactful, Hatzenbeuhler said.

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anti-bullying laws appear to be working - cnn

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Anti-bullying laws appear to be working - CNN

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That number has gone down significantly since the federal government started collecting data on the problem in 2005. A decade ago, 28% of students reported being bullied. Why? One reason is that anti-bullying laws seem to actually work. That's what a new study in JAMA Pediatrics suggests, although not all bullying laws are equally impactful.

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"It's very exciting," Dr. Bradshaw said, "but we need to be very clear that although there is some good news, we're still seeing 20 percent of kids not feeling safe at school. We haven't solved this problem, but it gives us hope that policies and practices may have improved things."

"The Maryland data is a very large sample over 10 years controlling for a number of different variables," said Stephen Leff, a clinical psychologist and co-director of the Violence Prevention Initiative at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who was a co-author of a commentary on the study. "It really does provide a unique picture window." On the other hand, he said, this study doesn't really tell us why the behaviors are going down or attempt to measure the impact of the bullying that still goes on.

Cyberbullying in particular, even if the rates are low, "can have such a negative impact," Dr. Leff said, and can do great harm to a whole peer group, or to school culture more generally. "I want to caution schools and parents that it's still quite a problem, its frequency may be down, but the issue and the impact I think is still great."

Dr. Andrew Adesman, the chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, argued in a comment on the Maryland study that these findings are not reflective of national trends. He said that cyberbullying is pandemic among high school students. The Maryland data, he said in an email, "include some high school students but mostly younger students, and while it is encouraging that these rates are decreasing in Maryland, that may not reflect what is happening nationally among high school students."

Dr. Adesman cited data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System which showed no overall decrease in the prevalence of high school students being bullied on school property in recent years, though the same survey did show a decrease among Maryland high school students.

He also stressed the danger of bullying and the damage it can do, particularly cyberbullying, which he said has "amplified the impact, morbidity and the potential mortality." The ramifications of cyberbullying, he said, can go well beyond the moment, because what is posted online can hang around in cyberspace and can so easily spread to include more people. "It is estimated that 20 percent of suicides in teens and young adults are due to bullying, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death in this age range," he said in an email.

A 2014 analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics examined data from many studies and concluded that bullying was linked to both suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, with cyberbullying most likely to be linked to suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Bullying remains a tremendously important issue for parents to be aware of, and the online side of bullying is as dangerous to adolescents as it is opaque to many parents; there is an excellent federal government website on bullying, and a helpful set of information for parents on cyberbullying available as well from Common Sense media.

"Take it seriously if your child tells you they're being bullied online or with text messages," Dr. Leff said. "Don't as a response take away the technology." Doing that may make children less likely to tell adults when cyberbullying is going on, and it won't change the behaviors or the emotions. Instead, parents should open lines of communication and talk this through.

In talking with parents who are concerned about a child who has reported being bullied, Dr. Leff said, "it's always important as a parent to stay calm, to be able to listen, to be able to hear about the situation calmly, not reacting emotionally." This is no easy assignment, he acknowledged.

Parents need to get the facts, he said, and understand whether what has taken place is really bullying, which is generally defined as repeated use of aggression physically, socially or electronically, in the context of a power imbalance. Ask questions. Get the child to describe what happened and what led up to it, where it happened and how long it has been happening.

And then, Dr. Leff said, he and his colleagues advise parents to reach out to the school, but not to directly contact the parents of the bully.

"What we often tell parents is set up a meeting with the principal, stay calm - then to find a point person at the school that their child can talk to when there's a problem." Parents should ask for a plan in writing as to how the situation is going to be addressed, and how the school is going to monitor what is going on.

"I think the main message is there's room for some optimism, we are really better understanding what works and how it matches the needs of the school," Dr. Leff said. "But there's still way too many kids being bullied physically as well as socially and electronically."

The school programs that have demonstrated the greatest impact in other studies, cited in Dr. Leff's commentary, are whole-school approaches that involve students, teachers and parents, which may help students develop skills in problem-solving and empathy and learn to be "positive bystanders."

But such programs work only when properly implemented, so schools need to find programs that match their needs. If the decrease seen in Maryland is at least in part a result of effective antibullying programs in schools, it becomes even more important to help schools choose the right programs.

"We haven't solved this problem," Dr. Leff said, "but it gives us hope that policies and practices may have improved things."

