ABSTRACT
Bullying is one of the foremost non-academic issues schools must address. Faced with competing demands, such as high-stakes accountability, as well as a lack of training (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, O’Brennan, & Gulemetova, 2013), educators often struggle to develop and sustain effective strategies to address bullying. Although the majority of educators recognize their role in preventing and intervening in bullying (Bradshaw et al., 2013), they, too, recognize that academic achievement, rather than social and emotional skills, remains the primary purpose of schooling (Tyack & Cuban, 1995) and remains the primary vehicle for which they are judged. However, any involvement in bullying, whether being bullied, bullying others, or witnessing bullying, can significantly impact students’ academic achievement (Juvonen, Wang, & Espioza, 2011), in addition to affecting several other negative outcomes (Hawker & Boulton, 2000). Thus, to improve academic achievement, addressing bullying is a critical necessity.
