Newswise — National Bullying Prevention Week is October 22-28, but researchers say it will take more than a few days of raising awareness to make a difference in the classroom or playground.
Bullying prevention takes more than addressing the bully or the victim, says Meline Kevorkian, Ed.D, associate dean of master's and educational specialist programs at the Fischler School of Education at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"It requires changing the culture of the school, including bullies, victims, bystanders, educators and administrators," she says. "Children see bullying happening in the classroom or playground and that the teachers don't even address it. They think it's normal."
Kevorkian is the lead author of new research " to be published in early 2008 " suggesting that educators want more training to understand and reduce bullying.
"Research has indicated that bullying in schools is prevalent, unmanaged and has a direct impact on student quality of life and academic experiences," she says. "Ninety-two percent of the educators we surveyed acknowledge the link between bullying and school violence. Sixty-four percent agree it negatively impacts academic achievement."
Her survey of educators worldwide found that while 88 percent of educators agreed that they play a large role in bullying prevention, only half were aware of a bullying policy at their school or had a bullying prevention plan.
Most surprising to Kevorkian was how strongly felt was the need for training for teachers before they set foot in their first class room. "Ninety-three percent felt that bullying prevention should be taught to pre-service teachers," she says. "Teachers know they need to watch out for bullying, but they don't really know what to do, how to address parents about bullying, and how to get a school culture that values empathy and characters as much as standardized test scores."
Next month, Nova Southeastern University's Fischler School of Education and Human Services and the International Bullying Prevention Association will host the 4th annual International Bullying Prevention Conference. The event, held November 5-8, will bring experts, educators and researchers together to provide the latest findings on bullying in schools, to share best practices in addressing bullying and to offer resources that promote a bully-free education environment.
"The conference is designed to provide information that every member of the community can use," she says. "Whether you are a parent, an educator, a policy maker or social service provider, attendees will have the opportunity to be involved with the leaders in the field of bullying prevention, get access to best practices and the most current research and case studies on addressing all types of bullying."
The conference includes a free community session, open to the public, to arm participants with information and resources from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's "Stop Bullying Now" campaign.
More information on the conference is available at http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/stopbullying.
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