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In the Fight Against Bullying, a Glimmer of Hope

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"It's very exciting," Dr. Bradshaw said, "but we need to be very clear that although there is some good news, we're still seeing 20 percent of kids not feeling safe at school. We haven't solved this problem, but it gives us hope that policies and practices may have improved things."

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Teasing is often part of growing up - almost every child experiences it. But it isn't always as innocuous as it seems. Teasing becomes bullying when it's repetitive or when there's a conscious intent to hurt another child. It can be verbal bullying (making threats, name-calling), psychological bullying (excluding children, spreading rumors), or physical bullying (hitting, pushing, taking a child's possessions).

Bullying behavior cuts across socio-economic, racial/ethnic, and cultural lines. Researchers estimate that 20 to 30 percent of school-age children are involved in bullying incidents, as either perpetrators or victims. Bullying can begin as early as preschool and intensify during transitional stages, such as starting school in 1st grade or going into middle school.
MORE: Books About Bullying for Middle Schoolers
Victims of bullying are often shy and tend to be physically weaker than their peers. They may also have low self-esteem and poor social skills, which makes it hard for them to stand up for themselves. Bullies consider these children safe targets because they usually don't retaliate.
Effects of Bullying
If your child is the victim of bullying, he may suffer physically and emotionally, and his schoolwork will likely show it. Grades drop because, instead of listening to the teacher, kids are wondering what they did wrong and whether anyone will sit with them at lunch. If bullying persists, they may be afraid to go to school. Problems with low self-esteem and depression can last into adulthood and interfere with personal and professional lives.

Bullies are affected too, even into adulthood; they may have difficulty forming positive relationships. They are more apt to use tobacco and alcohol, and to be abusive spouses. Some studies have even found a correlation with later criminal activities.
Warning Signs
If you're concerned that your child is a victim of teasing or bullying, look for these signs of stress:

Increased passivity or withdrawal

Frequent crying

Recurrent complaints of physical symptoms such as stomach-aches or headaches with no apparent cause

Unexplained bruises

Sudden drop in grades or other learning problems

Not wanting to go to school

Significant changes in social life - suddenly no one is calling or extending invitations

Sudden change in the way your child talks - calling herself a loser, or a former friend a jerk

How to Help
First, give your child space to talk. If she recounts incidences of teasing or bullying, be empathetic. If your child has trouble verbalizing her feelings, read a story about children being teased or bullied. You can also use puppets, dolls, or stuffed animals to encourage a young child to act out problems.

Once you've opened the door, help your child begin to problem-solve. Role-play situations and teach your child ways to respond. You might also need to help your child find a way to move on by encouraging her to reach out and make new friends. She might join teams and school clubs to widen her circle.

At home and on the playground: Adults need to intervene to help children resolve bullying issues, but calling another parent directly can be tricky unless he or she is a close friend. It is easy to find yourself in a "he said/she said" argument. Try to find an intermediary: even if the bullying occurs outside of school, a teacher, counselor, coach, or after-school program director may be able to help mediate a productive discussion.

If you do find yourself talking directly to the other parent, try to do it in person rather than over the phone. Don't begin with an angry recounting of the other child's offenses. Set the stage for a collaborative approach by suggesting going to the playground, or walking the children to school together, to observe interactions and jointly express disapproval for any unacceptable behavior.

At school: Many schools (sometimes as part of a statewide effort) have programs especially designed to raise awareness of bullying behavior and to help parents and teachers deal effectively with it. Check with your local school district to see if it has such a program.

Schools and parents can work effectively behind the scenes to help a child meet and make new friends via study groups or science-lab partnerships. If you are concerned about your child:

Share with the teacher what your child has told you; describe any teasing or bullying you may have witnessed.

Ask the teacher if she sees similar behavior at school, and enlist her help in finding ways to solve the problem.

If she hasn't seen any instances of teasing, ask that she keep an eye out for the behavior you described.

If the teacher says your child is being teased, find out whether there are any things he may be doing in class to attract teasing. Ask how he responds to the teasing, and discuss helping him develop a more effective response.

After the initial conversation, be sure to make a follow-up appointment to discuss how things are going.

If the problem persists, or the teacher ignores your concerns, and your child starts to withdraw or not want to go to school, consider the possibility of "therapeutic intervention." Ask to meet with the school counselor or psychologist, or request a referral to the appropriate school professional.

