Stand Up to Bullying

and Youth Violence

Anti-bullying laws and youth violence in the

United States: A longitudinal evaluation of
efficacy and implementation
Bullying is the most common form of youth violence in the United States and is associated
with numerous adverse outcomes for youth. While all 50 states have enacted anti-bullying
legislation, there is a lack of research that evaluates whether these laws are effective in
preventing bullying and other forms of youth violence.
The University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, in partnership with Columbia University,
the University of Iowa, and Temple University, will evaluate the effectiveness of anti-
bullying laws passed in the U.S. since 1999. They will also study how anti-bullying law is being
implemented in the state of Maine, in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education
and the Maine Center for Disease Control. This study will provide evidence regarding anti-
bullying legislation for educators, state and local agencies, legislators, and students and families.

WHY MAINE?
Maine recently passed a comprehensive anti-bullying law with new school
requirements, including the implementation of a bullying incident reporting
system. Maine is just one of four states that require the state Department
of Education (DOE) to provide a model policy to schools. The Maine
DOE is a valuable partner in this project, granting researchers a uinque
opportunity to conduct surveys with school administrators and counselors
across the state, learning how schools are adoping the states model policies
and whether these implementation factors affect youth violence outcomes.

This valuable partnership will help Maine ensure that its anti-bullying law
is effective in promoting the safety of Maines students.
- Robert G. Hasson, Jr., Ed.D., Maine DOE Commissioner

This project was funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cooperative agreement 5 U01 CE002913,
Principal Investigators: Marizen Ramirez, PhD (University of Minnesota) and Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD (Columbia University)