Interviews

Appendix K

Site Visit Interview Protocol: School Administrator– Policy Development and Programming

U.S. Department of Education State Bullying Laws and Policies Implementation Study

Field Interview Protocol
School Administrator – Policy Development and Programming

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a study about bullying in schools. The purpose of the study is to find out how districts and schools are implementing state laws and policies related to bullying. We are asking you to share your observations about bullying among students on your school campus and your experiences responding to bullying situations. [SCHOOL NAME] has been randomly selected as one of 24 school sites nationally to participate in the bullying study. You have been invited to participate in this study because you may be knowledgeable about bullying practices in this district or on this school campus.

POTENTIAL RISKS OR BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION

There are no anticipated risks involved in taking part in this study. Participation may not benefit you personally. However, the information gathered in this study may be valuable for developing effective policies for responding to bullying in schools.

CONFIDENTIALITY

We will not share information identifying you or your district with anyone outside of the study team except if required by law. No one in your school or district administration will be told of your responses to interview questions and your responses will not be tied to any review or evaluation of your professional performance. Responses will be summarized in individual case studies for districts and schools to provide examples of policy implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a specific individual and does not identify a school or district by name.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION/WITHDRAWAL

If you agree to complete the interview, you will be considered a participant in a research study on the implementation of state bullying laws and policies. Your participation in the research study is completely voluntary. You may decide not to join, to only answer some questions, or to leave the study at any time. There is no penalty for choosing not to participate.

U.S. Department of Education State Bullying Laws and Policies School Implementation Study
School Administrator Interview – Policy Development and Programming

Respondent Information
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	How long have you worked as the Principal of this school? Less than one year 1-2 years 3 -4 years 5-9 years 10 years or more
	What are your specific roles and responsibilities with regard to preventing or responding to bullying problems on your school campus or in your school?

Problem Definition
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about bullying that happens among students on your school campus.
	How do you recognize a bullying situation when you see one? What criteria do you use to determine when a conflict between students should be defined as bullying? What challenges do you encounter when determining whether or not an incident constitutes bullying behavior?
	In what ways are bullying behaviors disruptive?
	Where and when does bullying most frequently occur?
	Are there individual students or groups of students in your school who are more vulnerable to bullying? If so, who are these students, and why are they more likely to be targeted?

Development of District/School Site Policy
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about your school or district policy for preventing or responding to bullying situations.
	Were you or was someone else from your school involved in developing the district bullying policy? Principal was involved in the process Other school representative was involved in the process No school involvement
	Has your school adopted the district’s bullying policy or did your school create its own policy? School adopted the district bullying policy School created its own bullying policy
	If the school created its own policy, describe how the policy was developed?
	If the school created its own policy, how is it different from the district policy?
	If the school policy was developed through a collaborative process, which stakeholder groups participated? District employees School employees Families Students Community groups or organizations (specify) Local law enforcement Other: ___________________________________________ Did not involve a collaborative process
	What kind of district support have you received to help you develop or implement your school policy?
	How would you describe the leadership role of your local school board in supporting policy development, implementation, and enforcement of policy guidelines?

Communication
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about how school personnel, students, and families are informed about school or district bullying policies.
	How is the school or district policy communicated to parents and students? Posted on the district website Posted on school campuses Published in the student handbook or code of conduct Included in mailed correspondence to parents Discussed with students (e.g., at school assemblies, in classrooms) Other communications
	How is the school or district policy communicated to school personnel? Posted on the district website Posted on school campuses Published in the district employee manual Discussed in staff meetings Reviewed as part of in-service training Other communications
	Is the bullying policy communicated to parents in languages other than English for students or families with limited English proficiency?

School Personnel Training

Interview Questions

Open-Ended Elaboration

Tell me about any training that is provided to school personnel to help them implement the bullying policy.

1. Does the school or district provide training to school personnel?

• Yes, school-sponsored training

• Yes, district-sponsored training

• No, school personnel do not receive training

2. How would you describe the structure and content of the training program?

• Who conducts the training program?

• What issues or topics are covered in the training curriculum?

• How often is training provided?

• How is the training structured? (e.g., part of in-service training covering multiples topics, online training)?

• How much time is spent on bullying issues?

3. Who is required to participate in the training programs and is their participation mandatory or optional?

	Any training?	Mandatory training?	Voluntary/optional training?
School administrators			
Teachers			
Counselors/psychologists			
Yard supervisors			
Transportation personnel			
School volunteers			
Other personnel			

4. How does your school ensure that all required staff receive training? What strategies are used to incentivize participation or to monitor compliance?

5. Are there any differences in the types of training provided to different staff classifications? If so please describe differences in training structure, content, frequency or duration?

