Implementation of a School Districtwide Grassroots Antibullying Initiative: A School Staff and Parent–Focused Evaluation of Because Nice Matters

Military-connected youths experience stressful life events, including deployments and multiple
school transitions, that make them vulnerable to bullying. Social workers have
highlighted the power of grassroots school community initiatives that address risk issues
among youths while empowering the community (see http://www.thecommunityguide
.org). However, researchers have focused on evidence-based programs implemented in a
top-down, prescriptive manner. Often, when programs are implemented across entire cities,
some schools may not have the need for such programs or the ability to implement
them effectively. This study presents a grassroots process in which a military-connected
school used a data-driven approach to assess its needs and devise a school- and communitywide
antibullying initiative, Because Nice Matters (BNM). The results, drawn from local
data on bullying rates from one military-connected high school, suggested a decrease in various
forms of bullying during the course of BNM. In addition, results from a survey of parents
and teachers showed that BNM had enhanced bullying awareness. Overall, the study
findings indicate the value of grassroots efforts and a whole-school mind-set in antibullying
efforts, in which parents, teachers, and other school stakeholders work together to address
bullying among all students, both military and non-military.