Witnesses to bullying can be affected in this way as well. Bullying is clearly a threat to peace in our schools. For the past two years, MPAB has done a lot of research on how best to address bullying, and compiled a great many resources. We are collaborating with the Muskie Institute and the University of Southern Maine on this part of the project. A data base of resources will also be created and made available to schools.
Adult involvement is crucial to the success of any school improvement initiative.
MPAB will be providing staff training to a number of schools in anti-bullying programs this fall. The purpose of this work is to help schools create a caring majority of students. This can be achieved through implementing proven bullying prevention programs. These adults must engage, in a focused and sustained manner, in changing the situation. There exists a number of bullying prevention programs which could help schools restructure their environment to reduce opportunities and rewards for bullying behavior.