No Name-Calling Week Kicks Off In Schools Nationwide

Jan 24, 2005

CONTACT:
Riley Snorton
press@nonamecallingweek.org
rsnorton@glsen.org
(212) 727-0135 x138

More Than 5,000 Educators and Administrators Officially Register To Take Part; Thousands More Download Free Resources at www.nonamecallingweek.org

New York, NY – No Name-Calling Week, a project of GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, in collaboration with more than 40 national education organizations, officially kicked off in schools nationwide today. The project is aimed at grades five through eight, but students and educators at other grade levels can easily adapt the program and materials.

Results from 2004 bullying surveys in schools indicated that students reported a significant decrease in the amount of bullying

Photo: Sue Anna Yeh (AP)

and harassment in school after taking part in the first No Name-Calling Week and its activities. More than 5,000 educators and administrators have officially registered to take part in the week, while thousands more schools and classrooms will use free resources from www.nonamecallingweek.org to take part.

“We are proud to once again collaborate with our national partners, from the Girls Scouts of America, the National Education Association and more than other 40 others, to bring No Name-Calling Week to schools around the country,” noted GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. “Every week can and should be a No Name-Calling Week in America’s schools.”

No Name-Calling Week seeks to draw national attention to the problem of name-calling in America’s schools and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities. Recent studies on name-calling and bullying include:

• A 2001 study by the American Association of University Women found that 83% of girls and 79% of boys report having ever experienced harassment at school, with over 1 in 4 students experiencing it “often.” 76% of students have experienced non-physical harassment while 58% have experienced physical harassment.
• A 2001 study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of over 15,000 public, private, and parochial school students in grades 6-10 reported that almost a third of 6th to 10th graders—5.7 million children nationwide—have experienced some kind of bullying.
• The National Center for Educational Statistics reports that 77 percent of middle and high school students in small mid-western towns have been bullied.
• In August 1999, CNN reported that four out of five middle school students admit that they act like bullies at least once a month.

No Name-Calling Week was inspired by The Misfits, a book written by popular author James Howe and published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Educators can purchase a resource guide with lesson plans, a video for classroom use and other promotional materials to assist in facilitating the week’s activities.

On Thursday, January 27th, Sue Anna Yeh of First Colony Middle School will be honored at her school in Sugar Land, Texas, after her submission was chosen as the 2005 Student Creative Expression grand prize winner from among more than 1,600 songs, poems, paintings and creative expressions sent in from students all over the country. Her poem, along with an additional 20 entries deserving of honorable mention, are available at www.nonamecallingweek.org.

In 2004, for the first No Name-Calling Week, over 3,000 educators, administrators, parents or students registered, and over 600 schools across the country reporting their participation. Many teachers conducted bullying surveys in their schools (a resource available on the NNCW website).

For a complete list of the national partners, sample resources and more information on No Name-Calling Week, visit www.nonamecallingweek.org. Media inquiries can be sent to press@nonamecallingweek.org.

About No Name-Calling Week
Coordinated by GLSEN in collaboration with over 40 national education organizational partners, No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities. For more information about No Name-Calling Week sponsors, a list of events planned, or the No Name-Calling Week resource kit for educators, please visit www.nonamecallingweek.org.