When asked about bullying, cheating, drugs, fighting, and treating teachers with a lack of respect, most Americans considered each risk behavior a serious problem in their local public schools, according to a new survey by Public Agenda.
An overwhelming majority -- roughly three-quarters of Americans -- identified bullying and harassment as a serious public school problem, along with illegal drugs and lack of respect for teachers, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization.
In response to these findings, School Safety Partners is developing new resources to address school safety issues stemming from student behaviors. Frequent news items about student threats, the suicide of 15-year-old bully victim Phoebe Prince, and the current emphasis by the U.S. Department of Education on school climate have prompted many school districts to update their school safety plans and prevention programs.
School Safety Partners has teamed up with the April Showers Initiative, led by Los Angeles film executive Joel Eisenberg, to develop interactive resources for free distribution to schools nationwide. The joint effort brings together Hollywood talent and national school safety experts to create programs that can help schools turn the tide and promote a culture of safe learning and mutual respect.
School Safety Partners chairman John Simmons considers the Public Agenda survey a wake-up call. "If we can tackle the issues brought up by Public Agenda we can help keep good teachers in our public schools," he said.
Central to the survey design, Public Agenda compared the opinions of parents with those of the public overall. Sixty-nine percent of parents say bullying is a serious problem (40 percent say "very serious"), seventy percent say disrespect for teachers is a serious problem (45 percent say 'very serious'), and 68 percent say illegal drugs are a serious problem (39 percent say 'very serious').
Of the total public, Public Agenda found that 74 percent say bullying and harassment are serious problems in their local schools, with 47 percent calling these actions 'very serious' problems. Roughly three-quarters (76 percent) of the public say illegal drugs and students treating teachers with a lack of respect are serious problems, with 53 percent calling illegal drugs 'very serious' and 50 percent saying disrespect for teachers 'very serious.'
Physical fighting and cheating in schools are also major concerns for parents (55 percent for fighting, 48 percent for cheating) as well as for the majority of the total public (59 percent and 55 percent, respectively).
In addition, the survey revealed that more than one-third of Americans (35 percent), including 39 percent of parents, say they were bullied themselves when growing up. Furthermore, 8 percent of the public and 10 percent of parents say they were bullied 'a lot.'
Adults who say they were bullied in school are more likely to say bullying is a 'very serious' problem (49 percent versus 42 percent of those who said they weren't bullied). Men are more likely to say they were bullied (41 percent compared with 30 percent of women), but women are more likely to consider bullying a 'very serious' problem (53 percent of women compared with 41 percent of men).
These findings are based on a Public Agenda survey of 1,001 people, including 262 parents of children under 18. The survey was conducted as part of the Princeton Survey Research International (PSRAI) April omnibus, April 8-11, 2010.
For full results of the survey, visit: www.publicagenda.org/pages/bullying-2010. Public Agenda was founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in 1975. Public Agenda's two-fold mission is to help American leaders better understand the public's point-of-view and help citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions.
To browse latest School Safety Partners resources addressing prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery issues, visit www.SchoolSafetyPartners.org.
