Download pdf - Chronic Absenteeism and Bullying - Social Express · absenteeism—students from poor areas (regardless of gender, race, or geographic location) showed high levels of chronic absenteeism

ChronicAbsenteeismandBullyingStrategiesforSocialEmotionalLearninginAdvancingsuccessinSchoolEskinderAssefa|CoolSchool|08/25/2016

ABSTRACT

Thispaperdiscussestheresearchevidencetyingabsenteeismandbullyingandhowsocialemotionallearningstrategiescanimproveattendanceandoverallsuccessatschool.

WhitePaperChronicAbsenteeismandBullying

Page 2 of 16|©CoolSchool™TheSocialExpress

TableofContents

ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................3

CHRONICABSENTEEISM............................................................................................................5DEFININGCHRONICABSENTEEISM........................................................................................................5WHATWEKNOWABOUTABSENTEEISM.................................................................................................5CHARACTERISTICSOFCHRONICABSENTEEISM.........................................................................................6DOESATTENDANCEMATTER?.............................................................................................................6CAUSESCHRONICABSENTEEISM...........................................................................................................7WhyKidsWillNotgotoSchool.................................................................................................7

BULLYINGINSCHOOLS..............................................................................................................9OVERVIEW.......................................................................................................................................9WHATWEKNOWABOUTBULLYING.....................................................................................................9PercentageofStudentsinvolvedinBullying..............................................................................9ByTypeofBullying....................................................................................................................9CorrelationbetweenBullyingandDislikingSchool..................................................................10WhodoKidstellaboutBullying...............................................................................................10EmpathyandBullying..............................................................................................................11Analysis&Conclusionswecandraw.......................................................................................11

SURVEY:WHATSCHOOLSAREDOINGABOUTBULLYING........................................................12OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................12SURVEYGOALS................................................................................................................................12DEMOGRAPHICS..............................................................................................................................12RESPONSESREGARDINGBULLYING.....................................................................................................13PreventingBullying..................................................................................................................13MeasuringResultsofAnti-bullyingPrograms.........................................................................14FundingforAnti-bullyingPrograms.........................................................................................14

ADDRESSINGCHRONICABSENTEEISMANDBULLYINGINSCHOOLS........................................15WHATWEKNOW.............................................................................................................................15WHATWECANCONCLUDE................................................................................................................15

ABOUTCOOLSCHOOL.............................................................................................................16OurPhilosophy........................................................................................................................16HowwewanttochangetheWorld.........................................................................................16OurMission.............................................................................................................................16OurVision................................................................................................................................16

HOWTOREACHUS..........................................................................................................................16



Abstract

ChronicAbsenteeismisoneofthegravestchallengesournationfaceswhenitcomestoeducatingourkids.Whatweknowaboutitislittlesinceonlysixstatestrackattendancebyclass.Andyet,whateverlittleweknowgivescauseforseriousconcern.AstudybytheJohnsHopkinsUniversityCenterforSocialOrganizationofschoolshowssomealarmingevidenceofthegravityofthisissue:

• Chronicabsenceinkindergartenwasassociatedwithloweracademicperformanceinfirstgrade.Theimpactistwiceasgreatforstudentsfromlow-incomefamilies.

• Chronicabsenteeismincreasesachievementgapsattheelementary,middle,andhighschoollevels.

• Chronicabsenteeismismostprevalentinpoorand/orruralcommunities,regardlessofraceandgender.

• Thestudypostulatesthatstrategiesthatreduceabsenteeismcandriveupachievement,highschoolgraduation,andcollegeattainmentratesevenmorethananychangesinimprovementsoftheeducationsystem.

• Thenegativeimpactofabsenteeismonschoolsuccessincreaseswitheachpassingyearasstudentswhoarechronicallyabsenttendtocontinuethispatternyeartoyearunlessstepsaretakentochangethis.Inotherwords,achievementgapsworsenwitheachpassingyearassuchstudentsendupmissingayear’sworthofschoolinafive-yearperiod.

Missingtoomanyclasseshastheeffectofwideningthelearninggapbetweentheregularlyattendingandregularlyabsentstudents—whichfurtherdiscouragestheregularlyabsentstudentsfromcomingtoschool.Thisleadstochronicabsenteeism,whichfurtherleadstoever-wideninglearninggaps,eventuallyendingindroppingoutfromschoolaltogether.Wealsoseestudiesthatshowkidswhoarebulliedorharassedaretwiceaslikelytodislikeschool,impactingattendance,andultimately,graduationfromhighschool.Butitisnotallbadnews.Wealsoknowthatyoungkidsshowhighlevelsofempathyandarerelativelyeasilytaughtnottobullyothers,andthatwecanstopbullyingifweinterveneearlyenough.



