ABSTRACT
Bullying has been viewed as a major threat to creating a safe school environment and continues to be a serious problem in schools around the world, with evidence that involvement in bullying affects children and adolescents’ well-being. Canada is not an exception, with evidence that more than 40% of Canadian students in grades 6–10 reported being both bullied and bullying others and this high prevalence remains. This chapter addresses the role of school climate in reducing bullying by carefully examining the critical dimensions of school climate. Specifically, adopting the social-emotional learning (SEL) framework, this chapter first introduces the previous and current understanding of the school-climate construct. It then considers the current evidence suggesting the association between school climate and bullying, and how by working cooperatively with families and schools, bullying can be effectively reduced. The focus in this chapter is preventative rather than reactive, in contrast to the more common approach of responding to problems or disorders as they emerge.
