A Blueprint for Disarming Schoolyard Bullies

DURHAM - This week a new group of teachers and counselors from across New England will participate in the first of many workshops aimed at undoing the urge toward bullying among middle schoolers.

Courage to Care Leadership Institutes will be offered simultaneously around the country to certify educators in using the Courage to Care program. The program has drawn interest from educators across the nation, and trainings are also in the works in Kentucky, Kansas, and Missouri.  A second New Hampshire training will be offered in mid-October. Four hours of UNH graduate and undergraduate credit are being offered by the UNH Department of Education.

“In 30 years of research on youth violence and peer meanness, this is the most promising program I have ever been involved with,” said Malcolm Smith, co-director of the project. “We are definitely on the road to tackling the bullying epidemic. Our next challenge will be to develop similar programs for pre-schoolers and college students. We believe we are really on to something here.”

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire believe this results-based training program signals a significant breakthrough in reducing bullying and meanness among middle school students.

In a control group tested last spring, nearly 180  seventh graders were surveyed before and after going through the program.  An equal number of students who did not go through the program were also screened over the same nine-week period. The scores of the two groups were then compared to see if there were differences between those who  participated and those who did not.

“There was significant improvement in empathy, caring for others and a decrease in the likelihood that the Courage to Care participants would emotionally pick on other students,” said Patrick Shannon of the UNH Department of Social Work. “The results are very promising for this program as a means to combat bullying and meanness in schools.”

The teaching units cover issues like showing kindness and empathy; understanding groups, cliques and stereotypes; demonstrating courage and civility online in cyberspace; being more “mindful;" and issues related to social and emotional learning, as well as manners and civility.

“We believe kindness, empathy, and civility can be taught,” said Smith. “What we seem to be experiencing is a compassion deficit among our school children. And, just like similar deficits in math scores or science scores, our schools need to address our students’ lack of abilities in getting along with others.”

Matthew Saladino, a guidance counselor at Gorham Middle High School and one of the leaders of the Courage to Care test at his school, agreed. 

“The gains our seventh graders made in getting along, caring for others and creating a positive school culture during the past semester were phenomenal. The great thing is that everyone in the school, staff and students, noticed that change and it became contagious.”

Bullying and cyberbullying has become more of an issue in schools here and around the country for the past several years, an issue that school boards and school administrators consistently face with every new school year. 

This curriculum is touted as a tool to address the problem of the growing "empathy deficit" among students in our schools.

The Courage to Care program was developed by Smith, Rick Alleva and Thom Linehan of UNH Cooperative Extension along with Jeff Frigon of the UNH Browne Center for Innovative Learning, and Patrick Shannon of the Department of Social Work.

To register for the program:

Registration for the first of two New Hampshire workshops, set for Aug. 15, 16 and 17, is closed. A second workshop, planned for October 24-26, will take place at the Browne Center at UNH in Durham.

Registration is by school, with the first registrant fee of $1,200. The fee for each additional registrant, coming from the same school, is $800 per person.

This discount only applies when all registrants register and attend the same training session.

(The registration fee includes three full days of training, all training materials, license to use the program, daily continental breakfast and buffet lunch.)

Lodging accommodations can be made directly with the Holiday Inn Express in Durham, by calling 1-800-315-2621. Be certain to mention that you will be attending the Courage to Care program, to receive the discounted rate. Holiday Inn Express, 2 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824.

For more information about the Courage to Care program and training, please contact Malcolm Smith at malcolm.smith@unh.edu or (603) 862-7008. 

More information and a brochure about the Courage to Care program is available at www.courage2care.com.