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Teasing is often part of growing up - almost every child experiences it. But it isn't always as innocuous as it seems. Teasing becomes bullying when it's repetitive or when there's a conscious intent to hurt another child. It can be verbal bullying (making threats, name-calling), psychological bullying (excluding children, spreading rumors), or physical bullying (hitting, pushing, taking a child's possessions).

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https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/2017-pla-digit-skills-gap_en.pdf

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http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/repository/education/library/reports/modernisation-universities_en.pdf

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Rules of using technology in schools, to make it more common by teachers 

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Rules of using technology in schools, to make it more common by teachers 

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https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/06/teachers-embrace-digital-learning-strategies/https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/06/teachers-embrace-digital-learning-strategies/https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/06/teachers-embrace-digital-learning-strategies/https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/02/06/teachers-embrace-digital-learning-strategies/

Pár összefoglaló pont, arról hogy hogyan lehetne jobban kihasználni a számítógépeket az iskolákban a tanítás és tanulás során.

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A debate of whether digital technology changes learning and teaching, or not

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A debate of whether digital technology changes learning and teaching, or not

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https://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/is-digital-technology-changing-learning-and-teaching-15-mar-2017
Érvek amellett, és az ellen hogy a digitális technológia változtat-e a tanuláson és az oktatáson, vagy sem.

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The status of Hungary's digital teaching system, plan to improve it

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The status of Hungary's digital teaching system, plan to improve it

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http://ivsz.hu/oktatas/digitalis-oktatasi-kialtvany/http://ivsz.hu/oktatas/digitalis-oktatasi-kialtvany/http://ivsz.hu/oktatas/digitalis-oktatasi-kialtvany/http://ivsz.hu/oktatas/digitalis-oktatasi-kialtvany/

Egy összetettebb cikk a magyar iskola rendszerek korszerűségének hátráltatóiról, a technikai visszamaradottság következményei.Konkrét terv arra, hogy hogyan kéne jobbá tenni a rendszert. Jó ábrák ezekről, valamint más országok technikai ellátottságáról.
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A hungarian plan and article about Hungarian digital teaching's status. The consequences of not improving in digitalization.

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Ez egy olyan program, ami 2018-ban fog elindulni, és az európai iskolák felmérhetik, hogy mennyire fejlettek digitálisan

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The European Commission has launched the trial version of a new tool to support schools in using digital technologies.

600 schools from 14 countries have the opportunity to try the new 'SELFIE' tool in this pilot phase, before it is finalised and made available to interested schools in Europe early 2018.

Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, said: "The new SELFIE tool will support European schools who want to see how well they are using digital technologies for better learning outcomes. Digital knowledge is indispensable in today's world. In the future, 9 out of 10 jobs will require digital skills. Moreover, digital skills are vital to ensure people can use new technologies confidently and safely and be fully engaged members of society. That is why schools need to be prepared to equip their pupils with the right set of skills from the very beginning."

Digital technologies offer new opportunities to improve learning and teaching. Integrating these technologies in a meaningful way, however, remains a challenge for schools, and the mere presence of digital equipment does not translate into better learning outcomes. The new SELFIE tool, which stands for "self-reflection on effective learning by fostering innovation through educational technology", helps schools assess their strengths and weaknesses in order to make the most of digital technologies in their teaching activities.

SELFIE is being developed by the European Commission, together with experts from across Europe.

Focus on learning not technology

SELFIE asks a series of questions to teachers, school leaders and students to provide a snapshot of the use of digital technologies for learning at their school. The tool focuses primarily on learning rather than technology, and takes all dimensions into account including school strategies, teaching practices, infrastructure, curricula and student experience.

Improvement not comparison

All data is anonymous and cannot be tracked to individual schools, students or teachers. Answers are used to develop a report for each school indicating strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. This report is intended for dialogue and reflection within the school. The focus is on progress so SELFIE can be used by any school, not only the ones that are digital 'champions' or highly innovative.

Launch in 2018

For the design of SELFIE, the Commission has worked with 70 education experts and received input from 5000 school leaders, teachers and students. The project is now in its pilot phase. National coordinators in each country are presenting the tool to schools and facilitating its testing in 14 countries (11 EU member states plus Serbia, Georgia and Russia). Additional research (e.g. focus groups, case studies) will follow to have the final version of SELFIE up and running by early 2018. The map of participating schools is now available on-line.

How does it work?

SELFIE stands for Self-reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering Innovation through Educational Technology. Its basic assumption is that a ´digitally-capable school´ that promotes digital-age learning follows both a top-down and bottom-up approach and is responsive and supportive to the needs and views all members of the school community. That is why SELFIE involves key actors: school leaders, teachers and students. It does not follow a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, instead it is fully customisable for each school.

