Publication year
2017
Citation Title
Implementation of a school districtwide grassroots antibullying initiative: a school staff and parent–focused evaluation of Because Nice Matters.
Journal Name
Children and Schools
Journal Volume
39
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
137-145
DOI
10.1093/cs/cdx008
Summary
Military-connected youth experience a lot of stress resulting from deployments and multiple school transitions. A military-connected school developed a grassroots anti-bullying program called Because Nice Matters (BNM) , its success was analyzed after two years of implementing the program. The results indicate that a the BNM grassroots program resulted in improved rates of bullying in nonmilitary and military-connected students attending the school.
Key Findings
The implementation of BNM in the school resulted in a decrease in bullying rates for military and nonmilitary students.
Seventy percent of parents agreed that the BNM program made the students more supportive and caring for one another.
Seventy-eight percent of teachers agreed that the BNM program helped students comprehend the severity of bullying.
Implications for Program Leaders
Enhance education, activities, and curriculum in military-connected schools to help reduce the stress of family deployment and frequent school transitions for children of military Service members
Offer workshops to teachers that educate them on how to support children of military Service members
Disseminate information to military parents regarding possible warning signs that their child is suffering from bullying
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage the development and continuation of programs that reduce the bullying of children of military Service members
Recommend partnership among military-connected schools in implementing anti-bullying programs
Encourage the training of school staff to better identify and handle bullying
Methods
High schools students' responses were collected from California Healthy Kids Survey, a statewide survey that demonstrates perceptions and experiences with bullying in their own school.
Teacher and parents responses were collected via Internet-based surveys which were distributed to all parents and teachers in the school district; 89 parents and 67 teachers completed the survey.
The students' responses were analyzed quantitatively to compare the percentages of questions from 2011 to 2013 on the topic of bullying.
Parent and teacher's responses were analyzed qualitatively based on their knowledge of the program and their opinion on how successful they believed BNM was.
Participants
In spring 2011 there were 660 9th graders, 178 military-connected and 690 11th graders, 193 were military-connected, 50% were White, 27% were Latino, 10% were Asian American, 4% Black, and 5% Multiracial.
In 2013 there were 850 9th graders, 203 military-connected, and 695 11th graders, 172 were military-connected, 49% White, 27% Latino, 7% Asian American, 4% Black, and 7% Multiracial.
Teachers surveyed were employees in the school district and parents surveyed were those who have a child enrolled in the school district.
Limitations
The study solely relied on self-reported data which limits the ability to validate the collected data due to personal biases.
There were limited perspectives used to analyze bullying in the school.
The decrease in bullying rates cannot be concluded as solely due to to the success of the BNM program, other factors could have contributed to the decrease.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore additional methods of reporting data instead of self-reports which can discredit the validity of the research
Include perspectives of students, school administrators, school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and support staff
Reduce length of the intervention period, collecting data more frequently
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Abstract
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.
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.
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