Thispaperprovidestheresearchevidencethattiesthreeimportantpointsthatschoolanddistrictadministratorsshouldfullyappreciate:

• Effortsthatreducechronicabsenteeismandimproveattendancehaveahigherimpactonsuccessatschoolthanpracticallyanyotherchangeaschoolcanmake

• Thereisstrongcorrelationbetweenabsenteeismandbullying,andeffortsthatreducebullyingstronglycontributeinfightingabsenteeism

• Thebesttimetoreducebullyingandchronicabsenteeismisinearlyelementarygrades3and4.

Finally,thispaperoutlineshowvideoanimationisthemosteffectiveandmostaccessiblewaytodeliverthesocialemotionalskillsthatourkidsneedtonotonlyavoidbullyingothers,buttounderstandthevalueofdiversityandembraceratherthanstigmatizeit.



ChronicAbsenteeismEducationresearchersarefindingoutthatchronicabsenteeismisoneofthestrongestpredictorsofsuccessinschool,impactingnotonlyperformancebuthighschoolgraduationrates.Kidswhoarechronicallyabsentfinditverydifficulttokeepupwiththeirschoolworkandeventuallymaydropout.Wearealsoseeingresearchevidencetyingbullyingatschoolwithchronicabsenteeism.Anystrategytocombatchronicabsenteeismmustalsoincludestrategiesforcombatingbullyingatschool.Inthenextsections,wewillexploretheseissuesinmoredetail.

DEFININGCHRONICABSENTEEISMTheFederalguidelinestatesthatastudentisconsideredchronicallyabsentifshe/hemisses10percentormoreoftheschoolyear—foranyreason.Thatisroughly18schooldays,oraboutamonthperschoolyear.However,sinceactualattendanceistakenatalocallevel,definitionsofabsenteeismvaryfromstatetostate.Forexample,insomestates,absenceasaresultofobservanceofareligiousholidaymaybeexcused.Inothers,absenceduetocareforafamilymembermaybeexcusedandnotcountaslackofattendance.Stillmorecomplicatingthedefinitionofabsenteeismiswhetherattendanceisrecordedatthebeginningoftheschooldayoratthebeginningofeachclass.Withthatsaid,thevastmajorityofschoolsdonotreallykeepattendancerecordbystudent,butmostlytrackpercentageattendanceperday.Therefore,a90%dailyattendancesimplymeansthat90%ofstudentsshowedupthatparticularday(andperhapsdidn’tstayallday).Itdoesnotinanywayprovideinformationonwhichstudentsmissed10%ormoreofschoolthatyea

WHATWEKNOWABOUTABSENTEEISMInacomprehensivestudyontheeffectsofchronicabsenteeism(Balfanz,R.,&Byrnes,V.(2012):ChronicAbsenteeism:SummarizingWhatWeKnowfromNationallyAvailableData.Baltimore:JohnsHopkinsUniversityCenterforSocialOrganizationofSchools),raisesanalarmthatalleducatorsshouldheed:

• Chronicabsenceinkindergartenwasassociatedwithloweracademicperformanceinfirstgrade.Theimpactistwiceasgreatforstudentsfromlow-incomefamilies.

• Chronicabsenteeismincreasesachievementgapsattheelementary,middle,andhighschoollevels.

• Chronicabsenteeismismostprevalentinpoorand/orruralcommunities,regardlessofraceandgender.

• Thestudypostulatesthatstrategiesthatreduceabsenteeismcandriveupachievement,highschoolgraduation,andcollegeattainmentratesevenmorethananychangesinimprovementsoftheeducationsystem.

• Thenegativeimpactofabsenteeismonschoolsuccessincreaseswitheachpassingyearasstudentswhoarechronicallyabsenttendtocontinuethispatternyeartoyearunlessstepsaretakentochangethis.Inotherwords,achievementgapsworsenwitheachpassingyearassuchstudentsendupmissingayear’sworthofschoolinafive-yearperiod.

