The office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recently released a bulletin called Bullying in Schools: an Overview. It examines the complex issues associated with bullying victims and ways schools can provide help in such situations.
Bullying has been recognized as a complex social issue that can cause severe emotional problems. It’s an activity that also can have severe impact on both children and their schools. In extreme cases the victims can face every type of abuse from shooting to physical assaults. Various types of continued harassment have been known to cause the victim to turn to suicide.
According to a 12/16/11 Press release a Department of Justice spokesmen claims there is hope.
“Parents and schools across the country worry about the devastating harm bullying can cause, and we share this concern for our nation’s children,” said Jeff Slowikowski, OJJDP’s Acting Administrator. “This new study highlights the impact of bullying and recommends effective anti-bullying strategies that schools can implement to keep students safe.
One of the ways researchers found to deter bullying was for the school community to create an environment where students are challenged academically and adults support them. Researchers found that bullying does not directly cause truancy. Victimization often causes students to distance themselves from learning and can cause a variety of problems from truancy to academic failure. The results of the study showed that generic anti-bullying curriculums used in many schools are ineffective.
Some of the strategies recommended for schools in dealing with bullying were to offer a mentor program and provide students with opportunities for community service. The difficult transition between elementary and middle school should be addressed by school administrations. They also must start their bullying prevention programs early.
The study was conducted by the National Center for School Engagement and focused on the connection between bullying, truancy and low academic achievement. It examined whether increasing a students involvement in academic or extracurricular activities improved conditions.
Source
www.ojp.gov