Bullying Prevention in. School-wide Positive Behaviour Support. Information from this presentation comes from: Bullying in schools.

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1 Bullying Prevention in School-wide Positive Behaviour Support Carmen Poirier and Kent McIntosh University of British Columbia National Association of School Psychologists Convention March 5 th, 2010 Information from this presentation comes from: Good, C., McIntosh, K., & Poirier, C. (2010). Integrating bullying prevention into School-wide Positive Behavior Support. Manuscript submitted for publication. Ross, S., Horner, R. H., & Stiller, B. (2008). Bully prevention in positive behavior support. Eugene, OR: Educational and Community Supports. Available at Handouts: Outline Bullying in schools Bullying in schools Typical responses School-wide Positive Behaviour Support Bullying Prevention in SWPBS The BP-PBS Program Framework Components How to implement Case Study What is bullying? Unprovoked aggressive behavior repeatedly carried out against victims who are unable to defend themselves Whitted & Dupper, 2005 A power relationship carried on by one individual towards another person Baer, 2003 An assertion of power through aggression. Olweus, 1994 Can take many forms: physical aggression, insults, teasing, threats, spreading rumors, social exclusion

2 Bullying in schools Bullying in schools Nearly 30% of US students in a national study reported being involved in bullying, as either a bully or victim 22.8% of children with special needs are victims of bullying According to the World Health Organization, Canada and the United States ranked 12th and 15th, respectively, out of 35 countries in terms of reported prevalence of bullying behavior Why is bullying so prevalent? Bullying behaviour is rewarded/maintained by the victims and bystanders Social Attention Social Status Access to preferred items or activities Inconsistent adult intervention 71% of teachers said they usually intervened in bullying incidents, yet only 25% of students reported that their teachers intervened Nansel et al., 2001; Cummings, Pepler, Mishna, & Craig, 2006; Craig & Harel, 2004 Pepler & Craig, 2000 Reflection and Action Planning Form Typical responses to bullying in schools Question 1 What strategies and programs are we using in our school/district to address bullying? How do we know if we re doing them well? How do we know whether they are working? How are they working so far? Stand-alone anti-bullying program School assemblies with speakers who highlight the harmful effects of bullying The zero tolerance approach - focus on catching such students in the act and providing increasingly severe punitive measures Conflict resolution

3 Concerns with this approach Stand-alone Programs are Difficult to Implement and Sustain Anti-Bullying Programs are Often More Reactive than Preventive Labeling and Attempting to Punish Bullies can Increase Incidents of bullying and problem behaviour Exposure to exclusionary discipline has been shown not to improve school outcomes, but in fact to be associated with higher rates of school drop out. Skiba, Peterson, and Williams, 1997 Early exposure to school suspension may increase subsequent antisocial behaviour. Hemphill et al., 2006 Gersten & Dimino, 2001; Hemphill et al, 2006; Pepler et al., 1994; Simonsen, Sugai, & Negron, 2008 Adapted from Sugai, 2002 School-wide Positive Behaviour Support Prevention of bullying is more likely to result in the desirable outcomes. And true prevention of bullying behavior involves: Designed to provide students with a basic level of behavioural support a) teaching all students the skills needed to meet their social needs without bullying, and b) changing aspects of the school culture that may promote aggressive behavior Goals: Decrease problem behaviour in schools Increase prosocial behaviour in schools Improve school climate Increase effective academic instruction Improve school safety Olweus, 2003 Horner, Sugai, Todd, & Lewis-Palmer, 2005; Sugai, Horner, & McIntosh, 2008

4 School-wide Positive Behaviour Support Features of SWPBS: School define clear rules for behaviour Students are given instruction and practice in the rules School staff monitor and acknowledge appropriate behaviour School staff provide clear, consistent consequences for problem behaviour Data is collected for decision-making Horner, Sugai, Todd, & Lewis-Palmer, 2005 School-wide Positive Behaviour Support Demonstrated effectiveness: Over 20 studies demonstrating effectiveness with typical implementers in typical schools High quality group designs with control schools Randomized clinical trials Statistically significant outcomes for: Problem behaviour Academic achievement Perceived school safety Reflection and Action Planning Form Question 2 What is happening in our school/district in terms of school-wide support for students?