SELFIE is based on the Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations framework that offers a detailed description of what it takes for educational organisations to be digitally competent. The project is developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre and the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The new tool supports the EU policy goals of improving digital skills and learning and the initiative on school development and excellent teaching for a great start in life.

Background

Schools from Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Spain, UK (Northern Ireland) as well as from Georgia and Serbia will participate in SELFIE school pilots. In collaboration with UNESCO's Institute for Information Technologies in Education, a number of schools in Russia will also test the SELFIE tool.

During September, SELFIE national coordinators conducted webinars and seminars to present the tool to school coordinators in each country and explain the pilot process.

The pilot implementation is planned for the last week of September and first week of October 2017.

Find out more about SELFIE

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Are schools making the most of digital technologies?

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The European Commission has launched the trial version of a new tool to support schools in using digital technologies.600 schools from 14 countries have the opportunity to try the new 'SELFIE' tool in this pilot phase, before it is finalised and made available to interested schools in Europe early 2018.

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Sok százalékos adatot tartalmaz, de hasznos lehet.

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In Europe and North America, boys report being bullied the most in Austria and the least in Sweden, according to a recent report (pg. 20) from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The OECD researchers used data from a 2009-2010 Health Behavior In School-aged Children and World Health Organization survey (pdf, pg. 191) of North American and European countries. The survey asked boys and girls aged 11, 13, and 15 whether they had been bullied in school at least twice in the last few months, with this definition of "bullying":

We say a student is being bullied when another student, or a group of students, say or do nasty and unpleasant things to him or her. It is also bullying when a student is teased repeatedly in a way he or she does not like or when he or she is deliberately left out of things. But it is not bullying when two students of about the same strength or power argue or fight. It is also not bullying when a student is teased in a friendly and playful way

The OECD average for boys reporting bullying was 11% (Ireland, the US, Finland, and Germany were at this average). One in five Austrian boys said they were bullied, the highest rate, versus only 4% in Sweden.

Girls in almost all the countries surveyed reported significantly lower rates of bullying than boys. The OECD report notes, however, that this was a 2009-2010 survey, so it might not capture the extent of cyberbullying that teens face today. A 2013 study of bullying (pdf, pg. 56) among Swedish youth found that girls are more likely to face cyberbullying.

The fully HBSC study, published in 2012, adds some nuance to these numbers. For example, reports of bullying decrease with age, from an average of 13% of 11-year-olds across the countries to an average 9% of 15-year-olds.

Teens do seem to bully more-or admit more to being bullies-as they grow up. The survey asked them whether they bullied others, and that percentage increased with age, from 8% of 11-year-old boys and girls to 12% of 15-year-olds. Another factor was family affluence, which made children in some countries less likely to report being bullied.

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Austria has the most bullying in the Western world, Sweden has the least

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In Europe and North America, boys report being bullied the most in Austria and the least in Sweden, according to a recent report (pg. 20) from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD researchers used data from a 2009-2010 Health Behavior In School-aged Children and World Health Organization survey (pdf, pg.

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https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/high-school-dropout-rates/

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Problems because students drop out of school

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Problems because students drop out of school

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https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4093876https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4093876

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http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/school/early-school-leavers_en

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Kicsit nehezebb szöveg, de hasznos szerintem.

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Cyber bullying, or using electronic technologies in order to bully another person through the Internet is becoming more common among children and youth today. The challenge with cyber bullying is the fact that it takes on so many different forms. Examples of cyber bullying include mean text messages or emails, rumours sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos or websites. A study by EU Kids Online from 2010 revealed that one in five children have been exposed to cyber bullying and according to children, cyber bullying is one of the most harmful risks they associate with the Internet.
How to deal with Cyberbullying: It has been suggested that cyber bullying can be avoided by simply turning off the digital device or logging off the social networking site. However, this is not a solution; children who become victims of cyber bullying may often feel like there is no escape. The hateful messages are already public, they continue to exist and they can have a profoundly negative effect on the victim's wellbeing. Cyber bullying seems to be a new form of a long-established problem and as such requires a new approach. Victims of cyber bullying must be assisted to find effective ways to combat it. Likewise, children who are perpetrators of cyber bullying need to be informed about the consequences of their behaviour on the Internet.
All 47 member states of the Council of Europe have adopted the Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education which requires them: "to combat all forms of discrimination and violence, especially bullying and harassment".