Thestudyalsofoundoutthatonlysixstates—Oregon,RhodeIsland,Maryland,Florida,Georgia,andNebraska—collectedanydataonchronicabsenteeism.Thepicturefromthisdataisnotencouraging.Thepercentageofstudentswhoarechronicallyabsent(miss10%ormoreschooldaysinayear)arefrom6%(Nebraska)toashighas23%(Oregon).Whenlookedatbyspecificcounties,ruraland/orpoorcountiestendtohaveadisproportionaterateofchronicabsenteeism,reachingashighas20%to34%ofstudentswhoarechronically



absent.Theproblemsareespeciallymoreurgentinhighschools,andparticularlyamongseniors.Inmanyoftheseimpactedareas,halformoreofthestudentsarechronicallyabsent,missingasmuchasamonthormoreperschoolyear.Forexample,inonecountyinMarylandthepercentageofstudentswhoarechronicallyabsentare24%ofelementarystudents;41%ofmiddleschoolstudents,and67%ofhighschoolstudents.Furthermore,whenacohortofsixth-gradersinFloridaweretrackedforsevenyearsfrom1997-98through2003-04,46%ofthestudentswerefoundtohavebeenchronicallyabsentatleastduringoneyear(missedatleastonemonth)and18%ofthesesixthgradersmissedatleasttwomonthsofschoolthatyear.Thislongtermtrackingfoundthatwhileforone-thirdofthestudentsthechronicabsenteeismoccurredonlyonce(onlyinoneyear),fortwo-thirdsofthestudents,itwasmorepersistent,occurringatleasttwooutofthesevenyears:39%werechronicallyabsentthreeyearsormore;22%wereabsentfouryearsormore;and10%wereabsentfiveyearsormore.Thelastgroupmissedanaverageof171daysofschoolinthesevenyears—practicallyawholeyearofschool.Althoughwehavedataforonlysixstates,thenumbersinFloridaandMarylandarelikelyrepresentativeofthenationduetothediversenatureoftheirpopulation.Itappearsthatanywherefrom10-11%ofstudentsnationallyarechronicallyabsent,missingoneormoremonthsofschoolperyear,andthathalfofthesearelikelytobechronicallyabsentatleasttwoyears.Millionsofstudentsnationwidearemissingmonthsofschool.

CHARACTERISTICSOFCHRONICABSENTEEISMFromtheJohnHopkinsstudy,weseethatchronicabsenteeismstartshighinKindergarten,graduallydecreasestoitslowestlevelinthirdandfourthgradebeforerisingagaintopeakinhighschool.Thisseemstoindicatethatinitially,childrenmissschoolasparentsadjusttonewcircumstances,andthatthisadjustmenthasreacheditspeakbyelementaryschool.Thefactthatabsenteeismrisesagainespeciallyinhighschoolindicatesthatnewcircumstancesarethecauseofitlateron.Thereseemstobeacorrelationbetweenkeytransitionsinschooling.TheJohnHopkinsstudyfurthershowedthatgenderdoesnotseemtobeafactor—thosethatarechronicallyabsenttendtobeequallydividedbygender.Nordoesitseemtomatterwhethertheschoolsiteisurban,sub-urban,orrural.However,thestudyshowsahighdegreeofcorrelationbetweenpovertyandchronicabsenteeism—studentsfrompoorareas(regardlessofgender,race,orgeographiclocation)showedhighlevelsofchronicabsenteeism.Forexample,inMaryland,thestudyfoundthatchronicabsenteeismwerethreetimeshigherforeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsformiddleandhighschools,andatleasttwiceashighforhighschoolstudents.SimilarresultswereshownforOregon,Nebraska,andGeorgia.Whatmaybemorerevealingisthatthestudyconsistentlyfoundthatchronicabsenteeismseemedtobeconcentratedwithinafewschools.Whetherthisissolelyduetoconcentrationofdisadvantagedorpoorstudentsinthatschoolorwhetherthereareadditionalfactorsisnotclear.

DOESATTENDANCEMATTER?Nowthatwehaveabetterunderstandingofwhatchronicabsenteeismisandwhomitimpacts,thenextquestionis:Howbiganimpactdoesitreallyhaveonlearningsuccess?Variousstudiesshowthatchronicabsenteeismimpactsstudentsatallstagesfromkindergartenthroughhighschoolgraduation.

