bullying research and interventions: connecting the dots of behaviors and experiences 2012 spring...

Bullying Research and Interventions: connecting the dots of behaviors and

experiences

2012 Spring Forums

Nancy Riestenberg, School Climate Specialist

651-583-8433

[email protected]

“Leading for educational excellence and equity. Every day for every one.”

• Introductions

• Bullying and Associated Behaviors: – research and stories

• Break

• Formative Discipline – What, why and how

• Lunch

• Interventions

• Implementation planning

• 2:00: close

Outline of the day

education.state.mn.us 2

Stripping the Label


Bully definition: elements

• Bullying has common elements:– Imbalance of power,

– intent to cause harm

– and repetition. » http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/.

“A person is being bullied when she/he is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more person, and

she/he difficulty defending her/himself.”

Olweus, et.al., 2007

“Any kind of aggression perpetrated through technology—any kind of harassment or bullying

(teasing, telling lies, making fun of someone, making rude or mean comments, spreading rumors, or making threatening or aggressive comments) that occurs through email, a chat

room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs), or text messaging.”

Centers for Disease Control, 2008

Cyber Bullying“Electronic Aggression”


Harassment and Bullying

• Is the abusive behavior directed at one or more students based on actual or perceived protected class?

• Is the conduct sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to create a hostile environment?

• Does it interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from the school district’s programs and activities.

• Has the conduct been repeated over time?

• Is there an actual or perceived imbalance of power between the two students?

• Have one or more students made physical, verbal, or written acts toward another student or socially excluded a student? (This would include cyber-bullying)

• Has the conduct resulted in harm or an attempt to harm the victim?


Bullying Frequency

• Bullying occurs once every 7 minutes

• 88% of bullying incidents happen when peers are present

• Physical: 39%

• Verbal: 59%

• Relational: 50%

• Cyberbullying: 17%» NEA National Study of Bullying, 2011

Adult Behavior

• Indirect bullying (heard bullying remarks)

• 91.4% of LGBT students in a middle school/high school sample reported that they heard LGBT offensive remarks– 99.4% from students

– 63% from faculty or school staff

» Espelage, D. L.

• “Our findings suggest that one deviant behavior may be related to another. For example, youth who bully others might be more likely to also try substance use. The reverse could also be true in that youth who use substances might be more likely to bully others.”

Kisha Radliff, Ohio State University SCHOOL BULLIES MORE LIKELY TO BE SUBSTANCE

USERS, STUDY FINDS http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/bullyuse.htm

Connecting Dots


• “Bullying is a mental health problem.” Susan M Swearer, U of Nebraska

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/04/bullying.aspx

• “Bullying is a relationship problem that requires relationship solutions.”

Pepler & Craig http://www.education.com/reference/article/role-of-adults-in-preventing-bullying/

More Dots…


Minnesota Student Survey 2010Bullying Analysis

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/StuSuc/SafeSch/BullyiCyberBullyPrev/index.html

Bullying Questions in Minnesota Student Survey

Review of 6th, 9th and 12th grade responses to:– During the last 30 days, how often has another

student or group of students made fun of or teased you in a hurtful way or excluded you from friends and activities?

– During the last 30 days, how often have you on your own or as part of a group made fun of or teased another student in a hurtful way or excluded another student from friends and activities?

MSS Responses

• 42.9 percent reported no involvement

• Thirty percent (30.7%) once or twice in the last month,

• 12.6 percent were classified as victims

• 9.3 percent were classified as bullies

• 3.1 percent were bully/victims (bullied and victimized at least weekly).