5 Integrating bullying prevention in SWPBS Bully Prevention in Positive Behaviour Support (BP-PBS) Why would this work? School already has Focus on prevention efforts Established set of POSITIVE expectations Focus on a systems approach Familiarity with evidence-based decision-making Requires only a small amount of additional resources Ross, Horner, & Stiller, 2008 Bully Prevention in Positive Behaviour Support (BP-PBS) Bully Prevention in Positive Behaviour Support (BP-PBS) Giving students the tools to reduce bullying through the blending of school-wide positive behaviour support, explicit instruction, and a redefinition of the bullying construct. A 3-step response system to problem behaviour that gives students the tools necessary to remove the social rewards that maintain problem behaviour Features: Fits within a PBS system Explicit education for all students Consistent monitoring and acknowledgment of appropriate behaviours Consistently applied continuum of consequences Emphasis on program maintenance Ross, Horner, & Stiller, 2008

6 BP-PBS Conceptual Framework The BP-PBS Curriculum Components Supervisor training Monitoring of effectiveness Teaching school-wide rules Responding to problem behaviour - Stop, Walk, Talk Stop: Tell someone who is teasing to stop Walk: Walk away from the problem behaviour Talk: Tell an adult Stop Teach the students the school-wide stop signal Model the use of the stop signal Practice using the stop signal Include examples of right and wrong times to use the stop signal Johnny pokes Darren in the back over and over while waiting in line. Kate steals the ball away from Jenny when they are playing basketball.

7 Activity: Stop signal 1. What are the components of a good stop signal? 2. What is an example of a good stop signal? 3. What is an example of a bad stop signal? Activity: Stop signal How the Stop signal should look and sound. Short Easy to produce Easy to remember Eye contact Strong, clear voice Stop Example stop signals Enough Time out Quit it Too far Un-cool Walk Teach students that sometimes, even when students use the stop signal, bullying will continue If that happens, they should Walk Model walking away Allow students to practice walking away Use examples of right and wrong times to walk away

8 Talk When Stop and Walk haven t worked, students should tell an adult about the problem behaviour Model the Talk response students should use Allow students to practice, using examples of when they should and should not Talk to an adult Talk What is the difference between talking and tattling? Talking is when a student has tried to solve the problem, and has used Stop and Walk first Tattling is when they have not used Stop and Walk before Talking to an adult. Tattling is when their goal is to get the other person in trouble. Talk Teach students what they can expect adults in the school to do when they have used the Talk response: 1. They will thank you for coming to them 2. They will ask you what the problem is 3. They will ask if you said Stop 4.They will ask if you Walked away What should you do if someone uses the Stop, Walk, Talk response on you? 1. Stop what you are doing 2. Take a deep breath 3. Go on with your day Students should respond appropriately, even when they don t think they did anything wrong or that the other person is trying to get them into trouble.

9 Delivery of Student Training 6 lessons ranging from 10 to 50 minutes Strong focus on review, classroom practice and generalization Additional lessons specifically focused on gossip, inappropriate remarks and cyber-bullying The BP-PBS Curriculum - Teacher/supervisor training In addition to understanding the Stop, Walk, Talk response, teachers must be trained in: Precorrection Rewarding use of the Stop, Walk, Talk response Consistently responding to reports of problem behaviour The BP-PBS Curriculum - Teacher/supervisor training Precorrection Checking with students who are often victims of bullying and reminding them how to respond to problem behaviour Checking in with students who are often perpetrators of bullying and reminding them how to respond if someone uses the Stop, Walk, Talk response The BP-PBS Curriculum - Teacher/supervisor training Rewarding appropriate use of the response Look for students that use the response Reward students the first time the response is used or attempted

10 The BP-PBS Curriculum - Teacher/supervisor training The BP-PBS Curriculum - Teacher/supervisor training Responding to reports of problem behaviour Reinforce the student for using the Talk response Ask if they used the Stop and Walk responses Ask who, what, when, and where Talk to the student who was engaging in the problem behaviour Responding to reports of problem behaviour Monitoring of effectiveness Ongoing evaluation to determine effectiveness of the program Assess office referrals for bullying/harassment and student use of skills Staff survey 6 questions on a likert scale, can be completed weekly or monthly Decision-making flow chart Points out adaptations that can be made based on the answers in the survey Monitoring of effectiveness Individual student supports Re-teach respectful behaviours Teach social skills Enlist family support Functional behaviour assessment Embed student in constructive peer group

