NSCC releases school climate policy scan results

By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 19, 2011

                                        

Bullying awareness is on the rise across the United States, but many politicians and educators are still struggling to address the threat posed by such anti-social behavior. On July 12, 2011 the National School Climate Center officially released the results of a nation-wide scan of school anti-bullying and school climate policies. Researchers have found that 45 states (88.2%) have such regulations in place, and that 24 states (47%) have general school climate policies. On one level, this bodes well for efforts to improve school climate. State-wide school improvement efforts reflect a larger national sentiment favoring school safety, as embodied in the pending Anti-Bullying and Harassment Act of 2011. On another level, however, the NSCC policy scan also unearthed some disturbing facts. Only 37 of the 45 states with anti-bullying policies provide technical assistance to administrators and teachers. It is also important to note that 11 states have punitive, intervention-only policies, as opposed to active prevention. Finally, just 6 states have funding to support their policies. Results such as these raise serious questions about the depth of well-intentioned legislation such as the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Act and the realistic impact we can expect from said Act. Given the results of the policy scan, NSCC is developing a plan to reach out to schools that are interested in putting some “muscle” behind their policies. NSCC experts will create quality policy options, determine strategies specific to each district/school, and conduct case studies. For the results of the NSCC anti-bullying policy scan, please visit http://schoolclimate.org/climate/database.php. In addition, Jennifer Piscatelli and Chiqueena Lee have composed a detailed policy brief discussing the research and implications behind the policy scan. An electronic copy of the policy brief can be requested by emailing policy@schoolclimate.org.