Partners in Fighting Cyberbullying

How a university-school collaboration is reshaping school climate and strengthening relationships

Steady increases in both teen suicides and school shootings have heightened public concern about cyberbullying. Providing a cover of anonymity for bullies, cyberbullying favors digital spaces where young people spend their time — Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and texting communication.

Lately, this type of bullying has confounded parents and educators, who have grown fearful for students’ emotional health and safety.

At East High School in Rochester, N.Y., once the lowest-performing school in the lowest-performing district in the state, we are shaping a new culture, one that diminishes cyberbullying. To prevent the school’s closure in 2015, the Rochester City School District took advantage of a new educational reform option offered by the state — receivership. East High School became an educational partnership organization — a partnership between the school district, New York State Education Department and the University of Rochester, with the university functioning as the school’s receiver.

Our task was to revitalize East in five years. We have become a district within our city school district with our own superintendent (Nelms) and relative autonomy. We have developed our approach to cyberbullying by grounding it in research rather than as a reaction to fear.