Bullying affects more students than many parents realize. Even if your child isn't a bully and isn't a victim of bullying, she may still be affected by bully/victim problems in her school.

According to Blueprints for Violence Prevention, in classrooms or schools with high levels of bullying problems, students tend to feel less safe and are less satisfied with school life.¹ These feelings mean that for many students, especially those who are bullying victims, the classroom is no longer a place of learning. When a child feels unsafe, he can't pay attention to his schoolwork as he should.

A classroom with a lot of bullying problems may also have other harmful effects on students. Children and teens who regularly see bullying at school have a less secure learning environment, fear that the bully may target them next, and know that teachers and other adults either can't or won't control bullies' behavior.² Over time, such events can lead to new bullying episodes and other problems in the classroom.

School administrators need to be committed to stopping bullying at school. The best way of addressing bullying is through broad, school wide programs.^3,4,5 Although teachers, counselors, and parents may be able to deal with individual cases of bullying as they come up, it's not likely to have a real impact on the rate of bullying in the school.⁶

For one thing, bullying often is hidden from both teachers and parents.⁷ Adults typically identify less than 10 percent of bullying incidents. In addition, many teachers and administrators don't understand the dynamics of bullying. With no training, some educators may actually support bullying behavior. They may accidentally send students the message that bullying is "part of growing up," or simply ignore the behavior.⁸

There is a large percentage of students who regularly witness bullying at school but don't know what they can do to help. The most important reason for creating a school-wide anti-bullying program may be to connect and make this "silent majority" fell powerful enough to help.⁹ Programs that teach students to recognize and intervene in bullying have been found to have the greatest impact on stopping incidents of bullying and harassment at school.¹⁰

To learn what you school is doing about bullying, contact a school guidance counselor or administrator. If your school does not have a bullying prevention program in place, encourage school administrators to start one. Bullying prevention programs don't just make school better for bullies and victims; they make school better for all students.

¹ Elliott, D. Olweus, D., Limber S., & Mihalic, S. (2000) Blueprints for Violence Prevention: Bullying Prevention Program. Golden, CO: Venture Publishing.

² U.S. Department of Education. (1998). Preventing bullying: A manual for schools and communities. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved November 19, 2001.

³ Atlas, R.S., & Pepler, D.J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. Journal of Educational Research, 92(2), 86-99.

⁴ Garrity, C., Jens, K., Porter, W.W., Sager, N., & Short-Camilli, C. (1997). Bullyproofing your school: Creating a positive climate. Intervention in School and Clinic, 32(4), 235-243.

⁵ Skiba, R., & Fontanini, A. (2000). Fast facts: Bullying prevention. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa International. Retrieved November 19, 2001.

⁶ Banks, R. (2000). Bullying in schools. ERIC Review, 7(1), 12-14. Retrieved November 19, 2001.

⁷ Skiba, R., & Fontanini, A. (2000). Fast facts: Bullying prevention. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa International. Retrieved November 19, 2001.

⁸ U.S. Department of Education. (1998). Preventing bullying: A manual for schools and communities. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved November 19, 2001.

⁹ Atlas, R.S., & Pepler, D.J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. Journal of Educational Research, 92(2), 86-99.

¹⁰ Rigby, K. (1995). What schools can do about bullying. The Professional Reading Guide for Educational Administrators, 17(1), 1-5. Retrieved November 19, 2001.