Rob HornerUniversity of Oregon

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www.pbis.org

Goals

• Present an efficient and effective approach for addressing bulling behavior within the School-wide PBIS framework

• Share data documenting impact of effective implementation

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A Context: Increasing national attention

• Whitehouse Forum on Bully Prevention (March, 2011)• Susan M. Swearer, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

• Risk Factors

• Catherine P. Bradshaw, Johns Hopkins University• Teachers are not prepared on procedures to respond to bullying

• Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Eau C• Growing role of cyber-bullying

• George Sugai, Ph.D., University of Connecticut• Role of school-wide systems in preventing bullying

• Dorothy L. Espelage, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign• Bullying and LGBT students; Students with disabilities.

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White House Conference On Bullying Prevention – Obama, Duncan, Experts Weigh In

March 10, 2011

Bullying Behavior The National School Safety Center (NSSC) called bullying

the most enduring and underrated problem in U.S. schools.

(Beale, 2001)

Nearly 30 percent of students have reported being involved in bullying as either a perpetrator or a victim.

(Nansel, et al., 2001; Swearer & Espelage, 2004).

Victims and perpetrators of bullying are more likely to skip and/or drop out of school.

(Berthold & Hoover, 2000; Neary & Joseph, 1994)

Victims and perpetrators of bullying are more likely to suffer from underachievement and sub-potential performance in employment settings.

(Carney & Merrell, 2001; NSSC, 1995).

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The LogicWhy invest in Bully Prevention?• Involvement in bullying is a cross-cultural phenomenon

(Jimerson, Swearer, & Espelage, 2010)

• Bullying is NOT done by a small number of students who are socially and emotionally isolated. Bullying is common across socio-economic status, gender, race, grade, and class.

• Bradshaw, et al., 2010

• Many bully prevention programs are either ineffective, only show change in verbal behavior, or inadvertently result in increases in relational aggression and bullying.

• Merrell et al., 2008 6

Bully Prevention within SWPBS Implementation

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School-wide Expectations-------------------

Define, Teach Acknowledge, Data

System, Consequence System

Classroom Systems

Bully Prevention

What is Bullying?• “Bullying” is aggression, harassment, threats or intimidation

when one person has greater status, control, power than the other.”

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Office of Civil Rights: Recognition of Intensity

There is a level of bullying and harassment where the behavior

of a student(s) creates a “hostile environment” for another

student(s). When this occurs the school is obliged to not just

“problem solve” a solution, but to engage in immediate and

substantive efforts to protect the “at risk” student(s).

When Bullying or harassment target a student from a protected

class (race/ethnicity, disability, at-risk).

Bully Prevention in Positive Behavior Support:The Foundation

• Bullying behavior occurs in many forms, and locations, but typically involves student-student interactions.• Bullying is seldom maintained by feedback from adults

• What rewards Bullying Behavior?• Likely many different rewards are effective• Most common are:

• Attention from bystanders• Attention and reaction of “victim”• Self-delivered praise• Obtain items or Activity

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Bully Behavior

• Identify the specific BEHAVIOR(S) of concern

• Identify the context or conditions where the behavior is most likely

• In that context… ask why the behavior keeps occurring? What does the student get or avoid?

• ----------------------------------------------------------------• Context Behavior Reward 10

video

Activity• 1. Identify an example of bullying you have encountered• _________________________________________

• Context/Situation Bullying Behavior Rewarding Consequence

• _____________________________________________

• 2. Identify a problem behavior that would NOT be bullying.

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Why invest in School-wide bully prevention?• Most Bully Prevention programs focus on the bully and the

victim• Problem #1: Inadvertent “teaching of bullying”• Problem #2: Blame the bully• Problem #3: Ignore role of “bystanders”• Problem #4: Initial effects without sustained impact.• Problem #5: Expensive effort

• What do we need?• Bully prevention that “fits” with existing behavior support efforts• Bully PREVENTION, not just remediation• Bully prevention that is sustainable.

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Elements of Effective Bully Prevention

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School-wide PBIS

Data Use

Bully Prevention Logic

Faculty Implementation

Student Use of BP-PBIS

Advanced Support

Core Features of an Effective Bully Prevention Effort.

Five Student Skills For Faculty/Staff

• School-wide behavioral expectations (respect)

• Stop routine when faced with disrespectful behavior

• Bystander stop routine when observing disrespectful behavior

• Stopping routine if someone tells you to “stop”

• A recruit help routine to recruit adult help if you feel unsafe.

• Agreement on logic for bully prevention effort.

• Strategy for teaching students core skills

• Strategy for follow-up and consistency in responding

• Clear data collection and data use process

• Advanced support options

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Available at www.pbis.org

Delivering Bully Prevention in Positive Behavior Support

• Establish a positive school-wide culture• Common expectations for all• Teach “be respectful”

• All students can tell the difference between respectful and disrespectful behavior.

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Teach the “Stop Signal”

• If someone is directing problem behavior to you, or someone else, tell them to “stop.”

• Review how the stop signal should look and sound• Firm hand signal• Clear voice

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Discuss how showing/saying “stop” could be done so it still

rewarded disrespectful

behavior

Discuss WHY as well as WHATDiscuss why students behave disrespectfully

Peer attention comes in many forms:• Arguing with someone that teases you• Laughing at someone being picked on• Watching problem behavior and doing nothing

• Stop rewarding behavior that is disrespectful.

