© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Title © 2008 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc Kirby Drive, Suite 950 Houston, Texas “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It” [Andre Banks / Doug Maraffa] Psychological Software Solutions 1. Identify the impact bullying has on the school's learning climate 2. Identify strategies that have worked in promoting positive student interactions while reducing bullying incidents 3. Identify a system that ensures these strategies are used, tracked, and made consistently available to all staff and students

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Identify the impact bullying has on the school's learning climate “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It”

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Impact 1 Impact 2 “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It”

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It” 1 out of 4 kids is Bullied. The American Justice Department says that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth. Surveys Show That 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, & physically. 8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of Bullies. 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school. 100,000 students carry a gun to school. 28% of youths who carry weapons have witnessed violence at home. A poll of teens ages proved that they think violence increased at their schools. 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school. Playground statistics - Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention - 4%. Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%.

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Dr. Dan Olweus, a Norwegian researcher and professor of psychology who is generally regarded as the authority on bullying research, has defined bullying as “aggressive behavior that is intended to cause harm or distress, occurs repeatedly over time, and occurs in a relationship in which there is an imbalance of power or strength.” It’s a Social Power of dominance and control An unequal power dynamic An intentional action A chronic condition External – behavioral Internal – emotional Catherine Bradshaw, Ph.D., M.Ed. Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence (CDC) Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention & Early intervention (NCMH) July 2010 states; “Climate of bullying” in schools where there are shared beliefs and attitudes supporting bullying, aggression and peer victimization become the norm, disorderly schools and classrooms have higher rates of bullying and aggressive behavior, more students who endorse retaliatory attitudes, and are perceived as less safe and supportive.” “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It”

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Identify strategies that have worked in promoting positive student interactions while reducing bullying incidents “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It”

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying Strategies Schoolwide strategies – “Creating a climate and culture of safety and civility” Classroom strategies – “Creating a learning environment that is encouraging” Individual strategies – “Creating an environment of support”

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying - School-wide Strategies Develop school-wide anti-bullying campaigns, strategies, and/or programs: poster design contests that address how victims and bystanders should react, and bully-free zones. Design a student contract against bullying. Have all students and parents sign. Create a catchy slogan such as “Friends Against Bullying.” Assist students with developing effective self-management and anger management techniques. Assist students with learning skills and strategies for reducing the likelihood of being victimized – how to remove/reduce the opportunities for them to be targets of bullying. Establish age appropriate peer conflict resolution panels.

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying - School-wide Strategies Educate students/adults on the critical role the by-stander/witness plays in encouraging the bully and weakening his/her target. Conduct summer camps to familiarize students with the campus expectations, introduce students to staff and peers, and ease the transition for incoming students. Establish a buddy system for new students coming in during the course of the school year. Establish peer mentoring programs. Assist students in recognizing differences between normal peer conflict and bullying behaviors. Implement mechanisms for improving communication skills among students and staff so students feel comfortable reporting bullying incidents or thre ats.

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying - Classroom Strategies Change seating arrangement of classroom periodically. Invite older students who are considered role models to the class to share their experiences with bullying and being bullied. Allow students to role play being bullied and bullying and allow them to express the impact of the behavior and have students share their observations. Show videos related to bullying. Give frequent positive feedback to the student for changes in appropriate behaviors.

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying - Classroom Strategies Reorganize work teams and learning groups so students interact with all students in the room on various activities throughout the year. Assign the student/bully a leadership responsibility within the classroom. Assign the victim a leadership responsibility within the classroom. Designate a time of day for one student to share something nice about another student. (Example: Have them draw names from a jar. When all names have been used, start over. The teacher might want them to write down what they are going to say and submit for approval).

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying - Individual Strategies Design a silent signal a child can use to indicate if he/she is being or has been bullied. Intervene with appropriate assistance for meeting the student’s (those being bullied) physical needs including clean clothing and hygiene. Utilize appropriate staff and contact with parents to address hygiene issues. Ensure an adult spends time with the victim to assist them in learning ways to respond to the bullying and to accept and appreciate their unique qualities and to build self-esteem. Identify an adult that can spend time with the student/bully to assist them in learning ways to respect the rights and feelings of others.

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Bullying - Individual Strategies Use hypothetical bullying situations to allow the student bullying and those being bullied (separately) to understand what occurred, how to react, and make better choices. Ask the victim to maintain a record of the number of times he/she is bullied and how he/she responded. Meet with the student to review data compilation and initiate appropriate interventions. Utilize ways to capture the students’ thoughts and feelings.

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Identify a system that ensures these strategies are used, tracked, and made consistently available to all staff and students “Bullying - Dramatic Impact On Learning And What To Do About It”

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. “new district-wide policy on behavior has administrators looking to technology to make sure one of the most comprehensive anti-bullying policies in the nation is successful” “To me, being proactive means you’ve got to have the data” (Suzie Fagg) “The first step I having consistent and reliable information about what’s happening in school buildings, including where on the campus and how often bullying occurs; students involved as bullies, targets, or bystanders; and classrooms where particularly high or low levels of inappropriate behavior are reported” “Every teacher, every staff person, will have access to this reporting form online” (Suzie Fagg) “Reports identify trends both positive and negative making it possible to develop comprehensive behavior profiles” (Suzie Fagg) “If, before lunch, a teacher has a student acting out, he or she can check on the student’s recent behavior history before classes begin in the afternoon” (Suzie Fagg) “A comprehensive training program based on best practices related to prevention, as well as de-escalating and responding to bullying is available to teachers electronically via a computer and internet access – tools already in the classroom” (Suzie Fagg) “Teachers can participate in online training when they have time. A learning management system incorporated into the program allows an administrator to easily access the progress of each teacher” (Suzie Fagg) “Online access means teachers have an electronic coach available throughout the year” (Suzie Fagg) Journal Article - Dallas

© 2011 Psychological Software Solutions, Inc. Questions & Answers