When I was in elementary school, I often felt the sting of being left out, of knowing that kids were laughing at me, or overhearing comments about my weight or clothes. I also witnessed hurtful behaviors toward other kids, such as embarrassing them in public, spreading rumors, and making inappropriate sexual comments.

We now refer to this as bullying, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.” Even though most people no longer accept bullying as a childhood rite of passage, it continues at alarming rates. The National Center for Educational Statistics claims that close to 30% of kids reported being bullied in 2013. And the CDC reports that the bullied, and the bullyiers, may suffer serious, lasting problems.

Fortunately, parents, teachers, and policy-makers are working together to stop and prevent bullying…