• AstudybyChangeandRomero(“Present,Engaged,andAccountedFor.TheCriticalImportanceofAddressingChronicAbsenceintheEarlyGrades”)showedthatchronicabsenceinkindergartenhadanimmediateimpactonacademicperformanceonall



children,withlongtermconsequencesbeingmostsignificantforpoorchildren.Thestudyfoundthatnotonlythechronicallyabsentchildrenwereaffected,butsoweretheregularlyattendingchildrenduetotheconstantdisruptionandchangingdynamics.

• A2010paperbyDouglasReady(“SocioeconomicDisadvantage,SchoolAttendance,andEarlyCognitiveDevelopment:TheDifferentialEffectsofSchoolExposure”)showedthatchronicallyabsentstudentshad14%lessliteracyskillsinkindergartenthanregularlyattendingstudents.Thesegapsbecamemorepronouncedbyfirstgradewith15%lessliteraryskillsand12%lessmathematicalskills.

• Moresignificantly,TheReadystudyshowedthatchildrenfromlow-incomehouseholdswithgoodattendancegainedmoreliteracyskillsthantheirhigherincomefamilypeers.

• ResearchbyMichaelGottfried(“EvaluatingtheRelationshipbetweenStudentAttendanceandAchievementinUrbanElementaryandMiddleSchools:AnInstrumentalVariablesApproach”)states,“Thefindingssupportthepremisethatasignificantandpracticallymeaningfulrelationshipexistsbetweenattendanceandachievementacrossmultiplegradesinurbanschools:studentswithahighernumberofdayspresenthavehigherGPAs.AttendancealsoappearstobemorestronglycorrelatedwithahigherGPAasstudentsadvancethroughyearsofschooling.”

• ResearchbyChicagoUniversityAllensworthandEaston(“WhatMattersforStayingOn-TrackandGraduatinginChicagoPublicHighSchools.ACloseLookatCourseGrades,Failures,andAttendanceintheFreshmanYear”)showedthathowwellstudentsdidinninthgradewasastrongestpredictorofhighschoolgraduationsandthat,inturn,attendancewasfoundtobethestrongestpredictorofacademicperformance.

Theseandvariousresearcheshaveindicatedthatfromkindergartenthroughhighschool,attendanceishighlycorrelatedwithacademicperformance—regardlessofgender,geographiclocationorsocio-economicstatus.Infact,thesestudiesshowthatregularattendancewasthesinglemostreliableantidotetoperformancegapsshownbetweenstudentsfromlow-incomehouseholdsandmorestudentsfrommoreaffluenthouseholds.

CAUSESCHRONICABSENTEEISMSofar,wehaveexaminedabsenteeismandtheincontrovertibleevidenceofsignificantimpactonk-12academicperformance.Thenextquestionbecomes,whatarethecausesofchronicabsenteeismandhowdoweeffectivelydealwiththesetoimprovestudentattendance?Variousstudiesshowthatthereareprimarilytwocategoriesofreasonswhystudentsareabsentfromschool:

• Theycannotgotoschoolbecausetheyarerequiredtobeelsewhere(asinworkingtohelpsupportfamilyortakingcareofafamilymember)oraretoosicktoattendschool

• Theywillnottogotoschoolbecausearetryingtoavoidunpleasantorevendangeroussituationsatschooloronthewaytoandbackfromschool.

Consideringthefactthatchroniclackofattendanceforanyreasonishighlydetrimentaltoacademicsuccessandhighschoolgraduation,itisimperativethatschoolsfindeffectivestrategiestodealwitheachtypeofreasonforsuchabsence.However,asthereasonsforabsencearedifferent,itisimportanttounderstandthatthestrategiesmustalsobecustomizedtoaddressthereasonforabsence.Inthispaper,welookalittlefurtherintothesecondreasonforchronicabsenteeism—whychildrenmakeaconscienceefforttoavoidschool.

WHYKIDSWILLNOTGOTOSCHOOLWhileitistruethatsomekidsarechronicallyabsentbecausetheyfindschoolboringandwouldratherbeelsewhere,asignificantportionofchronicallyabsentstudentswhomakeaconsciencedecisiontoavoidschooldosoavoidbeingharassedorbulliedbyotherkids,eitherinschoolorontheirwaytoandbackfromschool.



The2014Olweusreport,“BullyinginUSSchools.2014StatusReport”indicatesthefollowing:

• About17%ofallUSpublicschoolstudentsreportbeinginvolvedinbullying(12%werebulliedonly;3%werebothbulliedandbulliedothers;and2%reportedbullyingothers).

