When exploring the possibility of implementing a bullying prevention program in a middle school in response to concerns expressed by some staff and students, the MSC may bring up the issue at a staff meeting, only to be met with comments like, "We don't have a bullying problem in our school" (CBAM Stage 0).

At this point, the MSC might work with interested stakeholders to conduct a survey of staff and students. If the results of the survey show a significant amount of bullying activity, the MSC could share the results. Staff and administration might then start to ask, "What can we do about this problem?" (Stage 1).

The MSC might research existing research-based models and make a presentation at a staff meeting about possible programs. Now staff members might ask, "What kinds of teacher guides are provided? How much classroom time will it take?", and administrators might ask, "How much will the program cost?" (Stage 2). If there is enough support for the intervention, the MSC might arrange for training, which may focus largely on the logistics of implementation as it affects the staff (Stage 2) while continuing to provide a rationale for the importance of the issue (Stage 0) and providing an overview of the program (Stage 1).

Once the staff start to implement the program, they may have many questions and concerns about the concrete tasks of putting the program into action, saying things like, "Where do I get the book I'm supposed to be reading? How can we work out the details of sharing the videotapes? How do I find the time to work in the classroom discussions and still get the kids to lunch on time? Who is responsible for posting the new school rules we agreed to that say we won't tolerate bullying in our school?" (Stage 3). The MSC can help facilitate these logistical issues in order to help smooth out the initial implementation.

After the staff have used the program for a while, they may start to say things like, "I wonder how many of my students understand the new school rules about bullying? Do I need to explain the ideas in simpler language? What can I do to make sure that my kids feel safe reporting to me if they witness bullying? What if students create some scenarios and use role-playing to practice reporting?" (Stage 4). The MSC can help staff assess the immediate impact of the program and consult with staff on how to adapt the intervention to the needs of their students while still maintaining fidelity to the core program model.

If the implementation is sustained, staff are likely to start saying things like, "How can we get more of the specialists involved in what we're doing so that they can support the bullying prevention effort when they're with the students? We know that bullying involves a power difference between bully and victim -- in fact, my sixth graders tell me that a lot of the kids who bully them come from the eighth grade. I wonder if there's some way the two groups could work together. If the eighth graders could come and work with some of my kids during our classroom meetings, maybe they would all get to know one another, and more of the eighth graders would stand up to support my students when they're being bullied" (Stage 5). The MSC can help staff share experiences and ideas as well as facilitate collaborative work.

If the program continues to flourish over time, staff may now start to voice more concerns, such as, "We seem to be making progress in dealing with bullying, but now how can we help our students deal with the other types of conflicts that don't involve bullying? And does anyone know more about what might happen if we were to try expanding the cross-grade activities we've started in the classroom meeting into other types of collaborative activities? Could that help us improve our overall school climate?" (Stage 6). Rather than simply defend the program that is now in place and try to convince staff to continue to implement it, it's important for the MSC to anticipate this stage and suggest early on that the school set a timeframe for reassessing the program, and then facilitate this process. The school may decide to continue implementation, to make substantial changes in the program, or to discontinue the program and adopt another program -- one that uses new and better resources or that will better meet the new needs that have emerged.

Different staff members may be at different CBAM stages at any point in time. By listening carefully to the concerns expressed by staff, and by understanding the way that they are using the program, MSCs can assess the CBAM stage staff are in and respond most effectively (e.g., not spending a lot of time on the details of implementation with staff members who are not yet convinced of the need for the program; not focusing on logistics issues with staff who are most interested in the impact the program will have on their students).

Adapted from James B. Vetter, Ed.M.
Suicide and Youth Violence Prevention Consultant
Center for Injury and Violence Prevention
Virginia Department of Health