The Parliamentary Assembly in its Resolution on education against violence at school adopted several guiding principles that it calls on member states' parliaments to endorse at national level in their efforts to beat bullying. This resolution also entails a commitment to ensure that work on the subject of children and violence remains a priority for the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe efforts on fighting bullying are carried out by the Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation. Beat Bullying, is a video spot which was produced to show the harmful effects caused by bullying. It demonstrates how human rights and citizenship education programmes can equip children with the necessary skills to help stop bullying and cyber bullying.

The Council of Europe's Youth Sector is running a campaign to target hate speech online. It aims to combat racism and discrimination, as expressed online as hate speech, by mobilizing young people and youth organisations to recognise and act against such violations.

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Cyber bullying, or using electronic technologies in order to bully another person through the Internet is becoming more common among children and youth today. The challenge with cyber bullying is the fact that it takes on so many different forms. Examples of cyber bullying include mean text messages or emails, rumours sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos or websites.

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Why people lose their motivations so easily

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Why people lose their motivations so easily

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https://www.2knowmyself.com/why_do_i_lose_motivation_so_easilyhttps://www.2knowmyself.com/why_do_i_lose_motivation_so_easily

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https://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/https://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/

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NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources

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School bullying has probably been around since the 18th century. It is a negative human condition that has evolved along with the mind and psyche. Bullying started with kids picking on each others or parents believing that they are teaching their kids "discipline" by beating them. Adults used to believe that kids fought only to be "best friends in the end." Bullying also resulted from conforming to prejudiced social norms like gender stereotyping of men and women. The idea of "boys will be boys" and "girls are catty" have given way to accepting unacceptable negative social behavior. However, with awareness and strategies, bullying in school can be controlled.
What distinguishes bullying from regular childhood teasing and taunting? The severity and duration of bullying can be used as its identifying markers. Kids are cruel by nature. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are mean but more in the sense of their brutal honesty. Young children don't have the social and empathetic skills that adults have. These are acquired traits. Children don't inherit them but are influenced into becoming empathetic, kind individuals through positive role-modeling.

It is important that adults stop thinking of bullying as a normal part of childhood. They should not believe that kids need to "toughen up,",especially when we are dealing with boys. Instead, adults should teach kids assertiveness, how to express their emotions in a healthy way and how to stand up for themselves. Bullies tend to target those with low self esteem. Fearfulness and helplessness greatly reinforce bullying.

What Causes School Bullying?

The personality of a bully develops in childhood and is caused by hereditary factors, peer relations and in response to social situations in school and community. Lack of warmth at home, too much or too little discipline and physical punishment may contribute to bullying. An imbalance of power can occur if children are raised in non-accepting homes. Their peers would appear either superior or inferior to them in terms of how they look, their customs or socioeconomic statuses.

The child who bullies does so to gain attention and secure friends. It gives him/her a false sense of power. Negative company sometimes compels strong kids to exert power over the weak. The victim's fear and submission reinforce the bullies' sense of domination.

Bullies believe that bullying behavior will grant them acceptance. When they grow up, bullies are at a greater risk for embarking on criminal activity. Because bullying can escalate into violence, more often than not there will be crimes committed. A 2013 research by a group of scientists in the department of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina found out that 14 percent of kids who suffered repeated bullying will have a criminal record by the age of 18.

Some kids may bully because of their poor social skills. This could be traced to emotional or personality disorders. They may have latent sociopathic tendencies which would make them a danger to their families and societies.

What Is Bullying in School?

Bullying in school occurs when one student or a group of students intentionally hurt another student. This abuse may be physical, psychological, or emotional. The last type is one of the most common forms of bullying in schools, and one of the least recognized by parents. Reasons for bullying vary almost as much as its types.

The bully (or bullies) may have self-esteem issues and would only feel better about themselves by picking on someone who is weaker and less powerful.

Students may develop a herd mentality and pick on a child who does not conform to what they view as normal.

Students bully other students so as to be seen as "cool" and avoid being bullied themselves.

In some cases, bullies are being abused at home and they take out their anger on one or more students they deem most likely to "take it" and not stand up for themselves. They might also bully students with healthy homes out of their envy for their normal and happy lives.

Different Kinds Of School Bullying

School Bullying is classified as follows:

Verbal: excessive and malicious teasing, insulting remarks, name calling, embarrassing jokes and revealing intimate information, cursing, crude and inappropriate sexual comments, threats and taunting.

