Bullying Links

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Bullying among primary school age children has become recognized as an antecedent to more violent behavior in later grades. Statistics on violence in our country tell a grim story with a clear message. Action is needed to end purposeful harassment , and bullying. The studies that have been done on the issue of bullying in this country and abroad have contributed to a growing body of knowledge that underscores the seriousness of the problem of bullying in schools. The following is a list of facts based on the current research about bullying:

• 80% of adolescents reported being bullied during their school years
• 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims
• 15% of students bully regularly or are victims of bullies
• Up to 7% of 8th grade students stay home at least once a month because of bullies
• Bullies identified by age eight are six times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age twenty-four and five times more likely that non-bullies to end up with serious criminal records by the age of thirty.
• Students reported that 71% of the teachers or other adults in the classroom ignored bullying incidents.
• When asked students uniformly expressed the desire that teachers intervene rather than ignore teasing and bullying.
• Aggressive behavior is learned early and becomes resistant to change if it persists beyond age eight.
• Bullying most often occurs at school where there is minimal or no supervision (e.g.,playground, hallways, cafeteria).
• Most bullying is verbal.
• Bullying begins in elementary school, peaks in middle school, diminishes but does not disappear in high school.
• Both boys and girls bully, usually same sex classmates, with female bullying taking indirect, manipulative forms.
• Bullying can have devastating long term effects on its victims.

Bullying behavior is a form of harassment and anti-social behavior which cross-cuts geographic, racial, and socioeconomic segments of society. It prevents students who are victims of bullying from enjoying a safe, stress-free learning environment. Students who are bullied report fear of going to school and/or riding the bus, physical symptoms of illness, and progressively lower levels of self-esteem when continually faced with bullying behavior by their peers.

Children who bully are at risk for a host of long term, negative developmental outcomes including juvenile and adult criminal behavior. Early intervention in the home, school, and community are the best hope we have of diverting children from this path.

This web page will keep the reader informed of our efforts to impact the issue of bullying in Maine schools and provide links to other resources relevant to this issue.

The Maine Project Against Bullying (MPAB) is funded through the Maine Department of Education through a Carl D. Perkins grant. Our membership is a statewide representation of educators from a variety of disciplines and positions.