MSS Bullying Analysis

• Students regularly involved in bullying as a bully, victim or bully/victim

• Share associated experiences, most of them negative.– Harassment, physical assault in

school– Intra-familial and extra-familial

sexual abuse– Family drug use and family violence– Early and frequent use of alcohol,

tobacco and other drugs

MSS Student-centered framework

Student(Individual) SchoolFamily

Community

MSS-Substance Use in Past 30 Days


MSS-Use of Alcohol or Drugs before, after or during school hours


• Alcohol/drug use in the home puts youth at greater risk of bullying experiences for both genders

• Bullying-involved students were 3-4 times more likely to report witnessing family violence that the nevers

MSS Analysis

MSS-Witness to Family Violence

7.9% 8.4% 6.3%

23.2% 22.6%28.2%

0.0%

25.0%

50.0%

75.0%

100.0%

Victim Offender Bully-Victim

Never Weekly or more

MSS-Students with Bullying Experiences

• Are more likely to report that they:– Don’t like school

– Receive lower grades

– Have fewer post-secondary school plans

– Think teachers don’t respect students

– Think teachers are ‘not interested in me as a person’

– Don’t feel safe in bathrooms or in school

Student Indicators

Personal

Characteristics

Victimization

Across

Environments Student(Individual)

MSS-Physical and Mental Health

• Bullies, victims and bully/victims are slightly more likely to be overweight

• Twice as likely to be obese

• More likely to report chronic physical and mental health problems

• 1/4th to 1/3rd of bullying–involved students have had suicidal thoughts in the last year

MSS-Victimization Across Environments

• Students who are regularly involved in bullying experiences also experience victimization – At school

– Outside of school

– In the home

• Poly-victimization

MSS-Threat, Harassment or Violence at School

• State Average: 51.1%

• Victims 87.3%

• Bullies 79.7%

• Bully/victims 92.3%

• Pair up or make a trio

• Introduce yourselves

• Read the sheet on bullying research

• Share an example of a student or students who illustrate one of the studies cited

• Report back one story

Activity


• The large majority of people who are bullied do not become suicidal.

• Some LGBT youth, bullied or not, become suicidal.

• The underlying causes of most suicides deaths are complex and not obvious.

» American Foundation for Suicide Prevention» Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and

Movement Advancement Project

Suicide


• For some youth bullying challenges a student’s sense of well-being.

• For some, this can lead to mental health challenges.

• Mood disorders, such as depression, bi-polar disorders and anxiety disorders—are contributing factors in may suicide attempts and deaths.

» Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education (SAVE)

Suicide and Bullying


• At times the media and adults given an impression to youth that there is a direct or causal link between bullying and suicide.

• There is no research that supports this.

• Youth need to know that while bullying is violence and is not acceptable, a solution to it is not suicide.

» Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education (SAVE)

Contagion, Bullying and Suicide


• Research from around the world documents that media coverage of suicide done extensively or in a sensational manner increases the risk of suicide attempts and deaths.

Contagion, Bullying and Suicide



Radisson Water Park of America Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington on Sunday, September 30 and Monday, October 1, 2012.

Sponsored by SAVE - Suicide Awareness Voices of Education & MN Department of Health

Reductions in Bullying

• Were associated with:– Parent training

– Increased playground supervision

– Non-punitive disciplinary methods

– Home-school communication

– Effective classroom rules

– Effective classroom management

– Use of training videos

» 2008 Meta Analysis by Ttofi, Farrington & Baldry


Break!


• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E29c3a_5iE&feature=youtu.be

Banana Man





– Non-punitive disciplinary methods– Home-school communication






Punitive Permissive

2-Dimensional Discipline Continuum

Wachtel and McCold (2003), IIRP

TO

Directive - Punitive

WITH

Restorative

Ignore - neglect

NOT

Permissive

FOR

S U P P O R T (encouragement, nurturing)

High

HighLow

S T

R U

C T

U R

E (e

.g.

Lim

it-se

ttin

g, d

isci

plin

e)

Multi-Dimensional Discipline Model

Wachtel & McCold (2003), IIRP

TO

Directive - Punitive

WITH

Restorative

Ignore - neglect

NOT

Permissive

FOR

S U P P O R T (encouragement, nurturing)

High

HighLow

S T

R U

C T

U R

E (e

.g.

