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Bullying at the White House and in the schoolyard

Nov 22, 2019 Estonian Life No. 47 2019

A University of Missouri and University of Virginia joint study has found a measurable increase in school districts reporting teasing and bullying since the U.S. President was re-elected in 2016.

Certainly these results are not conclusive and need valid replication. But the survey methodology has not been discredited.

Specifically the research was conducted in response to media reports that increases in bullying were noticed by schools after the 2016 elections. Approximately 155,000 seventh- and eighth grade students completed the survey in 2013, 2015 and 2017, thus before and after the 2016 presidential elections.
www.whitehouse.gov

Survey results were mapped onto election results for each school division's locality. In localities that favoured the president, there were higher adjusted rates of students reporting “that they had experienced some form of bullying in the past year (18% higher) and students were teased or put down because of their race or ethnicity (9%)”. Prior to the elections there were no meaningful differences between 2013 and 2015.

The research shows modest support for educators that are concerned about increased teasing and bullying since 2016. Additional research needs to be done to validate the seemingly recognizable trend.
(Read more: EE# 47 22.nov 2019 paper issue or PDF/digileht)

Laas Leivat, Toronto

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