School Climate Enhancement and Bullying Prevention in Southern Illinois: Preliminary Findings

• In Event: NIJ Day: Examining the Impact of Multi-Component Approaches to Improve School Safety

Abstract

This Comprehensive School Safety Initiative seeks to evaluate the outcome of four interventions designed to enhance school climate and prevent bullying. We randomly assigned 40 schools from 25 districts in Southern Illinois to participate in the following: 1) an administrator’s academy on best practices in school policy; 2) a teacher training workshop; 3) playground and school monitor trainings; 4) an anonymous web-based reporting system for bullying and safety threats. We collected baseline data for all schools during spring of 2016 using a comprehensive school climate survey. We observed that 10-23% of youth in grades 4-6 reported experiencing various forms of bullying on at least a weekly basis; 17-28% indicated they had observed other students experiencing it as frequently or more. Notably, almost 20% of students indicated they never report it. The rates for students in grades 7-12 were generally comparable, but higher for observed bullying, and over 45% indicated they never tell anyone or report it. We are in Year 2 of our project and in the process of implementing the interventions for half of the schools. This presentation will provide preliminary results and findings, along with a discussion of challenges we have encountered and overcome during this process.

Authors

• Mary Louise Cashel, Southern Illinois University

• Daryl G. Kroner, Southern Illinois University