He criticizes schools and directorates: – He uses bullying methods that do not work

Schools are free to choose strategies to work towards a good school environment, and to prevent and stop bullying. This leads to many schools using measures that have no documented effect, says psychology professor Charlotte Redtz at the University of Tromsø.

According to NTNU Social Research, 58,000 children are bullied in primary schools, according to a calculation they conducted for the website Dagbladet. A number of municipalities and schools have chosen to start prevention programs against bullying.

The problem is that schools spend millions of kroner on programs that have no documented impact, she says.

Reidtz is the magazine’s editor A young mind. Here, scientific summaries of knowledge provided by researchers on measures to promote the health of children and youth, including anti-bullying programmes, are reproduced. Against this background, Redtz made his statement.

Strongly against “bullying messages”

– Not recommended

Redtz is frustrated that the Norwegian Directorate of Education does not effectively recommend school programs that have the best documented impact. She says authorities are spending significant resources on research to document which programs are having an impact. So she feels terrible about not using this knowledge.

The Education Directorate has been criticized, and responds by emphasizing that it is up to municipalities and schools what they choose to use.

See extended The answer is further down in this issue.

There are a number of school programs on the market, partly from private providers and partly from public institutes.

See Ungsinn documentation that works – in a realistic setting.

– Some well-documented programs that existed in the past were closed, for example, as a result of a lack of funding from the authorities, she says, referring to the programme. respect.

Redtz adds:

– I think it is wrong for schools to freely choose anti-bullying programs, regardless of whether they are effective or not. Schools should be encouraged to use programs that have documented impact (evidence).

Angry at Odair

– He must know that anti-bullying plans are successful

– Instead of recommending effective programmes, the Norwegian Directorate of Education has chosen to focus on measures whose effects we do not know. In the Directorate of Education Websites about the school environment Redtz says existing effective programs for schools aren’t even mentioned.

In order to raise the efficiency of schools, the directorate referred to three methods whose effect we know nothing about.

Reedze says Ungsinn is working on a summary of knowledge about Educational environment projectIt is one of the three strategies mentioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Education.

– There are no impact studies for the learning environment project. thus Can The program ends at a low level of evidence.

– Not just school

This is not only a problem in schools, but also in other areas where you want to prevent negative development in children and young people, whether in the field of child protection, the drug prevention sector or the prevention of behavioral difficulties, says Redtz.

– In some services, they even use software that has been scientifically proven ineffective, she says.

According to Redtz, prevention is the only strategy that can help you avoid ugly bullying situations, like Emily’s. In May, the newspaper Dagbladet documented what happened to 12-year-old Emily, who committed suicide after what it believes was widespread bullying.

– Redtz says that a good psychological and social environment in Norwegian schools will be the result of long-term systematic work.

She also points out that schools “to some extent evaluate the individual measures and activity plans that are introduced in individual cases of bullying». She is upset about this.

Reedtz believes Education Minister Tunji Brenna (AFP) must identify what Reedtz calls “knowledge gaps” in schools when it comes to implementing anti-bullying measures and programs and promoting a good psychosocial environment.

-What works against bullying?

– Several programs work. The common features of these, she says, are a focus on good classroom management, clear expectations for good behaviour, safe and present adults, known rules and boundaries, and good cooperation between school staff and parents/guardians.

– Even schools

– How preventive work is carried out concretely, and whether an individual school, for example, wants to use anti-bullying programs for this purpose, is up to each individual school, says department director Atli Texum at the Directorate of Education.

It notes that municipalities and district councils must ensure that laws and regulations are followed, and that individual schools prevent violations of the right to a safe and good school environment.

Texum also points to the fact that the Norwegian Directorate of Education has developed support for competence development in daycare and school, including support for working in a safe and quality daycare and school environment, inclusion, Support professional work with abuse and bullyingand L What can the school do if a student does not feel safe and well at school? As well as tools for assessing quality in kindergartens and schools.

– This support is available for free to use, he says, and continues:

We recently submitted a report on anti-bullying programs and the learning environment.

The quality of the programs is not evaluated here, but Taysom says:

We point out in the report that the owner of the nursery and school is responsible for developing quality.

The law doesn’t work

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