Program Effectiveness Data

The Allan L. Beane Bullying Prevention Program has been used by small and large school districts throughout the United States and its materials and resources have been used in over twelve countries. The program is the most complete research-based anti-bullying program. Its effectiveness has been published in the following books:

Beane, Allan L. (2009). Bullying Prevention for Schools: A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful Anti-bullying Program, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.
Beane, Allan L., Miller, Thomas W. and Spurling, Rick. “The Bully Free^® Program: A Profile for Prevention in the School Setting” (Book Chapter published in School Violence and Primary Prevention (2008), Thomas W. Miller (Editor), Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, pages 391-406.
Spurling, Rick. (Dec. 2004). The Bully-Free School Zone Character Education Program: A Study of the Impact on Five Western North Carolina Middle Schools. East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee.

The program is based on scientific research and includes scientifically proven strategies and curriculum. Prior to developing the program, Bully Free^® Systems, LLC carefully conducted an analysis of the current research on the topic and related topics (i.e., promoting acceptance, hate, prejudice, discrimination, peer rejection, conflict, anger, behavior management, violence, assimilation, sense of community, school climate, etc.) and effective instructional practices. Current educational standards were also analyzed. Research was conducted to develop an appropriate scope and sequence of the knowledge and skills to be learned. The administrative and teacher focused strategies and the curriculum were developed and tested through problem-solving teacher and administrator focus groups as well as in a variety of school settings. Since 1999, teachers and other professionals have reported the educational effectiveness of the materials and resources included in the program.

The effectiveness of the program has been evaluated by using widely recognized reliable and valid quantitative and qualitative methods that involve rigorous data analysis. For example, reliable (.91) surveys have been used to collect quantitative data. Pre- and post-program existing data (i.e., attendance, expulsions, suspensions, detentions, vandalism, test scores, aggressive occurrences, etc.) were also examined. Qualitative and continuous assessment methods such as focus groups with school personnel, students, and parents have been used to collect information about the implementation, quality, and effectiveness of the program.

In 2010, the program was piloted in ten school districts. Both formative and summative evaluation strategies were used to test the effectiveness of the program. The school districts used the first year to train school personnel and to plan. The second year they implemented the strategies and curriculum (Bullying Prevention Lesson Plans). The following is a summary of a few of the findings when pre- and post-program data for the elementary, middle, and high schools were analyzed. After looking at the t-test statistical significance (p < .05), improvement was found in 50 of the 59 behavior items measured by the survey. The following is a sampling of the findings in two areas: What Students See and What Happens to Students.

What Students See
The program:

decreased the number of students who see other students hit, pinched, kicked, tripped, pushed, elbowed, touched, or grabbed in a hurtful or embarrassing way
decreased the number of students who see other students ignored, rejected, lied about, had rumors told about them, or had hurtful and mean notes written about them
decreased the number of students who see other students called names, teased, made fun of the way they look or dress, or put down in a hurtful way
decreased the number of students who see other students have things damaged or stolen from them.

What Happens to Students
The program:

decreased the number of students hit, pinched, kicked, tripped, pushed, elbowed, touched, or grabbed in a hurtful or embarrassing way.
decreased the number of students ignored, rejected, lied about, had rumors told about them, or had hurtful and mean notes written about them.
decreased the number of students called names, teased, made fun of the way they look or dress, or put down in a hurtful way.
decreased the number of students who had things damaged or stolen from them.
decreased the number of students bullied while waiting for the bus to arrive to take them to school.
decreased the number of students bullied while riding the bus home from school.

The program was also tested for effectiveness in one middle school of 200 students and in five (5) western North Carolina Middle schools (grades 5-8). After only 175 days of implementation, the program:

increased attendance by 7%
decreased the number of students who saw bullying in their school by 35.7%
decreased the number of students who were bullied by 24.6%
increased the number of students who said they reported bullying & it was handled appropriately by 54%
improved End of Grade (EOG) Test Scores by 10%
decreased the number of aggressive occurrence by 29%
decreased suspensions as a result of aggressive behavior by 16%
improved the dynamics of interpersonal relationships that exists in each school’s community (student to student, student to teacher, teacher to teacher, parent to teacher, parent to parent, and school to community)
improved lines of communication between all stakeholders
decreased incidences of aggressive and violent behavior
increased positive interactions between teachers and students during non-class times
increased awareness of the need for and importance of adults modeling positive interactions
increased consciousness of adults regarding their behavior
increased understanding of students of their role in preventing and stopping bullying
increased personnel’s comfort level and confidence in their ability to deal with bullying
dramatically decreased boy’s fighting
changed how discipline was administered
increased a sense of security
increased attendance and involvement of students at after-school events
decreased vandalism