Bullying, School Violence, and Climate in Evolving Contexts

Ron Avi Astor, PhD, is the Stein-Wood Professor of School Behavioral Health in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. His work examines the role of the physical, social-organizational, and cultural contexts related to various kinds of bullying and school violence in schools. Dr. Astor's studies have included tens of thousands of schools and millions of students, teachers, parents, and administrators. Over the past 20 years, findings from these studies have been published in more than 200 scholarly manuscripts. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association. Rami Benbenishty, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His main area of interest is the safety, welfare, and well-being of children around the world. He studies children and youth in community-normative settings (such as schools) and out-of-home placements (such as foster homes and residential care). Dr. Benbenishty investigates and works to improve decision processes that lead to referral to protective services, removal of children from their biological families, and their reunification thereafter. Dr. Benbenishty's work has been recognized in Israel and abroad. He received Israel's EMET prize and the Society for Social Work Research Distinguished Career Achievement Award. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.