Facts about bullying/violence:
- Nearly one in six U.S. students in grades six to ten (3.2 million children) are bullied at school (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2003).
- Students who are bullied are five times more likely to become depressed (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2003).
- Boys who are bullied are 4 times more likely to be suicidal. Girls are 8 times more likely to be suicidal (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2003).
- Children who are bullied are twice as likely to develop psychotic symptoms in early adolescence (Schreier, 2009).
- Being a target of bullying was a factor in almost 75% of the school shootings (U.S. Secret Service Report, 2002)
- 17% of 6 to 11 year-olds and 36% of 12 to 17 year-olds reported being bullied online or with texting (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2006).
- Rates of violent crime victimization at school were higher than rates of violent crime victimization away from school according to (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007).
- Students who bully and students who are bullied are more likely to experience loneliness, difficulty making friends, lower academic achievement levels, and increased involvement in rule breaking behaviors (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001).
- For every “at risk” child we help or divert, we save 1.7 to 2.3 million dollars (Cohen, 1998).
Schools with a welcoming and caring environment are more likely to have:
- staff and students that feel a sense of belonging and connected to school (Blum, McNeely & Rhinehart, 2002; CDC, 2009; Osterman, 2000)
- staff and students with a positive attitude towards school and learning in general (Frieberg, 1998; Manning & Saddlemire, 1996; Taylor & Tashakkori, 1995)
- fewer discipline problems (McEvoy & Welker, 2000, Welsh, 2000)
- increased school attendance (deJung & Duckworth, 1986; Croninger & Lee, 2001)
- higher academic achievement scores (CDC, 2009; Frieberg, 1998; Gottfredson & Gottfredson, 1989; Johnson & Johnson, 1993, 1997; Kuperminc, Leadbeater & Blatt, 2001; Manning & Saddlemire, 1996; McEvoy & Welder, 2000)
Ted Talk by Emma Seppala, PhD on Social Connection, Compassion and Happiness
