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Credit: Wikimedia user Elizabet21
YouthTruth survey details how one middle school curbed rising bullying rates
Naaz Modan
Oct. 7, 2019
Dive Brief:
Bullying rates are on the rise nationwide, but a recent YouthTruth
survey details how a Washington state middle school experienced a
decrease in bullying incidents after targeted intervention efforts.
After an earlier survey revealed a dramatic increase in the number of
students being bullied at Quincy Junior High School, from a steady 28%
to 46%, the school identified bullying as a "priority for change."
After administering annual climate surveys, poring over the findings in
staff meetings to create common understanding of the issue, and
launching an anti-bullying initiative that included a two-day lesson
plan for students and teachers schoolwide, the percentage reporting
bullying fell from 46% to 36%.
Dive Insight:
According to recent numbers released by YouthTruth, 33% of students —
or 1 in 3 — reported that they had experienced bullying in the 2017-18
school year, and far more middle school students reported being bullied
than those in high school. This also marks a 5% increase since 2015-16,
when the number was at 28%.
Key findings suggest the top three reasons victims believe they are
bullied include their appearance (44%), race or skin color (17%) and
sexual orientation (15%).
Following the significant increase in bullying at Quincy Junior High
School, staff surveyed students once more to identify where, when and
what kind of bullying was taking place (i.e. Was it verbally in the bus
during morning transit or physically in the bathrooms during lunch?).
Following the results of the climate survey, targeted interventions
including lesson plans and day-long programs were put into place.
Quincy Principal Scott Ramsey said placing anti-bullying messages on
the walls and getting the students involved in addressing the problem
went a long way in setting the tone for the conversation and made the
effort successful. In Quincy's case, an anti-bullying video made by an
after-school club and featuring students allowed for more student
buy-in.
"While adults are working on addressing the problem, students should
have information on what is happening and what it looks like and should
have information on how to help it," Ramsey says. "Students taking the
lead on it created a lot more buy-in and created ownership for them."
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