This project report reviews the effectiveness of comprehensive bullying prevention programs on outcomes related to violence and safety, including rates of bullying from the schools’ and students’ perspectives.
The study’s goal was to analyze Wisconsin schools’ efforts to increase their bullying prevention program by completing an assessment tool with 9 domains and 42 total questions. The authors asked schools to assess their programs and make improvements in line with existing gaps. The study was a case-control design where districts were matched based on similar characteristics and then randomly assigned into experimental or control groups. Those in the experimental group received technical assistance during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years and were allocated money to use for professional development and training as well as materials purchase that would support the bullying prevention programs. Control group schools received technical assistance after the data collection period had concluded. Authors’ findings included: (1) a quantified relationship between bullying victimization status and feelings of safety at school (2) evidence that schools can enhance their bullying prevention programs within a short time period and with relatively small level of financial capital (3) evidence that these efforts have a quantifiable and significant impact on bullying at the middle school level.