Olweus Success Stories

Schools and institutions around the world have successfully implemented the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. These bullying case studies and bullying prevention testimonials illustrate how the program can:

• reduce existing bullying programs among students
• prevent the development of new bullying problems
• achieve better peer relations at school
• create safer, more effective learning environments

Halley Elementary School, Fairfax Station, Virginia

Teachers at Halley Elementary first became aware of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program when they saw an invitation for a grant for the program in 2005. They began training school officials that same year and implemented the program in 2006.

Halley Elementary has had great success with the program. The school has seen an improvement in eliminating bullying behavior. Data suggests that the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has helped reduce the number of students who are bullied. In the beginning of the program, 42.3 percent of students reported being bullied. After one year of implementation of the program, 33.9 percent of students reported being bullied, a marked improvement.

The program has made such a positive impression that two families transferred their children to Halley Elementary School because they felt it was a safer environment than other schools.

Western Pennsylvania

School violence declined by more than 40 percent in Western Pennsylvania in 2010-11 from the year before, according to state data released last week. Incidents in Allegheny County dropped by more than one-half. Learn more

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

An evaluation of the Olweus program in 12 elementary schools in the Philadelphia area revealed that among those schools that had implemented the program with at least moderate fidelity:

• There were significant reductions in self-reported bullying and victimization¹
• There were significant decreases in adults' observations of bullying (in the cafeteria and on the playground)¹

Chula Vista, California

After implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, surveys of students, staff and parents from three elementary schools showed the following:

• 21% decrease in reports of being bullied after 1 year and a 14% decrease after 2 years
• 8% decrease in reports of bullying others after 1 year and 17% after 2 years
• After 1 year, students were more likely to perceive that adults at school tried to stop bullying.
• After 1 year, parents felt that administrators had done more to stop bullying.

Arizona's Bullying Prevention Partnership

The Arizona Bullying Prevention Partnership is sponsoring implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in several school districts around the state. Early results have shown a decrease in the number of children engaging in bullying behavior - 26 percent in all schools; 44 percent in schools implementing the program true to its original design. Read more.

Read more success stories in Olweus in the News.

¹Black, S. (2003). An ongoing evaluation of the bullying prevention program in Philadelphia schools: Student survey and student observation data. Paper presented at Centers for Disease Control's Safety in Numbers Conference, Atlanta, GA.