Preventing Bullying and Sexual Harassment in Elementary Schools: The Expect Respect Model

• NCJ Number: 194437
• Journal: Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 2 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2001 Pages: 157-180
• Author(s): Ellen Sanchez; Trina Reed Robertson; Carol M. Lewis; Barri Rosenbluth; Tom Bohman; David M. Casey
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 24 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents the Expect Respect Model as a framework for preventing bullying and sexual harassment in elementary schools.

Abstract

This model was used in the Expect Respect Elementary School Project with an end goal of preventing dating violence and abuse during the adolescent and adult years. The premise of the Expect Respect Model is that experiences of bullying and sexual harassment in elementary school condition individuals to accept mistreatment from peers which leads to acceptance of abuse in dating relationships. The Expect Respect Model was implemented in six elementary schools and utilized a whole school approach to end bullying, gender violence, and sexual harassment. The intervention provided staff training, parent education, classroom education, support services, and assistance to school administrators with policy development. Preliminary findings from the first year of a 3 year project demonstrated that students in intervention schools were more willing to intervene and aid a fellow student being victimized, were more knowledgeable about sexual harassment and able to identify acts of harassment, and were aware of school policies to protect them from sexual harassment more so than students attending non-intervention schools. Notes, appendix