Bullying, Harassment and Social Exclusion in Jewish Schools: Unique Opportunities and Challenges to Promote Positive Peer Culture.

Abstract

Educators who speak with students about their school experiences quickly learn that school is as much a social setting as it is an academic one. As such, it can contribute to children’s sense of self and belonging, or it can fuel self-doubt and reinforce loneliness. Schools’ increasing focus on addressing their social climate, and promoting students’ social development has been motivated, in part by the growing body of research demonstrating the clear connection between academic and social-behavioral issues (Benninga, Berkowitz, Kuehn, & Smith., 2006; Goldberg, 2005) Among the most pressing reasons for schools to address peer culture, however, is the cost of not addressing it. Depression, alienation, and even suicide and violence are possible outcomes for students who cannot find their social niche (Espelage & Swearer, 2003)