• However,thereportfoundthatbullyingwasthehighestamong3rdgradestudentswhoreportedbeinginvolvedinbullyingwith4thgradersbeingthesecondhighestat19%.Wewillrecallfromthesectiononchronicabsenteeismthatthiswaspreciselywhenchronicabsenteeismwaslowest,perhapscontributingtothehighernumberofstudentsreportingbeingbullied.

• Thiscouldalsobeindicativeofwhyabsenteeismcontinuestoriseafter4thgradeasmorekidstrytoavoidbeinginvolvedinbullying.

• Thereportalsoshowsastrongcorrelationbetweenbullyingandlikingschool:ingrades3-5,oneoutoffivestudentsexposedtobullyingreportedstronglydislikingschool.Thisnumbergoestooneoutoftwostudentsinvolvedinbullyingreportingstronglydislikingschool.

• Thereportfurthershowedthatthelevelofempathyforthosebulliedwashighestamong3-5thgraders,anddecreasedwitheachincreaseingrade—fromahighof73%of3-5thgradegirlswhowanttohelpthosebeingbullieddroppingto48%bythetimetheyare9-12thgraders;andfromahighof69%of3-5thgradeboyswhowanttohelpdroppingdownto42%ofboysby9-12th

Thisreporttellsustwoimportantpiecesofinformationweneedtoaddressregardingbullyinginschools:1. Itishighestamong3-4thgraders2. Thatistheagewhenkidshavethehighestsympathyorempathyforthosewhoarebeing

bullied.Thereforeanystrategythatfocusesonteaching3-4thgraderstoreducebullying—byteachingthosethatarebullyingthatitiswrong;byteachingthosethatarebeingbulliedhowtoproperlyrespondsotheyarenotbulliedinfuture;andbyteachingbystanderswhattheappropriatewayistohelpthosethatarebeingbullied—willhavethehighestimpactonreducingbullyinginschoolsorgradesgoingforward.Theclassroomcurriculumshouldincludeinstructionsthathelpkidsknowhowtoappropriatelyrespondtobeingbulliedsothattheyarelesslikelytobebulliedagain.Itshouldfurtherteachcompassionsothatotherkidsknowhowtoappropriatelystepinandhelpthosethatarebeingbullied.Ultimately,thegoalistoteachkidswhyitiswrongtobullyotherssothoselikelytobullyothersstopdoingso.Inabullying-freeschoolzone,kidswouldhavefewerreasonstodislikeschoolandavoidit,improvingattendance,whichimprovesperformanceatschool.Thisisbornbyevidence.A2011BERCstudyshowedastrongcorrelationbetween6thgradeattendanceandhighschoolgraduationrates.Forkidswhomissedlessthan10daysof6thgradeschool,thehighschoolgraduationlevelwas70%.Ontheotherhand,only13%ofstudentswhomissed40daysormoreofschoolyearin6thgradeendedupgraduatingfromhighschool.TheBERCstudystronglyindicatesthatreducingthenumberofschooldaysmissedatanearlyageincreaseshighschoolgraduationrates.Anyeffortthatgoestowardsreducingabsenteeismincreasesgraduationandoverallacademicsuccess.



BullyinginSchoolsOVERVIEWThe“BullinginUSSchools—2014StatusReport”bytheOlweusorganizationprovidedsomeprovocativeinsightsintothecharacteristicsofbullinginUSelementaryandhighschools.Morethan150,000questionnaireswereadministeredtostudentsinthe2013-2014schoolyear.Thesurveywaslimitedtoschoolsthatintendedto,butnotyethadadministeredtheOlweusBullyingPreventionProgram.ThesamequestionswereaskedofkidsingradesthreetotwelveacrosstheUS,providingafairlyconsistentpictureacrossthenation’sschools.Thestudyfindingsshowthatbullyingcontinuestobeoneofthemostprevailingandpressingissuesthatkidsinschoolface.

WHATWEKNOWABOUTBULLYINGPERCENTAGEOFSTUDENTSINVOLVEDINBULLYINGThechartbelowprovidesanumberofinterestinginsights:

• Thepercentageofstudentswhowerebulliedwashighestinthelowerelementarygrades3-5andappearstotaperdownwithincreasingage.Weseefromthedataonabsenteeismthatthehighestattendancerategenerallywasreportedingrades3and4.Thismayprovideahintastowhybullyingishighestduringgrades3and4—morestudentsarepresentatschool,therebyexperiencingmorebullying.

