A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology shows a link between bullying and teasing in schools and the school’s dropout rate. This research demonstrates that bullying not only affects the individual, but has a school-wide impact on academic success and learning. The importance of school climate is clear. A positive school climate improves a high school’s academic success.
Teasing and bullying are serious problems in our schools. Teachers, parents, even student bystanders must respond when bullying occurs. But we must also prevent the bullying from happening in the first place, starting when kids are in elementary school. Most teasing and bullying occurs on the playground at recess, which is why we must not forget about recess. A great recess can create a positive school climate, achieving a school-wide impact by shifting culture and reducing bullying in schools, and therefore improving student learning.
We have see the impact of a great recess at our partners schools all over the nation. And research from Mathematica Policy Research and Stanford University shows that schools with Playworks have less bullying. “Our research shows that Playworks makes a difference. Teachers in Playworks schools reported less bullying and exclusionary behavior during recess relative to control school teachers,” said Susanne James-Burdumy, Ph.D., associate director of research at Mathematica.
Parents, educators, community members: let’s work together to prevent bullying from occurring, improve school climate and build schools where students want to and can succeed.
