Bullying Linked to Lower Test Scores
A major new study finds that bullying in high school is not just a problem of perpetrators and their targets; it is also linked to lower academic achievement schoolwide.
After surveying students about bullying behavior in over 300 high schools in Virginia, researchers found that campuses with more reported bullying had lower passing rates by an average of 3 to 6 percent across state standardized tests.
The study, co-written by Dewey Cornell, a University of Virginia professor who specializes in school violence prevention, and graduate student Anna Lacey, was presented at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
“Our study suggests that a bullying climate may play an important role in test performance,” says Cornell. “The likely explanation is that students are less engaged in school, and perhaps more are distracted. Teachers are probably burdened with more discipline problems, and there is just less goodwill and motivation in a school where students experience a lot of bullying and teasing.”
School-Connect Author Aids National SEL Efforts
Kathy Beland serves on the Program Provider Work Group that is assisting the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to promote SEL practices in school districts nationwide. CASEL, with funding from the NoVo Foundation, has three broad goals with this initiative:
Catalyze examples of systemic social and emotional learning in large school districts
Build field capacity and develop innovative tools to accelerate high-quality and sustainable implementation
Foster widespread demand for social and emotional learning as an essential part of students’ educational experience
The Provider Work Groups meets twice a year to advise and assist CASEL on identifying model school districts, developing assessment tools, and communicating to the public. To find out more about CASEL and this initiative
To find out more about CASEL and this initiativeCLICK HERE
Kathy Beland Accepting Award
Kathy Beland accepts the Sanford N. McDonnell Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education, presented by Joseph Mazzola, CEO Character Education Partnership. Click above to play video
School-Connect Blog
Are you interested in how to best implement School-Connect and social emotional learning in the classroom? Connect with the authors and new resources in the field on the School-Connect
Blog. CLICK HERE
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