School climate is an important potential mechanism by which school-based prevention and intervention efforts exert their effects, although this is rarely examined in the context of child abuse prevention programs. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based child abuse prevention curriculum; the "Second Step Child…

There is evidence that cyberbullying is a problem that is increasing among children and adolescents. Although often occurring outside of school, its effects often find their way into the offices of principals and school mental health providers. This article reviews the issues involved in cyberbullying and its effects and points the way toward…

Mass shootings in schools raise important questions about how best to keep individuals safe and increase survivability in such situations. One of the most common techniques used is lockdown drills, which train individuals to build time and space between them and the threat. Despite their use in 95% of public K-12 schools nationwide, their efficacy…

This study explored teachers' reactions to implementing a Pre-K-Grade 5 school-based child sexual abuse prevention education program. Fifty-seven classroom teachers and two school counselors attended one of nine focus groups conducted after the implementation of the Committee for Children's "Second Step" Child Protection Unit. Teachers…

In light of recent highly publicized and tragic incidents, such as the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, school communities are increasingly concerned about student and teacher safety. School leaders, politicians, and community members are frantically seeking solutions to the problem of school…

The Bystander Intervention Model proposed by social psychologists Latané and Darley has been used to examine the actions of peer bystanders in bullying. The five-stage model consists of notice the event, interpret event as an emergency, accept responsibility for intervening, know how to intervene, and implement intervention decisions. The current…

Bullying is a pervasive problem that impacts children and youth in schools involved as perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. This paper synthesizes findings from the empirical literature, including meta-analyses, to examine the evidence for bullying prevention and intervention approaches with attention to developmental levels (preschool,…

In this cross-sectional study, we examined a matched sample of 924 educators' perceptions of severity of bullying and harassment and school climate prior to (Wave 1 n = 435) and following (Wave 2 n = 489) the implementation of New York's anti-bullying and harassment legislation, the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Alignment with DASA mandates…

A sample of 124 service providers (e.g. mental health professionals, educators, administrators) completed a survey about bullying of individuals with disabilities and the use and perceived effectiveness of resources and strategies to address bullying. Providing support and performing an action in response to bullying were reported to be used more…

This study details a program evaluation of the "PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum" ("PREPaRE"), conducted in the United States and Canada between 2009 and 2011. Significant improvements in crisis prevention and intervention attitudes and knowledge were shown among 875 "Crisis Prevention…

In this study, parent history of bullying was examined in terms of general involvement with bullying, specific types of bullying experienced, level of hurtfulness associated with the experience, and when bullying occurred. Parent current views, levels of concern, and strategies used to cope with bullying were also evaluated. Finally, the…

This article describes the development, program evaluation, and future directions of the PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum (PREPaRE). Satisfaction ratings were analyzed for 1,073 participants who attended the Crisis Prevention and Preparedness workshop (Workshop 1) and 1,008 participants who attended the Crisis…

This study examined the extent to which violent behavior and peer victimization were associated with suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts in a nationally representative sample of 11,113 adolescents who completed the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Boys were more likely to be involved in physical fighting and weapon carrying, whereas girls were…

This study examined the extent to which three approaches to violence prevention and response were associated with the incidence of school crime and disruption after accounting for the influence of demographic variables. Secondary data analyses were conducted with four subsets of the sample of principals who completed the National Center for…

Bullying almost always occurs in the presence of peers, most of whom do not intervene to stop it. This study examined the role of attachment, empathy, and gender in predicting the behavior of 105 middle school students who reported being either (a) defenders who actively intervened to stop bullying, or (b) outsiders who were either not involved or…