Lim

it-se

ttin

g, d

isci

plin

e)

Activity: Quartettes:

share examples of each

Wachtel and McCold (2003), IIRP.org

• Model and teach the behaviors you want to see; focus on the positive

• Provide tiered levels of support

• Apply social emotional learning skills

• Use youth development principles: Nothing about us, without us.

• Affirm relationships: treat all students with respect, no matter what they have done

• Check in on sleep, food and exercise: are students getting enough of each?

» PBIS, PrevNet, Konopka Institute, Morrison, Hodas, Bell

education.state.mn.us40

Guidelines for Discipline

• Address needs of target and bystanders

• Address needs and obligations of wrongdoer

• Encourage empathy

• Empower students

• Manage embarrassment, shame and humiliation– shame is healed when we offer genuine, honest

human relationship that provides care and respect

• Separate the behavior from the person

» PrevNet, Morrison, Tofti, et al



• Communicate with parents, family members guardians

• FOLLOW-UP with everyone

• Use data: quantitative and qualitative– Office discipline referrals

– Written or verbal reports, harassment or bullying

– Attendance, excused or unexcused

– Climate/bullying surveys to staff, students, family

– Focus groups

– Child study team, RtI team, student assistance team» PBIS, Model Harassment Policy



• Support for individuals

• Support for the group

• Strengthen the environment


Discipline Ideas:what do you do?

• Responses to bullying should promote healthy relationships. Responding to bullying is an opportunity to provide support, promote healthy relationships, as well as discipline. Discipline should take the form of formative rather than punitive consequences, which are activities that not only provide a clear message that bullying is unacceptable, but also develop respect and empathy for others.

» PrevNet» http://prevnet.ca/AboutUs/KeyMessages/tabid/103/Default.aspx

Formative Discipline


• To build awareness and skills to promote the student’s responsibility and positive leadership

» Pepler & Craig, 2009

– Encourage empathy

– Help students associate power with kindness and pro-social activities

– Help students make amends

» PrevNet



• Encourage empathy

– “…have the students who bullying interview an adult or older student about their bullying experiences and the impact is had on them.”

» PrevNet



• Help students associate power with kindness and pro-social activities– “Have the students accompany a teacher during

recess and lunch and assist in resolving disputes among students.”

– Provide the students with the chance to see themselves doing good—tutoring in a younger grade, making pro-social behavior posters, etc.

» PrevNet, Coloroso



• Help students make amends: Apology– IF students can restore the relationship in a genuine

way, without being forced

– IF the person harmed wants to receive the apology

– Practice/work with the student before the student meets with the person harmed or delivers the letter Write a letter of apology to the people hurt:

– be specific about his responsibility and

– her plan for changing hurtful behavior to appropriate behavior.

Make a (private) verbal apology that includes:– taking responsibility for the behavior and

– a plan for what they will do so the bullying will not happened again.

» PrevNet, Costello, et al



• Make a list of three or four bullying situations or other kinds of harm: fights, disrespect to teachers or other adults

• Brainstorm interventions that might:– teach empathy and

– connect the student to an adult

Activity


Rebuilding Relationships:Formative (non-punitive) Discipline

• Support-Group Approach http://sfe4u.org/Main/SupportGroupBullyingSchools.pdf

• Method of Shared Concern http://www.kenrigby.net/SharedConcern.pdf http://www.readymade.com.au/method/previews/index.htm

• Restorative Justice Approaches http://www.safersanerschools.org/

Activity: with each approach, make a list of:

• Risks • Benefits


• Use peer group relations strategically to interrupt and thwart bullying relations.

