Highmark-funded anti-bullying investment paying big dividends
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Over the last five years, Highmark has invested millions of dollars into anti-bullying programs in Pennsylvania schools.
And now the health insurer has presented a report detailing the return on its investment.
"We don't have to accept a school climate [of] bullying," said Yvonne Cook, Highmark Foundation president. "There are proven solutions."
Among students who participated in the Highmark-funded bullying prevention program, the percentage of students who say they bully others two or more times per month declined by 27 percent among elementary school students, 35 percent among middle school students and 31 percent for high school students between 2008 and 2010.
Fewer students also said that they were being bullied over that time period. The percentage of high school students who said they were bullied two or more times per month fell 12.7 percent, the percentage of middle school students dropped 15 percent and the percentage of elementary school students declined 9.5 percent.
The Highmark program is the largest implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in the country, reaching more than 210,000 Pennsylvania students, or 13 percent of the state's total student population.
Highmark has spent between $9 million and $10 million directly on the program, Ms. Cook said, and an additional $10 million in anti-bullying public relations and outreach materials.
The Olweus program focuses on changing the culture of the school working on several levels, said Sue Limber, a Clemson University professor who worked with Highmark on its anti-bullying efforts. Examples include clear schoolwide policies that set clear expectations for those who bully or witness bullying, weekly class meetings to discuss the bullying environment and one-on-one interventions for those accused of bullying.
Bullying has received increased attention in the U.S. in recent years, spurred by increased awareness of the effects of bullying, brought on in part by high-profile events such as the Columbine shootings. Just this week, singer Lady Gaga visited the White House to discuss bullying prevention.
"Bullying isn't just a rite of passage that makes kids stronger," Ms. Limber said. "There are significant harms to students who are bullied."
Highmark's initial five-year investment in the program ends at the end of the year. The company said that it would reveal its plans for continued support early next year.
First Published December 12, 2011 12:00 am
