Effort To Curb School Bullying An Uphill Climb

The Boston Globe (12/30, Schweitzer) reported in the sixth installment of an ongoing series, "Seven years ago, Washington schools were under state mandate to take action against bullying. Among the most touted and highly regarded antibullying programs was a Norwegian one that had reduced bullying by half in dozens of schools in that country" yet "a rigorous scientific analysis, after three years, showed the program had no overall effect." The Globe adds, "This year, Massachusetts schools face a similar state mandate, including the task of choosing from among a dizzying array of programs that promise to reduce bullying." However, "research suggests that despite good intentions and feverish competition to pinpoint a solution, antibullying programs have shown, at best, mixed results, and what has worked in one school has not always worked in another."