• Also called No Blame, Shared Problem-Solving or Undercover Teams approach

• 5 phases: – Value the victim

– Recruit the team

– Create the plan

– Monitor progress

– Celebrate success» Williams, 2010

Support Group Approach


• Step 1: talk with the victim

• Step 2: set up meeting with those involved– Bullies, bystanders and supporters of the victim

• Step 3: explain the problem

• Step 4: share responsibility, don’t blame

• Step 5: ask the group for their ideas, plan

• Step 6: thank students; set time to report back on the implementation of their plan

• Step 7: meet individuals (victim, group) again and evaluate; repeat review as needed

Support Group or Shared Problem Solving Approach


• This is a non-punitive problem-solving approach to tackling cases of bullying, typically ones which are considered to be of moderate severity and to involve groups of secondary or late primary school students

Method of Shared Concern


• Gather information about the bullying indirectly

• Interview ‘suspected bullies” individually– No one is accused of bullying

– Adult shares concern about the victim

– Elicit acknowledgement and positive suggestions

• Interview victim to explain what is happening

• Follow-up meetings with the individual children

• Meet with all bullies together

• Meet with bullies and victim together with practitioner– Reach final agreed solution

» Rigby, 2008

Method of Shared Concern


• Face to face meeting of target, wrongdoer, affected parties

• Wrongdoing addressed in discussion of how people were affected by it

• Wrongdoer treated with respect and offered support

• Target respected, offered voice and support

Restorative Measures


• Community support separates the behavior from the person or the experience

• Agreements attend to students’ needs and wrongdoer’s responsibilities– Offender make amends, make a plan to change

behavior, give back to the community

» Rigby, 2008; Coloroso, 2003, Morrison, 2007

Restorative Measures


Activity: with each approach, make a list of:

• Risks • Benefits


Each formative approach requires study and training!


Break!


• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTptZOZuJ7E

Use Another Word!


– Restorative conferencing/

circles/mediation

– Corridorconferencing,peer mediation,problem solvingcircles

– Relationalpractices, school/classroompolicies, curricula,social skills, etcWhole School Approach

--Brenda Morrison, 2007

Prevention in the Classroom







– Effective classroom management– Use of training videos



• What happened?

• What were you thinking of at the time?

• What have you thought about since?

• Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way?

• What do you think you need to do to make things right?

» International Institute for Restorative Practices, www.iirp.org


Restorative Questions I

• What did you think when you realized what had happened?

• What impact has this incident had on you and others?

• What has been the hardest thing for you?

• What do you think needs to happen to make things right?

» International Institute for Restorative Practices, www.iirp.org


Restorative Questions II

• Gather in a trio, and practice the questions:

• Situation: – Ms./Mr. Yang just saw Crystal (Collin) push Donnie into

a locker. Donnie picks up the books and says vigorously, “What did you do that for?” when Ms./Mr. Yang steps in.

• Us the questions with each ‘student.’

• Reflect upon the process when you are finished.

• Report back.

Activity



Non-Verbal Communication

“Students need high expectations and high warmth. When you add the warmth to the high expectations, the youth actually does better than if you justhave the high expectations.”

Dr. Jeffery CanadaHarlem Kids Zone Project

Promote Protective Factors

• Smile at students,

• call them by name,

• show interest in their lives.

• Help students learn about each other.

• Know what to say to “that’s so gay.” www.welcomingschools.org

• Teach empathy: feelings, perspective taking, commonalities with others, etc.

Coaching

• If you can train a chicken, you can train an elephant.

– Maureen McNamara, MSW, Animal-Assisted Therapist

• With coaching, actual use of a skill in the classroom increases by 95% (versus 5-20%)

» Joyce& Showers

• Who will you work with when you get back to school to practice and use these questions?


Adults’ skills

• Treat all students with respect• Help all students look valuable in the eyes of

their classmates• Intervine in a non-shaming manner• When teaching, use buddies, circles of support,

peer mentors and workgroups to foster relationships

• Monitor own use of power to provide healthy role-modeling

» PrevNet

• Share examples of each strategy that you have in your school or program.

• Highlight the strategy you might be missing.