11 Reflection and Action Planning Form Question 3 What could BP-PBS look like in my school? What would be an effective stop signal for our students? Who would teach the lessons to students? What staff would need the teacher/supervisor training? Who would teach the lessons to staff? What would all staff need to know? A case study Ecole Central Middle School in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada Grade 6 to 8 Population of 500 students 50% French Immersion 15% English as a Second Language (ESL) 10% Aboriginal Two special education programs Students with mild to moderate cognitive delays Students severe learning disabilities Good, McIntosh, & Poirier, 2010 A case study Staff 27 teachers 1 counsellor 11 support staff Implemented SWPBS at the start of the school year Implemented BP-PBS at the start of the school year A case study Planning Special Education team attended a session on BP-PBS Presented to grade seven classes in February 2008 Feedback: have students involved in designing and implementing the program Presented to school staff in June 2008 Unanimous support

12 A case study A case study Implementation Student SWPBS Leadership Team Had input in making the BP-PBS program socially acceptable to all students Selected the Stop signal Too far with hand raised Three grade 8 students presented the program to the rest of the school Implementation Staff training Stop, Walk, Talk How to respond Importance of staff role and consistency Presented at parent council meeting A case study A case study Outcomes Office discipline referrals (ODRs) for bullying Outcomes Office discipline referrals (ODRs) for verbal bullying TotalODRs Total ODRs September October November December January February Month March April May June 0 September October November December January February Month March April May June

13 A case study Reflection and Action Planning Form Outcomes Office discipline referrals (ODRs) for physical bullying Total ODRs September October November December January February Month March April May June Question 4 How do I bring information from this session back to my school/district? Who else needs to know about bullying prevention in SWPBS? Who will be on the team? How could we build support for BP-PBS in my school/district? Take-home points BP-PBS demonstrates positive effects for bullying and problem behaviour Imbedding bullying prevention into SWPBS is more effective and sustainable than stand-alone programs Students are able to work through bullying problems themselves Students report fewer bullying behaviours to staff Monitoring of the program identifies students who need additional support Staff consistency is key to success What questions do you have?

14 Resources Ross, S., Horner, R. H., & Stiller, B. (2008). Bully prevention in positive behavior support. Eugene, OR: Educational and Community Supports. Elementary School program: lyprevention_es.pdf Middle School program: llyprevention_pbs_ms.pdf OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports: References Baer, N. (2003). Bullying is not child s play. Building Safer Communities, national Crime Prevention Strategy, 7. Craig, W. M. & Harel, Y. (2004). Bullying, physical fighting and victimization. In C. Currie, C. Roberts, A. Morgan, R. Smith, W. Settertobulte, O. Samdal and V. B. Rasmussen (Eds.) Young people s health in context. Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children (HBSC) study: International report from the 2001/2002 survey. Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization. Craig, W. M. & Pepler, D. J. (2007). Understanding bullying: From research to practice. Canadian Psychology, 48, Cummings, J. G., Pepler, D. J., Mishna, F., & Craig, W. M. (2006). Bullying and victimization among students with exceptionalities. Exceptionality Education Canada, 16(3), Good, C., McIntosh, K., & Poirier, C. (2010). Integrating bullying prevention into School-wide Positive Behavior Support. Manuscript submitted for publication. Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., Todd, A. W., & Lewis-Palmer, T. (2005). School-wide positive behavior support. In L. Bambara & L. Kern (Eds.), Individualized supports for students with problem behaviors: Designing positive behavior plans (pp ). New York: Guilford Press. Gersten, R., & Dimino, J. (2001). The realities of translating research into classroom practice. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 16, Hemphill, S. A., Toumbourou, J. W., Herrenkohl, T. I., McMorris, B. J., & Catalano, R. F. (2006). The effect of school suspensions and arrests on subsequent adolescent antisocial behavior in Australia and the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, References Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviours among US youth. Journal of the American Medical Association, 258, Olweus, D. (2003). A profile of bullying at school. Educational Leadership, 60(6), Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at school: Basic facts and effects of a school based intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 35, Pepler, D. & Craig, W. (2000). Making a difference in bullying. Ontario, ON: LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution and Queen s University. Pepler, D. J., Craig, W. M., Ziegler, S., & Charach, A. (1994). An evaluation of an anti-bullying intervention in Toronto schools. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 13, Ross, S., Horner, R. H., & Stiller, B. (2008). Bully prevention in positive behavior support. Eugene, OR Simonsen, B., Sugai, G., & Negron, M. (2008). Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports: Primary systems and practices. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(6), Sugai, G., Horner, R. H., & McIntosh, K. (2008). Best practices in developing a broad-scale system of support for school-wide positive behavior support. In A. Thomas & J. P. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (Vol. 3, pp ). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Whitted, K. S. & Dupper, D. R. (2005). Best practices for preventing or reducing bullying in schools. Children & Schools, 27,