Surprise! Anti-Bullying Programs Not Only Don't Work, but Bullying Rises In Schools That Use Them

                                       

***Update at the bottom of the page***

Quote:

University of Texas at Arlington criminologist Seokjin Jeong analyzed data collected from 7,000 students from all 50 states.

He thought the results would be predictable and would show that anti-bullying programs curb bullying. Instead — he found the opposite.

Jeong said it was, “A very disappointing and a very surprising thing. Our anti-bullying programs, either intervention or prevention does not work.”

The study concluded that students at schools with anti-bullying programs might actually be more likely to become a victim of bullying. It also found that students at schools with no bullying programs were less likely to become victims.

~CBS 

The problem is that detached, psychologized adults have no clue what it's like to actually be on campus and terrorized. They give psychobabble to the kids; stupid, useless "advice" that never works: ignore the bully, try to reason with him...or worst: go tell a grown up. Seriously, what teenager or tween is going to incur more wrath by telling a teacher who's bullying him or her?

Basically psychologized adults leave the child defenseless. The bully is still in power. 

In fact, the grown ups are the cowards for not taking on the bullies the way they should. Fear of law suits from....the bully's parents? Fear of retaliation?

Ya think?

So this is no surprise to me at all.

De-clawing the bully victim (his only defense from FURTHER attacks) only serves to empower the bully.

Let's face it, bullies only understand a power stronger than themselves.

And one more thing: the way the schools and states deal with bullies (which is to say, they don't do much), is the same way they deal with gangs and terrorists. Its all the same mentality, just from a different age group and venue.

***UPDATE***

CBS Newsreports on the recent shooting and murder of a teacher at Sparks Middle School (Nevada):

As they try to understand what prompted a 12-year-old boy to open fire at his school, district officials were examining an anti-bullying video that includes a dramatization of a child taking a gun on a school bus to scare aggressors.

The video, which uses the scene as an illustration of the wrong way to respond, was being studied as students and faculty members prepared to return to Sparks Middle School, where a boy fatally shot a teacher, wounded two classmates and killed himself Monday.

Some experts warn that increased levels of awareness lead to increased reports of bullying, which can make it seem like the problem is on the rise.

It wasn't clear if the video had been seen by the young gunman, whom police previously refused to identify.

End quote.