WHAT'S NEW - NOVEMBER 2003

BULLYING AS A SOCIAL AND SCHOOL ISSUE

Welcome to the website for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS). This area of the website changes monthly. The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring the topic of bullying as a social and school issue. The first section below identifies several weblinks related to the topic. In the next section, you will find an online article relating to this subject. We hope that you find this website to be a valuable resource. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!

WEBSITES AND ARTICLES RELATED TO BULLYING AS A SOCIAL AND SCHOOL ISSUE

Action Plan for Bullying.
Seddon, C.
© Copyright 1999-2003 by TheCanadianTeacher.com.
http://www.thecanadianteacher.com/article9.htm

Descriptions of interventions for dealing with bullying in schools are a recurring theme in the information available online. This website presents some succinct practical advice to teachers who are interested in maintaining a safe school environment for their students. The practical advice includes exhortations for students to report bullying, for adults to be aware of nonphysical forms of bullying, and for the school to have a plan to deal with incidents of bullying behavior. Another way to stem bullying at school involves encouraging the majority of students to engage in practices that hinder harassing behavior.

Be Bright Think Right - Bullying. 2003
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Ottawa ON
http://www.rcmp.ca/youth/bebrightbully_e.htm

This web page posted by the RCMP is part of a program aimed at promoting safe homes and safe communities. The practical advice presented here is prepared with parents and child safety in mind, focusing in part on what to do if parents find that their child is being bullied. Part of the advice given is for the parent to talk to the child's teacher, coach or local police. The child is encouraged to communicate with caring adults and with responsible authorities. The child has a right not to be bullied. Some onus is, however, placed on the bullied child. Commonsense steps can be taken to prevent some victimization; the child, for example, can be taught how to identify the bully and to pay attention to the presence of witnesses.

Bullying. 2001.
Coy, D. R.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed459405.html

This ERIC Digest (ED459405) provides an up-to-date overview of the topic. Bullying at school is clearly a subject of concern. The digest begins with a report of some recent surveys on the high frequency of bullying. Coy defines bullying and describes different types of bullying, which can be physical, verbal, or psychological in form. In passing, Coy recognizes Dan Olweus as a noted researcher on bullying. A relatively large proportion of bullying occurs at school, a finding that has implications for the responsibilities of school personnel. Racial and sexual bullying are specifically identified. The digest also deals with why some children tend to develop bullying behavior as well as with characteristics sometimes associated with such negative conduct. Finally, the digest considers interventions-what can be done to tackle this social problem as it occurs in schools. References for further study are provided.

Bullying and School Violence: A Proposed Prevention Program.
Howarth, I.
Lester B. Pearson School Board New Teachers Network.
© TeachersFirst.net 2000
http://www.teachersfirst.net/bully.html

This website incorporates awareness of recent Canadian and American incidents to sketch out the essentials of a bullying prevention program for schools. Howarth assumes that it is important to have a school plan to deal with bullying and violence. The prevention program outlined here is set against the background of perceptive accounts of bullying and victimization. Special prominence is accorded the role of the principal but parental involvement is also essential. The prevention program extends beyond the classroom and the playground. On the whole, Howarth contends that understandings of bullying from earlier eras are weighed down with misconceptions and in need of revision.

Bullying at School: Tackling the Problem. 2001.
Olweus, D.
Research Centre for Health Promotion, University of Bergen, Norway.
http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/434

This international article, published in the OECD Observer, supports the argument that school bullying occurs in countries all around the world, not just in North America. Historically, the phenomenon became the focus of systemic research in the 1970s. Writing from Norway, initially with an emphasis on Scandinavia, Olweus describes the nature of bullying and identifies, among its other features, the non-symmetrical power relationship that is involved. He also analyzes the complex dynamics of this antisocial behavior and points out some misunderstandings surrounding bullying; for example, that it occurs more frequently in large schools. Ultimately the justification for reducing the occurrence of bullying is a matter of human rights. To conclude, Olweus presents elements of intervention programs. References for further study are included.

Bullying in Canada. 2002.
National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention.
Pepler, D. J. & Craig, W. M.
Ottawa ON
http://www.prevention.gc.ca/en/library/publications/fact_sheets/bullying/

This federally sponsored fact sheet presents an ostensibly Canadian point of view regarding some aspects of bullying. School violence has become a matter of widespread concern across the nation. To begin, the website offers a definition of bullying and a report of the frequency with which it occurs. The findings reported identify several distinct types of individuals who engage in bullying behavior. Moreover, there is no single type of victim; school children of different sorts can become victims of bullying. Bullying is viewed as a social phenomenon. The fact sheet examines the roles of peers and of family in episodes of bullying as well as the evident role that the school can play. The fact sheet continues with a consideration of the role of society in promoting aggressive behavior. To be successful, interventions to prevent bullying must include the entire spectrum of involved parties, not just the school.

