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SCHOOL
SOLUTIONS See how schools are improving
performance through improving student behavior. |
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STOP
BULLYING NOW! IF NOT YOU, WHO?
COUNTERING THE BULLYING CULTURE
by Dr. Carol Renaud Gaffney
As the toll of bullying has become better understood
many State Legislatures are enacting laws to address
bullying in our schools. Laws alone won’t
make the difference – our actions will.
This article is an introduction to Bullying and
how to Counter the Bullying Culture.
"When the Secret Service, in the
most comprehensive analysis of school shootings
to date, finds that 71 percent of the perpetrators
viewed their acts as retribution for bullying
by their classmates, we had better take that seriously"
Dr. R. Skiba, School Safety Expert, Director,
Safe and Responsive Schools Project, Indiana University.
Did you know?
Everyday 160,000 U.S. children stay home from
school because they are afraid of being bullied.
(National Center for Educational Statistics)
Approximately 3.7 million youths engage in bullying,
and more than 3.2 million are victims of moderate
or serious bullying each year (NICHD study reported
in Journal of the American Medical Association)
Bullying incidents increased by 5% between 1999
and 2001. (U.S. Dept of Ed., 2002)
Children with disabilities and special needs are
at higher risk of being bullied. (bullies pick
targets who are weaker, have less power, Rigby,
2002)
Targets of Bullying:
Exhibit lower self esteem
And are more likely to
- Feel lonely
- Depressed
- Anxious
- Have migraines and other psychosomatic
symptoms
- Think about suicide
(NICHD, JAMA, 1998)
What is Bullying?
Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional
and that involves an imbalance of power or strength.
Typically, it is repeated over time. A child who
is being bullied has a hard time defending himself
or herself.
(Health Resources & Services Administration,
"Stop Bullying Now" campaign)
What are we doing about it?
If only educating people around bullying would make
it go away our job would be easy. But behaviors
such as bullying are complex in origin and require
ongoing education, intervention and follow up.
Polaris Associates helps School
Districts develop and implement programming that
will effectively Counter the Bully Culture.
We do this in a systematic way through helping districts
create District and school policies that are in
compliance with any existing State Law (17 states
have laws related to bullying) and most importantly
develop programs that focus on the development of
pro-social behavior within the culture. Our three
prong approach deters and counsel bullies, supports
targets(the bullied) and activates and encourages
bystanders to intervene.
Because we want programs that work and that target
the school’s problems we conduct student
surveys, determine the focus for intervention
and then re-survey to determine effectiveness.
All programs provide methods to respond to cries
for help and how to report bullying. All personnel
within a district are instructed in what bullying
is and how to address it and parents are educated
in bullying and how to respond. Students are educated
about bullying and work together to learn more
about themselves and each other and to learn appropriate
ways of managing emotions and behavior.
By involving teachers, administrators, students
and parents in creating solutions for their communities
we endeavor to "teach the magic of success"
so programs become part of self-sustaining cultures.
About Polaris Associates: Polaris Associates partners
are Dr. Carol Renaud Gaffney, Ray Edler and John
P Pryor. We can be reached at Polaris Associates,
PO Box 1000, Bristol, RI 02809 or 401-245-5848 (Dr.
Gaffney), 401-258-6160 (Ray Edler), 401-396-9277
(John Pryor) |
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THE
NEWSLETTER
Dr. Gaffney's Newsletters provide insight and direction
for successful communication and action to help
you create your life – at work, at home and
within your community.
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 PERSONAL
Creating your life requires self-knowledge, planning
and taking action otherwise you'll be making the
trip but it may be the magical mystery tour. Start
here for personal understanding, the basis of success.
 LEARN
MORE |
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 PROFESSIONAL
Do you hire right the first time? Are you and the
people you work with at peak performance? Do you
have the skills and attitudes for extraordinary
success? Start here to learn about excellence in
your professional life.
 LEARN
MORE |
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 FAMILY
If you have children
and are concerned about their development and
well-being and having them become loving, independent,
productive and responsible, check out the materials
in this section.
 LEARN
MORE |
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PEOPLE
SOLUTIONS