Press Herald: "...Davis, who lives in Wayne, is a former civil rights worker, child therapist and school counselor. He wrote "Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies in Reducing Bullying" and "Empowering Bystanders in Bullying Prevention...Davis is researching peer mistreatment in schools with Charisse Nixon, a developmental psychology professor at Penn State Erie. They have surveyed 13,000 students in grades five through 12 in 31 schools nationwide. Early results of their work are posted at youthvoiceproject.com. So far, they have found that 25 percent of students surveyed reported being targets of frequent verbal, physical and relational aggressive behavior..." - Kelley Bouchard (READ MORE)
Education: "...Stopping a behavior just to stay out of trouble is likely to be temporary. Our actions have the potential to influence students’ thinking. If disciplinary interventions for peerto- peer aggression vary widely depending on which adult is present and on which student shows the behavior, students learn that what you do counts less than who sees it or what your reputation is. If disciplinary interventions are based on adult expressions of anger or frustration, students are more likely to believe that they got in trouble because of the feelings of an adult rather than because of their own behavior. On the other hand, if school staff have made consistent efforts to build positive relationships with every student through greeting, initiating positive interactions, frequent use of honest, action-based praise, and other mentoring initiatives that attempt to build staff-student connections for each student, students are more likely to understand that disciplinary interventions are based on our caring for them. We also help students to learn this lesson when we maintain positive emotional tone during the discipline intervention. When discipline interventions are consistent no matter which staff member is involved, and when they are consistent no matter which student displays a certain behavior, students are more likely to view them as fair, and thus to learn from them. When we focus our later discussions with students who have broken rules on helping them discover what was wrong with their behavior, what goals their actions were directed toward, and how else they could have reached that goal, students are more likely to find other paths to get their needs met without hurting others..." - Stan Davis (READ MORE) Education World: "...Some of the other bullying prevention approaches focus on changing the behavior of the young people who are bullied, or on helping bullies and targets work out their 'conflicts.' If we look at the parallels to other forms of power-based abuse (for example, sexual harassment, and spouse abuse), we see that society first tried to deny that there was a problem, then focused on changing the behavior of the target. Targets of spouse abuse would be told: "He doesn't mean to hurt you; he doesn't know his own strength." They would be told: "Learn to cook better. Don't disagree with him in public." Targets of sexual harassment would be told to dress differently or not let the harassment get to them. In both spouse abuse and sexual harassment, we have learned that setting and enforcing clear behavioral standards and consequences are crucial for making change, as is modeling of acceptable behavior by people in authority. Once we have set and enforced standards we can begin changing behavior. Lectures and assemblies about 'being kind' will not work unless they are in the context of disciplinary enforcement and positive modeling by staff. Enforcement of rules is only likely to work if it is done within a positive emotional framework, so aggressive young people see that they are getting in trouble because of what they did rather than because we don't like them. Mediation-based approaches are designed for situations where both people are at least partly to blame. In bullying it is the bully who has chosen to bully the target; mediation (especially mediation by peers) risks solidifying the bully's power over the target and increasing the target's feelings of self-blame..." - Ellen R. Delisio (READ MORE)
Stan Davis has worked as a social worker and school counselor since the late 1960s. Since the mid-1990s he has put his energies toward helping schools prevent bullying. He has trained schools all over the United States. His work has been featured in national newspaper and radio articles and on a special 20/20 report on bullying with John Stossel. Stan Davis is the author of Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies to Reduce Bullying (2nd edition: Research Press, 2007) and Empowering Bystanders in Bullying Prevention (Research Press, 2007). He is currently co-researcher with Dr. Charisse Nixon in the Youth Voice Project, bringing the experiences of more than 13,000 teens into our discussion about bullying prevention. - NJ Anti-Bullying Conference (READ MORE)
Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying - For all grade levels. This new edition is packed with practical guidelines and proven strategies for implementing a whole-school approach for reducing bullying. The author draws on theory and research, as well as over two decades of experience as a school counselor and consultant to provide educators with his creative ideas and successful techniques. Interventions to help aggressive youth internalize rules and develop conscience are paired with methods for helping targets of bullying. Chapters cover a wide range of topics, including myths about bullying, acknowledging positive behavior, effective discipline, working with parents, relational aggression, empowering bystanders, and preventing disability harassment. - Good Reads (READ MORE)
Empowering Bystanders in Bullying Prevention - Grades K-8. Provides a research-based, practical approach for empowering student bystanders. The book offers a wide range of realistic, safe, and effective options that bystanders can use when responding to bullying. Bystanders are encouraged to tell an adult and provide support for students who are bullied. The book also stresses the important role of school staff in responding to bystander reports and consistently following an established anti-bullying policy. The book presents specific techniques for teaching empathy and social problem solving skills, limiting the rewards of bullying behavior, and building a partnership between students and staff to change school wide attitudes toward bullying. Includes a 50-minute DVD in which author Stan Davis provides an in-depth discussion accompanied by PowerPoint slides to help illustrate and expand on important points. - Amazon (READ MORE)
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