Translating a School-Based Bullying Prevention Program from Researcher-Led to School-Led: Evaluation of Impact and Implications for Program Scale-up

Introduction: Aggression and bullying are a great concern for minority youth living in urban, under-resourced communities (Leff et al., 2015). However, many universal school-based prevention programs are not designed specifically to meet the needs of this at-risk population and do not have procedures in place for eventual scale-up and dissemination (Leff, Waasdorp, & Crick, 2010; Leff, Waasdorp, et al., in press). Preventing Relational Aggression In Schools Everyday (PRAISE) is an effective 20 session classroom program for 3^rd-5^th grade students that teaches problem-solving, sympathy for peer victims, perspective-taking skills, and bystander strategies (Leff et al., 2010). PRAISE has traditionally been conducted by research facilitators in partnership with teachers, but has recently been translated to school-led given the recognition that programs are more effective when run by school staff as opposed to non-school staff (e.g., Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). The aim of this study is to examine the process, feasibility, and impact of PRAISE as scaled and disseminated by school staff with training and coaching from the research team.

Method: 179 3^rd grade students from 7 classrooms across two urban elementary schools participated in this study. Following a series of training sessions with the coach, school implementers (counselor, ESOL teacher, classroom teacher) conducted PRAISE sessions once per week. Coaches provided feedback and guidance, and observed 40% of sessions to monitor implementation fidelity. Quantitative (teacher and student report) data and qualitative data were utilized.

Results: Analyses reveal that 74.7% of all participating youth (112 youth) and 69.6% of aggressive youth (23 youth) improved by 20% or more on at least two of the outcomes (e.g., physical aggression, relational aggression, problem-solving knowledge and skills). Administrative support, “teacher-friendly” materials, and integration of PRAISE into the daily school routine and/or common core literacy requirements were identified in post-program focus groups with school implementers as factors related to program success. Additional quantitative and qualitative results will be presented, including findings one full year after coaching was provided.

Conclusion: Findings suggest schools can conduct PRAISE when coached by the research team in a way that fosters significant improvements in student knowledge and behaviors. This study has implications for better understanding how to build school capacity to conduct social-emotional programming for at-risk youth so that programs can be scaled, disseminated, and sustained to maximize their reach and impact.