Learn How To Recognize Bullying
Core elements of the bullying include: unwanted aggressive behavior; observed or perceived power imbalance; and repetition of behaviors or high likelihood of repetition.[i] There are different types of bullying:

• Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things,
• Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships,
• Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions.[ii]

In addition to other tools on this website, the following resources can help educators overcome issues of bullying, bias, intimidation and harassment in their schools and classrooms. 

American Psychological Association Section on Bullying: This page provides offers industry approaches to the problem of bullying and includes a module for teachers.

The Bully Project

Bullying Basics —Author Tracy Ludwig has written several childrens’ books including My Secret Bully and Confessions of a Former Bully. Her website has a variety of great teaching tools such as recommended reading; links to organizations; and Common Core/ELA/SS compliant lessons plans for her numerous books.

Bullying Prevention Guide for Parents, Teachers, School Administrators & Community Members (Islamic Networks Group)

A Bystanders’s Guide: What to Do if You Witness Islamophobia

CDC Understanding Bullying Fact Sheet

ConnectSafely’s Tips to Help Stop Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying Research Center: This is the United States’ leading research center on causes, solutions and statistics on cyberbullying. Especially useful is an interactive map that provides succinct details on state laws and protections.

“Dismantling Islamophobia,” an article published by Harvard Graduate School of Education’s online resource Usable Knowledge, offers six concrete ways to combat anti-Muslim bullying in schools

The Family Youth Institute has Bullying Prevention Resources for Parents, Educators and Administrators, Community Members, Counselors of Muslim Youth.

Guidelines for Respecting Religious Diversity — Montgomery County Public Schools

Harassment, Bullying and Free Expression: Guidelines for Free and Safe Public Schools:

How to Counter Islamophobia with Social Media — American Friends Service Committee (Quakers)

How To Talk To Your Kids About Bullying (YouTube)

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
In schools across the United States today, educators do more than just teach academic subjects. One of the most important things a teacher can do is to understand the diversity of backgrounds and experiences of their students and teach them how to work together. Are you an educator who wants to create an inclusive and enriching classroom experience? If so, this toolkit is for you. These evidence-based resources built by expert scholars will help you foster a safe learning environment for all of your students, especially those who happen to be Muslim.

• ISPU Educators Toolkit
• Adult Bullying of Muslim Kids: A National Challenge
• Global Battleground or School Playground: The Bullying of America’s Muslim Children
• Religious-Based Bullying: Insights on Research and Evidence-Based Best Practices from the National Interfaith Anti-Bullying Summit

National Bullying Prevention Center : The center “unites, engages and educates communities nationwide to address bullying through creative, relevant and interactive resources.” Check out their Bullying Info and Facts page.

Not in Our School Parent Guide to Preventing Bullying and Intolerance:

Protecting Our Muslim Youth from Bullying: the Role of the Educator

StopBullying.gov —This list of resources from the government not only defines bullying but has resources on how to prevent bullying, how to respond to it and how to “be more than a bystander.” Be sure to see their resources on how to respond to bullying.

Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center is centered on a social justice and anti-bias platform. It has a diverse array of content on bullying. Check out its content on immigration as well as Expelling Islamophobia, Responding to Hate and Bias at School and Bullying Basics.

 Twenty Plus Things Schools Can Do to Respond to or Prevent Hate Incidents Against Arab-Americans, Muslims, and Sikhs – From the United States Dept of Justice

What Can YOU Do?

Build a More Inclusive Classroom!

1. Include books about Arabs, Muslims or Islam in the Unites States in your curriculum by using the TeachMideast booklists or expand your knowledge with tiles listed in the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding Muslim American Experience Bibliography

2. Partner with Arab or Muslim students through virtual exchange programs:

• Middle to High School Level – Read how DC Public Schools has incorporated virtual exchange into its Global Education initiative. Here are some of the tools they include:
  • • Empatico: Empatico is a free tool for teachers to connect their students to classrooms around the world using seamless video conferencing technology. Activities are standards-based and designed to promote meaningful interactions and positive perceptions.
    • Stevens Initiative: The Stevens Initiative helps connect people and organizations with each other to grow the field of virtual exchange. Fill out a form to share information about yourself and to explain what you are seeking in a prospective partner. The Stevens Initiative will review each submission to determine whether there is an appropriate match for partnership.
    • Peace Corps Global Connections: Global Connections allows educators and Peace Corps Volunteers to connect directly to bring global perspectives to any learning environment.
    • Generation Global: With Generation Global, teachers can transport their classes across the world in a single afternoon. Online and through video conferences, students interact directly with their peers around the world, engaging in dialogue around issues of culture, identity, beliefs, values, and attitudess

3. At the university level, the Soliya Connect Program can be included in your school’s global competency or communications curriculum. The program targets post-secondary youth, bringing them together in small, diverse groups — such as seen in the photo above in Amman, Jordan — for facilitated discussions on social and global topics.

4. Shared Studios Portals – Portals are interconnected immersive spaces placed around the world that allows people to engage with people different from themselves. Contact them to see if it is possible to bring one of these shipping container windows-to-the-world experiences to your community.

5. Do introductory surveys at the start of each school year to learn about children’s likes and needs, as well as religious observations and even restrictions. This helps you be more cognizant and it also allows parents to connect to the school culture. In addition, it can or should lead to parents collaborating or speaking with students about their religious holidays.

6. Role-playing and simulation activities that give students an opportunity to view issues and global challenges from another person’s or country’s perspective are effective and fun ways to encourage critical thinking, empathy and problem-solving skills. Consider experiential learning as an extension to the classroom or as a club activity at your school. Forming a Model Arab League team is an easy way to prepare students to be knowledgeable global citizens who can begin to break down barriers built by stereotypes and misinformation.

Do you know of a resource we missed? Send an email to [email protected]!

[i] Gladden, R. M., Vivolo-Kantor, A. M., Hamburger, M. E., & Lumpkin, C. D. (2014). Bullying surveillance among youths: Uniform definitions for public health and recommended data elements, Version 1.0.Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US Department of Education.

[ii] “Facts About Bullying.” StopBullying.gov, Department of Health and Human Services, www.stopbullying.gov/media/facts/index.html#definition.