Efforts to Address Bullying in U.S. Schools

Bullying among children and youth has received considerable recent attention by educators, policy makers, health and mental health professionals, the media, and the general public. Recent legislation pertaining to bullying is reviewed, and current school-based bullying prevention and intervention strategies are described and critiqued. A number of common misdirections in efforts to address bullying are presented. Research to date suggests that comprehensive bullying prevention efforts, which involve the entire school community, hold the most promise for changing the norms for behavior and ultimately the prevalence of bullying in schools.