OAESA Launches an Ohio
Bullying Prevention Initiative
with the Hazelden Foundation and
the Partnership for Violence
Free Families
OAESA is
excited to be partnering with
the Hazelden Foundation,
headquartered in Center City,
Minnesota, the Partnership for
Violence Free Families (in Lima,
Ohio), and the National
Association of Elementary School
Principals (NAESP) in a new
effort called the Ohio Bullying
Prevention Initiative. Bullying
is a serious issue that affects
students’ health, the school
climate, academic achievement,
and school liability.
The
Hazelden Foundation is the
leading publisher of
evidence-based prevention
programs and the exclusive
publisher of the Olweus
Bullying Prevention Program
(OBPP), the most researched and
best-known program of its kind.
With over thirty-five years of
research and successful
implementation all over the
world, OBPP is a whole
school program that has been
proven to prevent or reduce
bullying throughout a school
setting. Many schools that have
used the program have seen
reductions in bullying behavior
by 50% or more.
The American Academy of
Pediatrics highlighted OBPP as
an effective solution in the
release of their recent bullying
prevention policy and CHADD
(Children and Adults with
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder) awarded OBPP the honor
of "Program of the Year" at
their recent national
conference.
OBPP is used at the
school, classroom, and
individual levels and includes
methods to reach out to parents
and the community for
involvement and support. School
administrators, teachers, and
other staff are primarily
responsible for introducing and
implementing the program. These
efforts are designed to improve
peer relations and make the
school a safer and more positive
place for students to learn and
develop.
What Are the Goals of OBPP?
The goals of the program are:
-
To reduce existing bullying
problems among students
-
To prevent the development
of new bullying problems
-
To achieve better peer
relations at school
For Whom is OBPP
Designed?
OBPP is designed
for students in elementary,
middle, and junior high schools
(students age five to fifteen
years old). All students
participate in most aspects of
the program, while students
identified as bullying others,
or as targets of bullying,
receive additional
individualized interventions.
With some adaptation, the
program can also be used in high
schools, although research has
not measured the program's
effectiveness beyond tenth
grade.
Is the Olweus Bullying
Prevention Program a
Nationally Recognized Program?
The
Olweus Bullying Prevention
Program has received
recognition from a number of
organizations including the
following:
-
Blueprints Model Program,
Center for the Study and
Prevention of Violence,
University of Colorado at
Boulder
-
Model Program, Substance
Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration,
U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
-
Effective Program, Office of
Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, U.S.
Department of Justice
-
Level 2 Program, U.S.
Department of Education
Note: "Level 2" programs have
been scientifically demonstrated
to prevent delinquency or reduce
risk and enhance protection for
delinquency and other child and
youth problems using either an
experimental or
quasi-experimental research
design, with a comparison group.
OAESA will
be working with Hazelden and the
Partnership for Violence Free
Families to educate Ohio schools
about the serious issue of
bullying and other related
violence issues, and will be
serving as a key source in the
state of Ohio for the Olweus
Bullying Prevention Program
and Hazelden's other violence
prevention programs.
To learn
more about the Ohio Bullying
Prevention Initiative or the
Olweus Bullying Prevention
Program, visit www.oaesa.org
or call 1-800-OH-OAESA.
|
