Preventing Bias-Based Bullying (Elementary Session)

All bullying behavior stems from bias—a tendency to believe that some people are better than others, often based on race, religion, ability, socioeconomic status, appearance or actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Bias-based bullying is both pervasive and harmful; students who are targeted for bullying based on their identities are more likely to miss school, struggle academically and have low self-esteem. Real change occurs when teachers not only interrupt bullying, but empower their students to be allies for each other, address the bias behind the bullying and cultivate an environment of respect. In this workshop, we will give some essential highlights from the Welcoming Schools Preventing Bias-Based Bullying professional development training that give educators these critical skills.