Bullying Prevention

Bullying Prevention

One of the most significant findings of the research on bullying prevention is that, in order to be effective, such programs must be truly comprehensive, reaching all audiences within the school community.  The Creating Positive School Communities workshop series was developed to help schools provide just such a comprehensive program. In this program, turnkey teams are equipped with the information, skills, and practical strategies to impact students, fellow staff members, and parents.  Turnkey team members become in-district experts on preventing bullying and building positive communities in schools. 

This program has three interrelated phases: preparation, implementation, and evaluation.  During the preparation phase, participants acquire in-depth information regarding:  bullying and its effects, the relationship between bullying and bias, relevant laws and policies regarding bullying prevention, and bullying prevention strategies.  Through experiential activities and discussion, participants experience the process of community-building as they develop and enhance their communication and group facilitation skills.  Participants also utilize a structured program planning process to customize a program plan that meets the unique needs of their settings.  A crucial part of the program planning process is the development of a plan for the collection of data (e.g., discipline records, attendance and tardiness records, workshop evaluation forms) and other practical program evaluation strategies

In the implementation phase, workshop participants learn to provide, or provide for, all components of the program, including:

• Pre-program survey administration and scoring
• Faculty and staff in-service presentations
• Parent orientation
• Student workshop for targeted classrooms. This enjoyable workshop foster the development of a sense of community and empowers bystanders with crucial bullying prevention skills
• Individual and small group interventions for students who bully, and students who are being bullied.
• Follow-up and reinforcement, including follow-up community-building and bullying prevention activities for tar4geted classrooms, as well as infusion of bullying awareness and bullying prevention in the curriculum.

The final phase is program evaluation, which includes the administration and scoring of the post-program survey and the program evaluation meeting.  At the meeting, program stakeholders analyze the collected data and the survey results, discuss what program aspects went well and which aspects were problematic, and make recommendations for program improvements and modifications.