The flame under a glass… remove the oxygen

Stop, Walk, Talk• A clear, simple, and easy to remember 3 step response

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Teach “walk away”

Sometimes, even when students tell others to “stop”, problem behavior will continue. When this happens, students are to "walk away" from the problem behavior.

• Remember that walking away removes the reward for disrespectful behavior

• Teach students to encourage one another when they use the appropriate response

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Teach “getting help”Even when students use “stop” and they “walk away” from

the problem, sometimes students will continue to behave inappropriately toward them. When that happens, students should "talk" to an adult.

• Report problems to adults• Where is the line between tattling, and reporting?

• “Reporting/Talking" is when you have tried to solve the problem yourself, and have used the "stop" and "walk" steps first:

• Tattling is when you do not use the "stop" and "walk away" steps before "talking" to an adult

• Tattling is when your goal is to get the other person in trouble

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Teaching a “Stopping Routine”• Eventually, every student will be told to stop.

When this happens, they should do the following things• Stop what they are doing • Take a deep breath• Go about their day (no big deal)

• These steps should be followed even when they don’t agree with the “stop” message.

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“Stop” means stop.

The rule is: If someone asks you to stop,

you stop.

Activity

• 1. What is a “stop” signal/ routine that would work for your school?

• 2. What is a “stopping routine” that would work for your school?

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How Adults RespondWhen any problem behavior is reported, adults follow a specific

response sequence:Reinforce the student for reporting the problem behavior (i.e. "I'm glad

you told me.")

Ask who, what, when and where.

Ensure the student’s safety. Is the bullying still happening? Is the reporting child at risk? Fear of revenge? What does the student need to feel safe? What is the severity of the situation

"Did you tell the student to stop?" (If yes, praise the student for using an appropriate response. If no, practice)

"Did you walk away from the problem behavior?" (If yes, praise student for using appropriate response. If no, practice.)

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Ross, S. W., & Horner, R. H. (2009). Bully prevention in positive behavior support. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42(4), 747-759.

• Three Schools

• Six students identified for high rates of verbal and physical aggression toward others.

• Whole school implementation of SWPBIS• Whole school addition of Stop-Walk-Talk

• Direct observation of problem behavior on playground.

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Baseline Acquisition Full BP-PBS Implementation

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Num

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of

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School Days0

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4

6

8

10

School 1

Rob

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Ken

School 2

School 3

3.14 1.88 .88 72%

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Conditional Probabilities of Victim Responses to Problem Behavior

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

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seBaseline

BP-PBS

28% increase 19% decrease

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Conditional Probabilities of Bystander Responses to Problem Behavior

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

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BP-PBS

21% increase

22% decrease

Activity• How would you recruit input from students, faculty, staff,

families?

• Is there a problem?

• What is an acceptable way to ask someone to “stop”• Stop routine

• What should you be expected to do if someone asks you to “stop.”

• Stopping routine

• What is the appropriate way to get assistance from adults?• Will a report you give be held in confidence?

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Middle Schools: Expect Respect

• Student forum• Build student engagement• Have students define stop and stopping routine• Clarify what students can expect from adults

• Multiple lessons• Active student engagement• Review and repair periods

• On-going self-assessment by faculty/staff • Are adults doing what we agreed to do?

• Student survey33

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Bullying/Harassment Prevention in Positive Behavior Support: Expect Respect    Brianna C. Stiller Rhonda N.T. Nese Anne K. Tomlanovich Robert H. Horner Scott W. Ross 

Middle School: Expect Respect

School A

School B

School C

Num

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Nese, Stiller, Tomlanovich, Rossetto Dickey, Horner & Ross, 2012

Building Consensus• Collect student survey data

• Is relational aggression perceived as a problem?

• Hold student Forums (many formats possible)

• Share results with whole student-body

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Harassment

Name Calling/ Inappropriate Language

Physical Aggression

Student Survey Date:_______• In your school

• 1. You feel safe• 2. Other students treat you respectfully?• 3. You treat other students respectfully?• 4. Adults treat you respectfully?• 5. You treat adults in your school

respectfully • In the past week

• 5. Has anyone treated you disrespectfully?

• 6. Have you asked someone to “stop?”• 7. Has anyone asked you to “stop?”• 8. Have you seen someone else treated

disrespectfully?

Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

No Yes

No Yes No Yes

No Yes

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Safe You are treated You treat others Adults treat you You treat adults0

0.5

1

1.5

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Pre BP

Treated Dis Ask other to stop Asked to stop Seen disrespect0%

5%

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40%

Pre BP

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Safe You are treated You treat others Adults treat you You treat adults0

0.5

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1.5

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2.5

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3.5

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4.5

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Pre BPPost BP

Treated Dis Ask other to stop Asked to stop Seen disrespect0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Pre BPPost BP

How to Implement Bully Prevention in PBIS• School• Implement School-wide PBIS• Faculty commitment • Faculty introduction to BP• Team to implement• Build BP lessons for students• Train all students• Booster/Follow up lessons• Coaching support for

supervisors• Collect and use data

• District• Build expectation for all

schools• Fall orientation emphasis

on social behavior• District

trainer/coordinator• District reporting of:

• Schools using BP-PBS• Fidelity of implementation• Impact on student

behavior

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Bullying/Harassment Prevention in Positive Behavior Support: Expect Respect Brianna C. Stiller Rhonda N.T. Nese Anne K. Tomlanovich Robert H. Horner Scott W. Ross

Contact Information• Curriculum Available at: www.pbis.org

• Scott Ross: sross@usu.edu• Rob Horner: robh@uoregon.edu

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