By Meghan Holohan

Everyone knows bullying is a huge problem， and we all need to work to stop it. But how？ The science is unclear. While school districts across the country spend millions of dollars each year to combat bullying， not all anti-bullying programs work equally—and some of the most common approaches， it turns out， dont work very well at all.

Common bullying solutions that DONT work

Many schools simply tackle bullying by hosting an anti-bullying assembly. While that might be a good start， experts agree that an annual address does little. “We cant teach math overnight，” said Catherine Bradshaw， senior associate dean for research and faculty development in the Curry School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. “It is not a skill you can learn in an hour. That is the whole issue with social emotional learning.”

When schools only host an assembly it sends the message to students that bullying isnt important. That might mean students dont seek help when they are being bullied or see a classmate being bullied.

“It could inadvertently signal that we are checking off a box that we are doing something about bullying without showing an ongoing commitment，”1 said Susan P. Limber， Dan Olweus Professor of Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University. “Bullying is a complex phenomenon. There are many reasons why children bully， why kids may be targeted. An approach needs to be comprehensive and touch all the risk factors and really cant be seen as a short-term fix2.”

Another common tactic is to encourage the bully and victim to talk through the problem and vow to be nice to one other. While it sounds lovely， in theory， it normally backfires3.

Bullying programs that are backed by research

Over the past year， Clifton Middle School in Monrovia， California has tried a different approach to bullying. The school implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program，4 a research-based program that first started in Norway. Olweus encourages schools to have antibullying classes as part of the curriculum and provides a framework for addressing bullies and victims. Theres no data on the programs success yet， but already， principal Jennifer Jackson has noticed a change.

“I have seen students going from being bullies to being very empathetic5 human beings because we pulled something out of them they never knew they had，” she said. “It is very powerful.”

“In the world of bullying， which has always existed， everything discipline-wise was getting lumped together. Olweus allows us to separate bullying incidences and discipline. You are not just addressing the bullying and the victim but also the bystanders，”Jackson explained.6

Jackson says Olweus focuses on understanding the root causes of bullying， while teaching social and emotional intelligence. One way the program does this is with mindfulness7 classes and schoolwide classes focused directly on bullying and its effects. Staff guide students to stop， think and process before acting， reducing impulsive8 behaviors. The school even uses therapy dogs to help students struggling with complex and confusing emotions.

What works to prevent bullying

Experts agree that certain things make anti-bullying programs more successful， although research hasnt conclusively identified every element that works.9 One key to success： setting goals that are properly communicated to the staff， students， parents and the community. Schools need to have very clear policies and procedures around bullying recognition and response.

A bullying prevention thats integrated throughout the curriculum also makes a difference. Heather Wellman， a seventh grade English language arts teacher， in Pueblo， Colorado， has used novels to explore social and emotional learning concepts around bullying. When her seventh grade students read Animal Farm they looked at whether Squealer was a good friend，10 which ties into the anti-bullying and mental health program Sources of Strength that her school uses. Using fictional characters helps students better identify positive and negative characteristics that might lead to bullying or poor mental health， while better understanding the books.

Sources of Strength encourages students to leverage11 positive things in their lives， such as helpful adult mentors or healthy activities， to address bullying. For example， the program helps children identify those strong people in their lives so they know where to turn if they do face problems.

Wellman thinks the programs focus on peer mentors is a real asset.12 It encourages adults to tap13 10 percent of its student body to be what she thinks of as “influencers.” These students undergo a day of training with monthly refresher courses14 on anti-bullying concepts， and they are supposed to lead by example. Wellman recalls a group of peer leaders who noticed one girl accusing another of being “fake.” They worried shed be shunned15 because of it. The peer mentors approached Wellman about the situation， and she guided them to problem solving using concepts from their anti-bullying program. The girls invited the so-called fake student to join them for lunch.

“I didnt tell those girls to be nice，” she explained. “They ran with it. It helped alleviate that tension.”16

Another tactic proven to reduce bullying： teaching socialemotional learning. This helps students better learn how to grapple with their feelings in a positive way instead of taking it out on others.17 “They know what to do when they are bullied and develop skills with social and emotional learning so they can regulate their own emotions，” Bradshaw said.

Experts agree that any anti-bullying program is only as strong as a schools commitment to it.18 To get results， you have to put in the time. “These efforts have to be woven in the fabric of19 their school，” Limber said. “It needs to be part of who they are.”

1. inadvertently： 非故意地，無意地；check off a box： 在方框中打鉤，這里指例行公事，沒有認(rèn)真對(duì)待；ongoing：持續(xù)存在的，進(jìn)行中的；commitment： 投入。

2. fix： 臨時(shí)解決方案。

3. backfire：（計(jì)劃）產(chǎn)生適得其反的結(jié)果。

4. implement： 實(shí)施，貫徹；Olweus Bullying Prevention Program： 奧爾韋烏斯欺凌預(yù)防項(xiàng)目。

5. empathetic： 有同情心的，能共情的。

6. 杰克遜解釋道：“校園欺凌這一問題長(zhǎng)期存在，并且一直都按紀(jì)律問題對(duì)待。奧爾韋烏斯欺凌預(yù)防項(xiàng)目則把欺凌行為和紀(jì)律分離開，不僅處理欺凌者與被欺凌者的問題，也處理旁觀者的問題?！?wise： 在某方面；lump：（有時(shí)錯(cuò)誤地）歸并在一起；incidence：（尤指罪行、疾病等的）發(fā)生率。

7. mindfulness： 正念認(rèn)知，一種在當(dāng)下體會(huì)人的身體和心靈的方法，可以使人保持平靜。

8. impulsive： 沖動(dòng)的。

9. 專家承認(rèn)，確實(shí)有一些方法在反欺凌方面收到了不錯(cuò)的效果，但起作用的因素究竟都有哪些，他們還沒完全弄明白。

10. Animal Farm：《動(dòng)物莊園》（1945），英國(guó)作家喬治·奧威爾創(chuàng)作的中篇小說，講述了一個(gè)農(nóng)場(chǎng)的動(dòng)物們?cè)谪i的帶領(lǐng)下成功“革命”，趕走了壓榨他們的人類東家，建立起了一個(gè)平等的動(dòng)物社會(huì)。然而，兩只處于領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位的豬卻為了權(quán)力而互相傾軋，最終獲得領(lǐng)導(dǎo)權(quán)的一只名為“拿破侖”的豬成為比人類東家更加獨(dú)裁的統(tǒng)治者；Squealer：《動(dòng)物莊園》中一只名為“聲響器”的豬，善于言辭，是獨(dú)裁豬“拿破侖”的忠實(shí)支持者。

11. leverage： 充分利用（資源、觀點(diǎn)等）。

12. peer mentor： 朋輩導(dǎo)師，同齡人導(dǎo)師；real asset： 實(shí)際資產(chǎn)，這里指有實(shí)際價(jià)值的東西。

13. tap： 委任，選擇（某人做某事，尤指擔(dān)當(dāng)重要工作）。

14. refresher course：（短期職業(yè)）進(jìn)修課程。

15. shun： 有意回避。

16. 她解釋道：“我沒有專門說要她們和氣一點(diǎn)，她們自己就有這個(gè)意識(shí)了。這很好地緩解了緊張和不安。”run with it：（為使計(jì)劃、問題等成功而）控制并加入自己的想法；alleviate： 減輕，緩和。

17. grapple with： 盡力解決，設(shè)法克服；take out： 發(fā)泄。

18. 專家認(rèn)為，學(xué)校的決心越強(qiáng)，反欺凌的效果越好。

19. be woven in the fabric of： 納入到……的機(jī)制中去。