Schools implementing Zero: The process of implementing an anti-bullying program in six Norwegian compulsory schools

In 2002 the Prime Minister of Norway initiated a central Manifesto against bullying and invited all schools to participate in anti-bullying programs. Two programs were supported by the central authorities. This paper draws on a Norwegian project where six compulsory schools participated in one of those programs. Our focus was on the implementation process in the schools. We wanted to see how the schools' readiness for the program influenced the implementation. Group interviews with the project groups at the schools and telephone interviews with the headteachers were used to collect data. Results indicate that the headteacher's role is important, during both initiation and implementation of the program. The schools that were familiar with anti-bullying work and had firm leadership seem to have implemented the program most successfully. One lesson from this study is the need to investigate differentiated implementation support for different schools depending on their readiness.