6. Do you document feedback from your school personnel regarding the usefulness and relevance of training content?

7. Have there been any challenges associated with implementing staff training? If so, what are these challenges and how have you attempted to resolve them?

Prevention
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about any bullying programs that are implemented at your school.
	Does your school or district implement school programs or approaches to address bullying (prevention, intervention, and whole-school approaches to promote school climate)? Yes, our school implements its own bullying prevention programming Yes, our school implements a district-wide bullying prevention programming No, schools do not implement bullying prevention programming
	What are the expectations for schools to implement bullying prevention, education, or awareness programs? District requires implementation of district-wide prevention program District requires implementation of a prevention program, schools have the option to choose the curriculum District encourages schools to implement prevention program (no specific mandate) District does not encourage or require prevention program implementation Other
	Does your program use a curriculum or model program? If so, what curriculum do you use? Yes (specify the name of the curriculum or model) No
	How would you describe the structure and content of the bullying program? What are the specific components? How is the program structured (e.g., whole-school approach, classroom-based curriculum) Which grade levels are targeted by the program? In what ways, if any, does the school program involve families of students?
	How was the school program selected for your school site? Did the school administration have a role in selecting the prevention curriculum? Yes (specify below) No
	Does the program involve strategies to restore positive school climate following bullying incidences?
	What kinds of support have been provided by the district to help implement the prevention program? Individualized technical support for implementation Personnel training Resources and materials (e.g. curriculum, informational materials) Funding support Other: ___________________________________________
	Have there been any challenges to implementing the school program? If so, how were these challenges resolved?
	Have you observed any impacts of the school program thus far?
	What types of feedback have you received from your school staff regarding the school program? How was this feedback obtained?

Supports for Targets of Bullying
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about the types of resources or supports that are available to students who have been the targets of bullying at school.
	What types of counseling or support services are available to victims (e.g., counseling, mental health referrals)? School or district provides mental health counseling to students School or district provides mental health counseling through cooperative agreements with community-based providers School or district refers students to community-based mental health providers No mental health services or linkages
	What types of counseling or behavioral intervention services are available to aggressors (e.g., counseling, mental health referrals)? School or district provides mental health counseling to students School or district provides mental health counseling through cooperative agreements with community-based providers School or district refers students to community-based mental health providers No mental health services or linkages
	How are determinations made about whether to refer students to counseling services?
	Does the school provide any ongoing follow-up to assess the mental health needs of victims?
	What are some of the most significant challenges to providing assistance to the targets of bullying?

Support for Policy
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	We are interested in the degree to which teachers, staff, and the community understand and support the anti-bullying policies in your school.
	What components of the policy receive the strongest support among parents and school personnel?
	What components have received less support? What issues related to these components produce concern?
Costs to Implement
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about the costs of implementing the bullying policy for your school.
	Has the school added any additional full- or part-time staff to implement bullying provisions? [PROBES] FTE’s added? Estimated cost?
	Has the district purchased any bullying training or prevention curricula or supporting materials (including presentations, training)? [PROBES] What materials/services? Estimated cost?
	Does the district receive any funding assistance from the state or other sources to implement bullying provisions? [PROBES] What assistance? What sources? What dollar amounts?
	Has the district incurred any other direct costs associated with the implementation of bullying policies or programs? [PROBES] What costs? What dollar amounts?
	To what extent has funding been an issue for the schools in your district in implementing anti-bullying policy?
	What have been the most costly aspects of implementing anti-bullying policy (e.g., training, information dissemination, infrastructure development, investigation, liability concerns, and protection)?
	Are there other current initiatives to address safety, school climate and violence prevention other than bullying policy? If so, how do these initiatives either support or impede implementation of bullying policy?

Policy Application and Effectiveness
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about some of the challenges associated with implementing the bullying policy in your school. [PROBES] What are the particular components or requirements of the policy that are most challenging to put into practice? What is it about these components that makes them challenging? How have you coped with these challenges? What have you done to resolve them in particular cases? What (additional) steps would help you put the policy into practice in your district?
	Are there components or requirements in your school’s bullying policy that stand out as particularly effective in addressing bullying? If yes, what are these components? What makes these components of the policy effective?
	How effective are your school’s bullying policies in reducing bullying problems? [PROBES] Which problems are most effectively addressed? Which problems are least effectively addressed? What specific policy components or requirements contribute most to effectiveness? What specific policy components or requirements contribute the least to effectiveness?
	Have you observed any changes in the school environment since the bullying policy has been implemented? Increased awareness of bullying Increased reporting of incidents Increased consistency of enforcement Improved school climate Reduced frequency of bullying Other: __________________________________________________
	What advice would you give to others schools that are developing bullying policies and programs?

7