Physical: hitting, tripping, kicking, pushing and shoving.

Social: ignoring a certain person, casting them out of a group, making them feel left out, spreading rumors about them and telling other kids not to be friends with them.

Cyber bullying: threats and inappropriate sexual comments via social media, texting, emailing and chat rooms.

Bullying can occur between peers at school, in the community, or in social groups. There are even cases of teachers bullying students.

Researchers note that there are differences in school bullying patterns between boys and girls. Boys tend to be more physical while girls are verbal and use social bullying methods to hurt others. This passive-aggressive type of bullying may be harder for adults to detect.

Pack bullying is when a group of -usually- older children target one or more victims. It is similar to a pack of wolves hunting a prey together. Pack bullying can be physical or emotional. It is often done through cyber bullying. It lasts longer than real life bullying and can be more damaging because it can lead to long-term depression ( dysthymia) or suicide.

1) Physical Bullying

Physical school bullying occurs when a group of children ostracize another child, or a group of seemingly weaker children. It's like pitting the "cool" kids against those kids they consider "un-cool" or "freaks." The "cooler" bullies aim to make the victims feel unworthy because they are not part of their social gang. Physical bullying beats down the victim's self-worth, and thus leads to depression. Sometimes, desperation drives the victim to make unnecessary, humiliating measures to impress the bullies.

If you are worried that your child is physically bullied, you can easily detect that from his/her behavioral changes. Any drastic change in your child's behavior should be followed up with an investigation in conjunction with school officials to see if he/she might be a victim of physical bullying.

2) Name Calling

The old saying that "sticks and stones can't break my bones" is not entirely true. Words DO hurt. Some kids make up the worst possible insults to call someone, such as "FATTY," "PIG," "SLUT," "WHORE," or "F**." Some kids use racial, sexist or homophobic name calling to hurt their victims the most. You should teach your kid to report any incident of name calling that he/she witnesses as it tends to get worse if no action is taken. Kids need to understand that homophobic, sexist and demeaning comments are not funny. This is what school is all about: creating a safe and accepting environment for everyone.

3) Spreading Rumors

While rumors and gossip are not against the law, they can carry legal consequences and are considered to be one of the worst types of bullying in schools. Girls resort to this type of behavior more than boys who tend to choose physical aggression as their preferred method of bullying. Gossip can result in loss of integrity and respect from others, loss of jobs, low community status, and humiliation. Gossip is considered " slander" or " libel " if it occurs in print or on the Internet through cyber bullying.

Different School Bullying Prevention Measures?

How Can School Bullying Be Prevented on School-to-School Level?

It is important for schools to address bullying because it both threatens students' safety and impacts their learning. School bullying will be more prevalent if it is not addressed properly. States provide guidelines as to when bullying requires intervention by law enforcement officials. Schools have an obligation to define bullying and properly report it. It is a national safety issue.

A team can be formed to assess school bullying and to launch an awareness campaign. This should begin by assessing school bullying. Where does it occur, and how often? What are the kinds of school bullying that are occurring? Establish a climate in which school bullying is not accepted.

What Can Parents Do to Fight School Bullying?

Proactive involvement in your child's life is the first step in preventing school bullying. Talk with them and listen to what they have to say. Ask open-ended questions about their relationships with their teachers and their peers. Ask how they spend time between classes and during recess. Most importantly, watch your child closely to determine if he/she is being bullied.
Signs that a Child May Be a Victim of School Bullying:
What to Consider in Preventing Your Child From Being Bullied or becoming a Bully at School

Teach your children anti-bullying habits. Condemn physical and verbal bullying.

Be a role model. Avoid inappropriate language and disrespectful attitude.

Teach your children to be assertive.

Build trust between you and your child.

Teach your children to report bullying safely yet immediately.

Find ways to report school bullying anonymously.

Teach your children about cyber bullying.

Supervise your children's Internet activities.

Advocate for your kids' school to have anti-bullying programs and campaigns.

Provide an accepting and nonjudgmental environment for your kids.

Seek counseling for your child if he/she shows signs of being a bully.

Enroll your child in martial art classes as well as mindful yoga and meditation classes. This will help in building confidence as well as teaching him/her how to control feelings and emotions.

School Bullying Statistics 2014

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 70.6 percent of students have witnessed bullying in their school.

A survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014 that included 7,000 LGBT students aged 13-21 found out that: 8 out of 10 students have been verbally harassed, 4 out of 10 have been physically harassed while 1 out of 5 have been victims of physical assault, due to their sexual orientation.

Of total U.S. students, 28 percent in grades 6-12 have been bullied with the percentage decreasing to 20 for students in grades 9-12.

Of LGBT students, 55.2 percent have experienced cyber bullying.

1 in 5 students admit to being a bully or bullying someone.

Tennessee School Bullying Statistics for the School Year 2012-2013:
In 2012 the Tennessee General Assembly in the U.S. passed the legislation that required the state Department of Education to report the number of bullying cases reported annually and publicly state how they are being dealt with. This approach would give an insight into what goes on in schools across the nation every year.

The Tennessee District has over 950,000 in its public schools. Of these numbers, here are the actual reported bullying cases:

One of the most important statistics to know is the number of children impacted by bullying on a regular basis. While the various studies show different numbers of students who claim to have been the victim of bullying, the general consensus in 2014 is that one quarter of total number of students are victimized by bullies at school annually. Of those school bullying victims, 77 percent are bullied verbally and physically, while 43 percent have been cyber bullied. The number of cyber bullying victims has been on the rise due to the increased use of social media, online role playing games and other websites.

School Bullying Suicide Statistics

The most serious consequence of long-term bullying is suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for individuals aged 15 to 24 (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, 2014). In a report by Center for Injury Prevention and Control in 2012, 38 percent of frequent bullying victims and 22 percent of perpetrators admitted to attempting suicide or thinking about suicide at least once in the past year.

Furthermore, 7 in every 100,000 youths die by suicide annually, with at least one in six high school students considering taking their own lives. It cannot be stressed enough that the increasing prevalence of bullying correlates directly with the increasing suicide rate among America's youth.

The more physical or violent forms of bullying are not necessarily those strongest suicide triggers. Cyber bullying is the fastest growing and perhaps the most seriously threatening form of bullying. A violent, physical threat is decidedly scary but it sometimes ends at school gates. However, a threat to one's social well-being online might be relentless and chase the victim wherever he/she goes. It is not bound by geographical boundaries or borders.

Suicide is not the only drastic consequence of bullying in schools. Bullying can take many forms, and the effects of bullying can be pervasive, relentless and life-threatening. The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) reports that bullying victims can display a broad range of responses over an extended period of time. These responses may include:

Low self-esteem.

Lack of assertiveness.

Isolation.

Difficulty trusting others.

Difficulty controlling anger.

Expression of overt aggression.

According to the June 2014 report by the National Bureau of Justice in regards to school bullying statistics:

5 percent of students in grades 9-12 said they had access to guns without adult permission.

Around 37 percent of students in grade 6 reported being bullied at school, with 30 percent in grade 7 and 31 percent in grade 8.

Around 77 percent of students from grades 6-12 reported being verbally abused in some way.

School bullying incidents that involved targeting individuals based on their race varied between ethnicities. About 5 percent of Hispanic students reported being afraid of harm or attack away from school, the percentage was lower in Black students (3 percent) and the lowest for White students (2 percent).

When digging deeper in school bullying statistics, it was found that 14 percent of high school students reported having a severe or traumatic reaction to bullying. A study by Warwick University found that school bullying is one of the major underlying causes for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). School counselors and private therapists report often hearing about bullying incidents from young people who come to them for treating their behavioral or emotional disorders.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following school bullying statistics estimate how grave the problem is:

13 percent of kids in grades 6-10 admitted to being the bully or doing an act of "bullying" while 6 percent admitted to bullying others as well as being victims of bullying.

Bullies get in trouble more often at school and suffer from poor performance at schoolwork.

Contrary to common belief, bullies tend to be confident with high self-esteem.

Ohio State University researchers in 2012 found out that students who bully their peers are more likely to use marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol.

What Is Your Parental Role in School Bullying Prevention?

Most schools have anti-bullying strategies outlining what to do when bullying takes place on school property. Unfortunately, not all schools follow through with their anti-bullying problems due to lack of time, interest or resources. As a parent, you must encourage the school officials to upgrade their anti-bullying systems. You should become involved in your kid's school life. At the first sign of suspecting that your child may be a victim of bullying, you should hurry and approach his/her teacher to talk about what's going on. You must contribute to a more positive school climate by associating with the teachers, volunteering and speaking at school improvement events.

