SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Thank you for showing that you are committed to bully awareness and prevention.  The most important gift you can give your students is a safe learning environment. 

Bully Free NH advocated for bully awareness and prevention programs that are implemented district wide and seek to effect change on school culture and climate.  Programs whose goals build respectful and safe school environment. These programs implement climate surveys to all the stakeholders:  students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members.


T.I.G.E.R.     THEATRE INTEGRATING GUIDANCE EDUCATION and RESPONSIBILITY

A program by Plymouth State University, is a professional theatre company designed to help children, schools, parents and communities deal proactively and positively with social issues and concerns facing children in schools today.  For more information contact:  Pam Irish, TIGER Tour Manager at 603-535-2647.

OLWEUS BULLYING PREVENTION PROGRAM

Created from the research of Dan Olweus, the goal of this program is to alter school culture and is implemented district wide.  Initially, a survey is given to the participants to gain a base line of the current culture within the school district.  Based on this information a program is designed for the school district.  For further information:  www.clemson.edu/olweus/
Trainers are available in New Hampshire and several NH schools are in the process of implementing Olweus.

Olweus program research shows the following data;

  • 45% decrease in cafeteria and playground bullying reports by adults over a 4 year period
  • 16% reduction in self reports of bullying others
  • Students were more likely to perceive that other student intervene in bullying
  • After one year, students were significantly more likely to perceive that adults at school tried to stop bullying
  • After one year, parents were significantly more likely to perceive that administrators had acted to stop bullying


MAIN STREET ACADEMIX
Henniker, NH
Dr. William Preble

This is a well respected program, which offers professional development to help build safer, and more respectful and effective schools.
MSA goals are:

  • Preventing bully and harassment
  • Building respectful relationships
  • Improving school climate and Safety
  • Improve school discipline and classroom management
  • Reducing dropout rate
  • Improvement academic achievement through inspired teaching and engaged student learning

MSA reports a positive correlation between school climate improvement and academic achievement.

Current MSA projects

North Country Respectful Schools Project
APEX II, NH Dropout Prevention Program
  helping New Hampshire High Schools understand student dropouts.

For more information go to their website:  www.msanh.com

THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The US DOE website has educator training material, a seminar, on bullying “The Nature and Prevention of Bullying”.  It is set up as a five day seminar, however, one can read all the material within a couple hours at the most. 

Dr. Alan Beane, in his book BULLY FREE CLASSROOM, has many suggestions for a teacher to use in her/his classroom.   Some highlights are:  discussing with your students rules against bullying in your classroom, posting the rules, and  reporting bullying incidents to you is not tattling.

If you are school principal, according to Dr. Beane, you are the most important player in bully awareness and prevention as you set the tone for your school.   Committing to a Bully Free School is just as important as the 4 Rs.  It should be a commitment which happens every year.  How about having a yearly kickoff during the National Bully Awareness and Prevention Week; which occurs every year in mid-September.


Go to  www.ed.gov.  for other articles related to bully training for educators.
www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/training/bullying/bullying.html  is the address for the above referenced training material.

Benefits of Bully Awareness and Prevention, that should be expected at your school:
• Decrease in absenteeism
• Decrease in dropout rate
• Decrease in “schoolyard” fighting
• Decrease in Bullycide—suicide by victims of bullying, some have been as young as 10 years old.
• Overall increase in school morale