• Are the strategies implemented fully?– Leadership actively supports the strategy

– Adults trained, coached, know their role, do their role

– Policies and practices are aligned Shared vision, implementation team, feedback,

collaboration, data support, staff training Represented in student handbook, for instance

Activity


• Wright County Monthly Safe Schools Meeting Members:– Sheriff’s Office

– Probation

– County Attorney

– County Social Services

– Wright County School Districts administrators

• It all started with a large sexting case in the middle school, many affected parties– Possible felony offenses


Systemic Response

• Process:– Sexy pictures reported to an adult

Usually teacher, but also administrator, student assistance staff or SRO

– Adult reports to admin, to school resource officer (SRO)– SRO investigation reported to Sergeant– Sergeant diverts to County Court Restorative Justice Agent

for RJ family group conference or to County Attorney Conference with students and parents; agreements, follow-up

– Educational sessions in elementary, middle and high schools annually; also to parent groups

– School Safety meetings monthly Each school district and county partners


Wright County Sexting Response

• Outcomes:– Decrease in the number of affected parties, from 6-10

to 2 or 4;

– Decrease in explicitness of photos;

– Increase in reporting and the reporting comes quicker;

– Parents more likely to support school in enforcing cell phone policy.

– Contact Brian Stoll, Probation [email protected]

Wright County


Reductions in Sexting in Wright County






– Effective county (classroom) management




• Restorative Interventions for Bullying Training– May 3, 4 and 5, 2012, Central Lakes College, Brainerd

– http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RIBT– June 11-14, 2012, Webster School, Minneapolis

– http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RIBTJune12

• Circle Networking Day– Alternatives to Expulsion Conferencing Program,

Webster School, Minneapolis, June 15, 2012. – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CND12.

Upcoming Trainings


Your Assignment

• Look up ACE– Adverse Childhood Experiences

– Dr. Rob Anda

– Compassionate Schools

Tell one person about what you learned.

Kelliher School District


• http://youtu.be/-XS9DtlkiVg

• Kelliher Schools: Closing the Education Gap

• Award-winning PBIS video

• Nancy Riestenberg

School Climate Specialist

651-582-8433

[email protected]

Thank You!


• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention www.afsp.org .• Bell, V. Don’t Neglect the Obvious: Sleep, Nutrition and Exercise. Retrieved 2/27, 2012.

http://mindfull.spc.org/vaughan/Vaughan_MPH_SleepNutritionExercise.pdf• The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander, Barbara Coloroso, 2003. HarperCollins Publishers Inc, New York, NY.• Children and Bullying, Ken Rigby, 2008. Blackwell Publishing, www.blackwellpublishing.com. • Circle in the Square: Building Community and Repairing Harm in Schools, Nancy Riestenberg, 2012. Living Justice Press,

www.livingjusticepress.org. • Espelage, D. L. (2011). Bullying & the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) Community [Available:

Stopbullying.gov]• The Restorative Practices Handbook, Costello, Wachtel & Wachtel, 2009. International Institute for Restorative Practices

http://www.iirp.edu/. • Minnesota Department of Education– Student Success—Safe Schools http://education.state.mn.us/mde/index.html .– Implementation of Effective Practices http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/EdExc/BestPrac/ImpleEffecPrac/index.html • PrevNet Resources: Bullying In Schools: Guidelines for Intervention and Prevention, http://prevnet.ca/ .• Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, http://pbismn.org/ .• Hodas, G.R. (2006). Responding to Childhood Trauma: The Promise and Practice of Trauma Informed Care. Pennsylvania Office

of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.• Restoring Safe School Communities: a whole school response to bullying violence and alienation, Brenda Morrison, Federation

Press, 2007, www.federationpress.com.au.• Joyce, B. and Showers, B. (2002). Student Achievement Through Staff Development, National College for School Leadership,

http://literacy.kent.edu/coaching/information/Research/randd-engaged-joyce.pdf. • Suicide Prevention/Voices of Education http://www.save.org/ .• Ttofi, M.M., Farrington, D.P., & Baldry, C.A. (2008). Effectiveness of programs to reduce school bullying: a systematic review.

Stockholm: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.• Williams, M. (2010). Undercover Teams: Redefining reputations and transforming relationships in the school community.

Explorations: an E-Journal of Narrative Practice, www.dulwichcentre.com.au/e-journal.html.

References


bullying research and interventions: connecting the dots of behaviors and experiences 2012 spring...

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