• However,thepercentageofstudentsthatbulliedothersremainedfairlyconstantthroughouttheirschoollife.

BYTYPEOFBULLYINGThepatternforbothboysandgirlswerefoundtobeverysimilar.

• Verbalbullyingwasthemostprevalentforbothboysandgirls,withbothgroupsreportingbeingverballyabusedthreetimesormorepermonth.Bullyingbyspreadingrumorsandexclusionweresecondandthirdmostprevalenttypesofbulling—again,showingnearlyidenticalpattersforgirlsandboys.



• Takentogether,over70%ofallstudentsreportingbullyingsaidthattheywerebulliedinoneormoreofthesetypesofbullyingatleast2-3timespermonth.

Type Girls Boys

Verbal 16% 15%

Rumors 15% 11%

Exclusion 14% 11%

Sexual 8% 7%

Racial 6% 8%

Physical 5% 8%

Threat 5% 5%

Cyber 6% 4%

Damage 4% 5%

CORRELATIONBETWEENBULLYINGANDDISLIKINGSCHOOLThechartbelowshowsustwoalarmingtrends:

• Ateachgradelevel,thepercentageofstudentswhoreporteddislikingschoolwasroughlydoubleofthosethatwerenotinvolvedinbullyingatall.

• Thepercentageofstudentswhoreporteddislikingschoolincreasedwithincreaseingrade(age).

Thesetwotrendstakentogetherindicatethatthecorrelationbetweenbullyinganddisliking

Grades 3-5 6-8 9-12

Bulliedbyothers 17% 27% 39%

Bulliedothers 23% 30% 38%

Both 19% 30% 49%

Notinvolved 9% 14% 18%

WHODOKIDSTELLABOUTBULLYING• Foreveryagegroup,farmorekidstellsiblingsorfriendsratherthanadultsaboutbeing

bullied• Teachersorotheradultsatschoolaretheleastlikelytobetoldofbullying• Thenumberofstudentsthatdonottellanyoneincreasewithagefromabout25%of

boysand18%ofgirlsin3-5thgradeto38%and34%ofgirlsin9-12thgradeTheabovetwotrendsseemtoindicatethatkidsstartbytellingothers(includingadults)butstopdoingsobecausetheyendupbelievingtellingothersdoesnotstopthebullyingorhelptheminanyway



EMPATHYANDBULLYINGThosewhoreportedfeelingsorryforandwantedtohelpthosebeingbulliedwerehighestin3-5thgradeanddropstolowestlevelsin9-12grade.Thechartbelowshowsthefollowingtrends:

• Empathystartshighforbothboysandgirlsanddropswithincreasingage• Therateofdropishigherforboysthangirls,perhapsbecauseshowingempathy(or

kindness)isnotconsideredatraitappropriatetoboysastheygrowolderHowever,whatthedatashowsisthatthereisbuilt-incharacteristicofempathyinyoungchildrenthatcanbeusedtoeffectivelycombatbullying.

FeelSorry Wanttohelp

Grades Girls Boys Girls Boys

3-5 96% 89% 73% 69%

6-8 93% 83% 57% 52%

9-12 92% 76% 48% 42%

ANALYSIS&CONCLUSIONSWECANDRAW• TheOlweusstudydataindicatesthatbullyingisatthehighestlevelatlowergradelevels

thanitdoesinhighergradeandthatthatthemostfrequenttypesofbullyingareverbal,falserumors,andexclusiontypesofbullying

• Wealsoseethatstudentsinvolvedinbullyingaretwiceaslikelytodislikeschoolthanthosethatarenotinvolvedinbullying.

• Furthermore,kidsthatarebeingbulliedarefarmorelikelytotelltheirfriendsandsiblingsratherthantheirparents,letaloneteachersandschoolstaff.Furthermore,theybecomelesslikelytotellanyonewithincreasingage—perhapsbecausetheyfeelnoonecaresorcanhelp.

• Ontheotherhand,thedatashowsthatmostkidsfeelsorryforandwanttohelpthosethatarebeingbullied.However,theybecomelessempatheticastheygrowolder,perhapsforthesamereasonthatthosebeingbulliedstoptellinganyoneofwhatishappeningtothem.