Edmonton Conference on Safe and Caring Schools Draws National Attention. 2000.
Alberta Learning
Edmonton AB
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/news/2000/November/nr-SafeSchools.asp

Alberta has its own history of responding creatively to issues surrounding school violence. This webpage commemorates the Safe and Caring Schools (SACS) initiative undertaken in the province in the form of an Edmonton conference held in 2000. More than 100 speakers were scheduled to address issues such as "violence prevention, bullying, discipline and responsible behaviors." Barbara Coloroso was a keynote speaker. The attached backgrounder to the conference announcement underscores the main features of the SACS initiative, which involved participation by a variety of educational stakeholders. The initiative included amendments to the School Act in 1999 as well as research to support safe school environments in the province.

Preventing Bullying. 2002.
Lumsden, L.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed463563.html

Recent incidents of school violence have drawn particular attention to the occurrence of bullying in schools. This ERIC Digest (ED463563) focuses directly on options for discouraging bullying in schools. Lumsden first defines this aggressive behavior, underscores its prevalence, and then describes its negative impact on children. Bullying interferes with students' learning, and the psychological consequences of bullying can last for years. The digest reports numerous examples of initiatives aimed at curbing the undesirable behavior. Many efforts to stem bullying are not costly. For example, Lumsden identifies peer involvement as a promising avenue for intervention. Development of an accepting atmosphere can decrease the incidence of bullying as can parental involvement. Resources for further study are provided.

Prevention Programs Addressing Bullying and Conflict Resolution. 2002.
RESOLVE (Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse) Alberta
University of Calgary
http://www.ucalgary.ca/resolve/violenceprevention/English/reviewprog/bullyintro.htm

This website starts with the idea that many conflict resolution approaches do not work with bullies. The reason for this lack of success is that bullying usually involves a power imbalance between bullies and victims. At the core of bullying is an effort to control another person. There is some empirical evidence to support the assertion that bullying is the most frequent form of school violence occurring today. Successful prevention programs contain a number of different approaches. Such programs can concentrate on peers, bullies, curriculum, teachers, parents, or various combinations of these, although prevention programs are not always effective. Researchers have identified different ways in which prevention programs can be considered successful. Finally, this online resource manual offers a collection of electronic links to resources on violence prevention programs.

Resource Guide for Bullying. 2003.
© University of Alberta
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/subject/education/bullying/index.cfm

This online resource guide provides a ready point of departure for launching an investigation into the subject of bullying. The contents of this guide include a definition of bullying as well as leads for finding books and other resources in the NEOS Libraries Catalogue. A series of books on bullying is provided. Many items are recent; their dates of publication range from the mid-1990s to 2002. Other resources available also include video recordings. In addition, the guide suggests links with which to search this topic on the Internet. This resource guide can be a valuable place for teachers to start their library research into various aspects of bullying in schools and society.

Zero-Tolerance Policies. 2001.
McAndrews, T.
http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest146.html

This ERIC Digest (#146, March 2001) deals with zero tolerance polices in schools, largely within the American context. Zero-tolerance policies are aimed at ensuring school safety by prohibiting weapons, drugs, violence, and antisocial behavior in and around schools. What constitutes an effective zero-tolerance school policy? The question remains unresolved in any definitive sense. Such policies have been the object of criticism because in practice they have sometimes been implemented in a heavy-handed and discriminatory manner, imposing disproportionately harsh penalties for minor infractions. This digest will be of possible interest to principals and other school administrators who are evaluating policy options for dealing with bullying and school violence within the Canadian setting. Electronic links are provided for further study.

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLES

Title:		How Smaller Schools Prevent School Violence.
Source:		Class Size, School Size. February 2002, Vol. 59, No 5, Pages 65-69. http://www.ascd.org/ed_topics/el200202_klonsky.html © Copyright 2002 by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Author(s):		Klonsky, M.
Abstract:		School safety is a value of high priority in the present social environment. This online article turns the spotlight on small schools and advances the claim as to how they might have an advantage in preventing school violence. Small schools make it more difficult for bullies to remain anonymous. It is easier for teachers there to come to know students. In small schools, teachers also tend to work with one another. Such schools are more able to implement effective programs to prevent school violence. According to some research findings, the maximum desirable school size is no more than 400 or 500 students. In light of apparently higher rates of school violence, high schools with enrollment of 2,000 to 3,000 students have become targets for disapproval. References for further study are included.