One Voice Bullying Prevention

School Climate Primary Prevention

Presented by Brian Koenig, M.S.

www.k12associates.comK12 Associates, LLC Copyright 2013

Bullying Prevention Since Columbine

1999 Tragedy Prompted a National Focus Since Then Hundreds of New Programs and Products Still No Clear Model to Prevent Bullying Families, Students and Community Members Expect More Than a

Partial Solution Schools and Students At Risk

Legal Wasted Teaching Time Student Torment and Sometimes Tragedy

Why So Little Progress?

Most Bullying Goes Unseen by Adults Tough to Intervene

Kids are More Influenced by Other Kids Best Practices Out-the-Window in

Real Life Drama Students Don’t Trust Adult

Intervention Lack of Reporting

Structures at School are Bullying “Friendly” Bus rides, playgrounds, hallways, locker rooms

Adults Preach One Approach, Practice Another Unintentionally Ignore Bullying or Bully

Current Prevention StrategiesInherently Limiting

Students Motivated by Self Interest Safety Friendships Status

Bullying Prevention Skills, Nice But Not Necessary

Training of Students Uneven

Maintenance Equally Uneven

Powerful Bullying InfluencesToo Much For Students to Fix

Two Simple Goals

Most Bullying Prevention Focuses on Student Attitudes and Behavior

But Design of the School Day Overpowers Student Skills

Two Simple Goals Reduce the number of situations where

students alone make the rules. Change the circumstances so positive

behavior is the easiest choice.

New Mindset

Current Mindset Stuff happens at school. Kids need to learn how to avoid bullies,

intervene in bullying incidents, stay away from unsafe places. This is the nature of school.

New Mindset Anything unsafe about school we must do our best to change. Adults create the school climate not kids.

Keeping School SafeWhat Adults Must Do

Social Emotional

Skill Building

Model Behaviors

Keep a Safe Physical Environment

Unsafe PlacesMost Bullying Occurs Here

Student Managed Space – Recipe for Trouble Low/no supervision Scarce resource No guided activity (nothing to do) Waiting

Examples School bus seating Lunchroom seating Isolated areas on the playground Lining up

Keeping Spaces Safe

Environmental Assessment Observation and report Paraprofessional and bus driver focus groups Student focus groups

Improve opportunities for student reporting More supervision Be intentional about personal space Less crowding Less waiting More guided activity and structure

Modeling Positive Behavior

Motto: Kids do what we do, not what we tell them. Positive problem solving language for adults

What do my comments communicate to the student My language during conflict Scripted comments that de-escalate trouble

Discuss age appropriate feedback for students Build self awareness of adult responses to conflict

Student Social Emotional Skills

Problem solving strategies during conflict Role playing in the classroom Strategies to ward off bullying behavior Meshes with Conscious Discipline (Becky Bailey) strategy, only with

youth not adults. Resource: Second Step Bullying Prevention by the Committee for

Children