Whatdoesthisallmean?Thedataseemstoclearlyindicatethatthebesttimetoaddressbullyingisinearlyelementarygrades3-5forthefollowingreasons:

• Thisisthetimethatkidsaremostlikelytoattendschoolanddeveloplastingimpressionsofwhethertheylikeschoolornot.Anythingthatbuildsapositiveimpressionofschoolwilllikelylastalongtime.

• Kidsarehighlyempatheticatthisageandarelikelytobemostreceptivetoteachingsshowingregardandrespectforothers.

• Thisisthetimewhenkidsaremostlikelytolistentoadultsincludingteachers.Inlatersections,wewilldiscusswhatkindsofprogramsarelikelytobemosteffectiveataddressingbullyinginschools.



Survey:WhatSchoolsaredoingaboutBullyingOVERVIEWCoolSchoolrecentlyconductedasurveythatwentoutto2,260staffwithinschoolsanddistrictsandcollected103responses(4.6%responserate).Theresultsareshownbelow

SURVEYGOALSThepurposeofthesurveywastodeterminehowschoolsperceivebullying,whatprogramstheymayhaveinplacetoreduceorpreventbullying,whethertheymeasuredtheeffectivenessoftheseprograms,andhowtheyfundedtheseprograms.

DEMOGRAPHICSWhenaskedwheretheyworked,respondentsselected:

ElementarySchool 80.58%

MiddleSchool 5.83%

HighSchool 2.91%

K-12School 3.88%

SchoolDistrict 6.80%

Whenaskedinwhichstatetheyworked,thefivestateswiththemostrespondentswere:

Texas 35.92%

California 14.56%

Florida 13.59%

Illinois 9.71%

NewYork 8.74%

Whenaskedtheirrolesintheworkplace

Counselors 37.86%

Principals 20.39%

AssistantPrincipals 10.68%

SocialWorkers 10.68%

Superintendents 0.97%

Teachers 1.94%

Others 17.48%



RESPONSESREGARDINGBULLYINGWhenaskedhowseriousachallengetheyfacedinbullyingattheirschool

Veryserious 7.07%

SomewhatSerious 50.51%

NotSerousatall 42.42%

Whenaskedwhatkindsofbullyingtheysawattheirschool,theyhighestreportedtypeswere:

Verbal 66.67%

Spreadingrumors 46.46%

Cyber 43.43%

Exclusion 43.43%

Physical 28.28%

Threats 21.21%

PREVENTINGBULLYINGWhenaskediftheyhaveimplementedanymeasuresorprogramstopreventbullying:

Yes 71.72%

Weareintheprocessofimplementingone 18.18%

Wehaven’tbutwouldliketo 7.07%

Havenoplanstoimplementanyprogram 3.03%

Ofthosethathaveimplementedaprogram,84.27%reportedthatitwasanongoingprogram.Whenaskediftheyhavetrainedtheirteachersandstaffonhowtorecognizeandstopbullying?

Yes 73.40%

No,butwouldliketo 23.40%

No,wehavenoplanstodoso 3.19%

Whenaskedhowoftentheyprovidedtrainingforbullyingpreventiontotheirstaffandteachers:

Onceonly 6.52%

Everytwoyearsorlessfrequently 8.70%

Onceayear 48.91%

Morefrequentlythanonceayear 21.74%

Don’tknow 14.13%



MEASURINGRESULTSOFANTI-BULLYINGPROGRAMSWhenaskediftheymeasuredtheoutcomeoftheirbullyingprograms:

Yes 43..62%

Wouldliketobutdon’thavethecapabilitytodoso

41.49%

No,wehavenoplanstodoso 14.89%

Forthosemeasuringresults,whenaskedhowoftentheymeasuredtheoutcomeoftheirprograms:

Onceonly 4.65%

Everytwoyearsorlessfrequently 2.33%

Onceayear 27.91%

Morefrequentlythanonceayear 29.07%

Don’tknow 36.05%

Forthosemeasuringresults,whenaskedhowtheymeasuredresults,theyresponded:

Analyzedchangestootherdata(reports) 38.37%

Surveyedstudents 24.42%

Surveyedteachers 4.65%

Other 11.63%

Don’tknow 20.93%

FUNDINGFORANTI-BULLYINGPROGRAMSWhenaskediftheyreceivedfundingfortheirbullyingprogram

Yes 9.57%

No 90.43%

Whenaskedtoratethesufficiencyofthefundingforbullyingprograms,theyresponded:

Verysufficient 8.79%

Somewhatsufficient 24.18%

Notsufficient 17.58%

Nofundingatall 49.45%

Whenaskedwhatsourcesoffundingwereavailabletothem:

Federal 6.49%

State 9.09%

District 48.05%

Parent/Community 33.77%



Other 28.57%

AddressingChronicAbsenteeismandBullyinginSchools

WHATWEKNOW1. Asdetailedinprevioussections,wenowhavesufficientandconclusivedataregarding

ChronicAbsenteeism,Bullyinginschools,andpossiblecorrelationbetweenthetwo.Specifically,weknow:

2. Ofthechangesaschoolcanmaketoincreasethesuccessrateofstudentsatschool,reducingchronicabsenteeismyieldsoneofthehighestreturnonaschool’sinvestment.

3. Weknowthatkidsinvolvedinbullyingaretwiceaslikelytodislikeschool(andthereforelikelyavoidgoingtoschool)asarekidsnotinvolvedinbullying.

4. Attendanceishighestduringthethirdandfourthgradelevel,whichisalsothetimewhenbullyinginschoolsisthehighest.

5. Addressingbullyinginlowerelementarygradeswill,therefore,haveastrongimpactonattendance,whichinturnhasastrongimpactonsuccessatschool.

6. Theempathylevelswithinkidsishighestduringtheearlyelementarygrades,whichmeanstheyaremorelikelytounderstandandrespondtomessagesregardingshowingregardandrespectforothers.

7. Finally,itisawell-understoodpremisethatchildrenlearnwellfromvideoanimation,amediumthatiswellsuitedforcombiningentertainmentwitheducationalmessages.

WHATWECANCONCLUDEWecanthereforemakethreeconclusionsthatcaninformwherewecanmakethemosteffectiveinvestmentswhenitcomestoeducatingourchildren:

• Fightingchronicabsenteeismshouldbeakeystrategicinitiativeforschoolsinordertoincreaseacademicsuccessoftheirstudents

• Fightingbullyingisapowerfulstrategyforreducingchronicabsenteeism.• Catchingchildrenearlyinlife,whiletheystillareopentonewideasandbelief

principles,andeducatingthemtoholdopen,appreciativeandwelcomingviewstodiversityisincreasinglyanimportantelementofeducatingourkids.

• Acurriculumthatutilizesvideoanimationtoteachchildrenwhybullyingiswrong,howtohandleabullyingsituationproperly,andwhattheappropriateoptionsarewhentheywitnessabullyingincidentislikelythemosteffectiveadditiontothearsenalschoolshavetoprovidestudentswithsafe,enjoyable,andsatisfyinglearningenvironment.

Intheend,creatingsuchanenvironmentrequiresapartnershipbetweenschools,parents,theoverallcommunity,andinnovativecompaniesthatarecommittedtoaddressingthesechallengesandcomingupwithnewandeffectivewaystoaddressthechallengesthatschoolsandschooldistrictsface.



AboutCoolSchoolDesignedforelementaryschoollearners,CoolSchool’ssix-weekcurriculumhasbeendesignedtoteachyourstudentsaboutbullyingthroughinteractivevideosandofflineactivities.Theprogramalsoaddressesbystanderbehaviorandhowitcancontributetoandincreasebullyingwithintheschoolenvironment.Watchourtutorialvideotolearnmore.

OURPHILOSOPHYFromtheverybeginning,ourcompanyhassetthebarhighbymandatingthatwecreatethemostinnovativeteachingtools.Weusehighqualityanimation,interactivity,andrelatablecharacterstoprovideeachchildwithauniqueandinvaluableexperience.Itisourgoaltocreateexciting,innovativenewproductstoassistwithsocialandlifeskillsforeverydevelopmentalstagethatchildrengothrough.

HOWWEWANTTOCHANGETHEWORLDSocialskillsarethefoundationforgettingalongwithothers.Thereisanimmediateneedforqualityeducationaltoolsthatfocusspecificallyonsocialandemotionallearning.

OURMISSIONToinnovatequalityprogramsandservicesthathelppeoplelivesuccessfullives.

OURVISIONTosignificantlyreducetheimpactofsocial-emotionalchallengesthroughnextgenerationlearningsoftware.

HOWTOREACHUSFormoreinformationregardingCoolSchool,pleasecontact:

MaryRoseOnquit (602)451-8921 [email protected]

SheriDell (925)292-7066 [email protected]

Formoreinformationregardingthispaper,[email protected]