You must spend more time with your children and build a knit-tight relationship of mutual trust and love. When troubles -such as bullying- arise, your kids will be more apt to confide in you to get help. Children need caring and trustworthy adults in their lives. Kids also crave parental role models so that they imitate them in the early stages of their growth. To help your child stand up to bullying, you should teach him/her communication and problem solving skills, encourage him/her to practice interactive speaking and implement a sense of security and safety in his/her life.

Bullying threatens physical and emotional integrity of students. To engage in the fight against bullying, schools should implement firm programs that work on so many levels, starting from the student-levels until it reaches the administration.

Some of the school bullying prevention and intervention methods include:

Adult supervision especially in areas such as the school cafeteria and playground. By keeping a more diligent watch over students in these key locations, teachers may be able to nip bullying incidents in the bud before they have a chance to flare up.

Teachers have a moral responsibility to their students to teach them the right from the wrong. Their moral input could be a tremendous help in curtailing abusive behavior.

Teachers must boost their student's confidence and sense of worth through encouragement and praise so they don't feel they have to resort to bullying to get the attention they need.

Conduct regular assessment in school to help determine how often bullying occurs and where it regularly takes place. Teachers could make use of bullying surveys to test the waters and see the school bullying status. Before conducting a survey, teachers should ensure their students' privacy as well as obtain parental consent as each district requires.

Teachers should engage the parents in the bullying prevention process. Benefits of this step includes making students feel safer and more understood, involving parents in the educational process thus making them more aware and improving the overall school climate.

School staff and administration should establish policies and rules that regulate the school system and students' well-being. Types of rules and policies include: writing a solid mission of statement, a code of conduct and a bill of rights which would be perfect in preventing racial discrimination and gender prejudice.

School administration should integrate rules and policies in day-to-day interactions between students. It should also make certain that these rules are consistent with the state law.

A clear and organized reporting system for bullying should be initiated by the school administration. Teachers should monitor these reports and view them accordingly.

The school management should build an atmosphere of acceptance, tolerance and respect between teachers, students and parents. Any person who deviates from this regulatory system should be punished according to the school code of ethics and regulations.

The National Education Association (NEA) treats bullying as an educational issue, a health issue and a social justice issue. Bullying is the cause of so many students not graduating from high school. The seriousness of bullying is reaching state legislature. Changes are being put into place to alleviate, eliminate, and greatly reduce the number of bullying incidents that take place in public schools. Cyber bullying in public schools is one of the currently major issues on the list of educational challenges.

Here are some public school bullying statistics as of November, 2014:

Bullying occurs on every grade level but it is most prevalent among middle school students.

Bullying in public schools is the primary source of school shootings.

Nearly 9 in 10 LGBT students report being verbally bullied in public schools due to their sexual orientation.

60 percent of students with disabilities report being physically bullied.

The above guidelines on school bullying aid you in teaching your kids how dangerous it is to be a bully and that they must report bullying at once. Standing up to bullying should be a major household rule. As a parent you should go all the way in supporting bullying prevention campaigns and movements. Ending childhood school bullying may in turn criminalize bullying all over the world.
Do you have additional information on school bullying? Has school bullying affected your life or the lives of your loved ones? Weigh in on school bullying and the effects of school bullying below in our comment section.

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School Bullying - NoBullying - Bullying & CyberBullying Resources

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School bullying has probably been around since the 18th century. It is a negative human condition that has evolved along with the mind and psyche. Bullying started with kids picking on each others or parents believing that they are teaching their kids "discipline" by beating them.

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http://www.thetechedvocate.org/beyond-the-traditional-school-model-how-the-digital-learning-boom-leads-one-rural-school-to-explore-advanced-placement-offerings

ez a cikk legfőbképp az AP-ról(Advanced Placement) szól, ami egy amerikai digitális tanítási mód. Itt a gyerekek rengeteg course közül választhatnak, emiatt a gyerekek többször csinálják azt amkt szeretnek. Egy amerikai továbbfejlesztette és interkontinentális módon is tanítanak rengeteg diákot. Az eredménye ennek a tanításnak egy átlagosan 3 jeggyel javultak az AP-s diákok jegyei

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https://www.teachthought.com/learning-models/inside-out-school-21st-century-learning-model/

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Ezen az oldalon egy olyan nemzetközi (EU-s) projekt intézkedéseirőlt találhatunk információt, ami a digitális oktatás népszerűsítéséért küzd az Unio országaiban. A projektben digitális iskolák vesznek részt, tartanak kapcsolatot.