Claudio V. Cerullo, Ph.D.
Claudio V. Cerullo, Ph.D. Founder & President, Teach Anti-Bullying, Inc. Out of growing concern for the issue of bullying both in the classroom and in the community, Claudio V. Cerullo, Ph.D. and a group of concerned educators, parents and friends established Teach Anti-Bullying (a 501 ( c ) (3) non-profit organization) in late 2011. Serving children and families who have been, or are being affected by, bullying, Teach Anti-Bullying works to raise awareness and support, while encouraging the collaboration of all stakeholders – children, educators, parents, community leaders, law enforcement, and local, state and federal legislators – in the pro-active intervention against bullying as well as the prevention of bullying. According to recent research, more than 34 percent of U.S. students in classroom said they have been bullied during the course of the school term. One out of four of those are in regular education, while three out of four of those students are children with special needs. In addition, 60 percent of those students with disabilities are victimized. A growing problem is Cyber Bullying, with 43 percent of teens aged 10 through 18 years old reporting at least one instance of Cyber Bullying, while 77 percent of teens reported that the Cyber Bully was someone that they knew. Dr. Cerullo brings over 20 years of professional experience in education to Teach Anti-Bullying. He has been extremely active in addressing the great need for anti-bullying awareness, and prevention, nationwide, as a result of parents asking him to help students that are being impacted academically, socially and emotionally by this silent threat. Cerullo founded Teach Anti-Bullying with $10,000 of his own personal funds, in an effort to further help raise awareness about what bullying really is, and how it can be prevented. Prior to founding Teach Anti-Bullying, Dr. Cerullo began his career in education with six years of teaching in Social Science Education. His career has included positions as a school principal (kindergarten through eighth grade); Director of Early Childhood Education; Assistant Middle School Academic vice Principal; Assistant High School vice Principal and Director of Athletics; and Interim Secondary Charter School Principal. Dr. Cerullo served as West Chester University’s Coordinator of the Federal Grant GEAR UP Program in partnership with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and the School District of Philadelphia. While at the University of Delaware, Dr. Cerullo served as the Director of the Delaware Mentoring (DMC) Council, under a state grant in partnership with the Office of Governor and Delaware Department of Education. Internationally recognized as an expert on the subject of Anti-Bullying, Dr. Cerullo has provided many workshops on issues regarding Classroom Management, Student Behavior Modification, Character Education, and School Violence Prevention programs K-12. He is interviewed regularly by media outlets on the subject of Bullying and Anti-Bullying, and is a gifted public speaker on this topic of extreme interest to parents, educators and legislators. He has written numerous articles and books on the subject, and has lectured at many local, state, and regional education forums and conferences. Dr. Cerullo delivered the keynote address at the State of Louisiana’s first Anti-Bullying Conference in 2012. In 2005, Dr. Cerullo was invited to the White House as an as an expert panel member in the areas of School Violence Prevention. As an author, Dr. Cerullo has contributed to educational videos on Bullying, including “Bullying: Children with Special Needs” and “Teaching Anti-Bullying K-8” (both released on video in December 2011. His book for parents, “Teaching Anti-Bullying,” was released in December 2011 and earned special notice from Sears and Team Up to Stop Bullying on their 2012 list of recommended Bullying Solutions books. In May 2012, Dr. Cerullo’s second book on Anti-Bullying, “Stop Bullying Me,” was released to wide acclaim. He is also the author of four children’s books – “A Thankful Day” released in 2009, “Isabella Goes to Kindergarten” (2010), “Isabella’s Rainy Day with her Friends” (2011) and “Isabella Goes Back to School” (2011). This fall, Dr. Cerullo collaborated on “TAB 1.0,” a new Bullying computer application for school students, parents, and teachers to use in their classrooms. He will be publishing a book on Cyber Bullying later this year. In addition, earlier this year Dr. Cerullo co-authored with learning expert Pat Wyman,”Amazing Grades 101 Best Ways to Improve Your Grades Faster.” Cerullo’s chapter is entitled, “Bullying and How it Affects Academic Achievement.” In March 2013, his latest book, “My Name is David, I have Autism and I was Bullied” will be released. It focuses on children with hidden disabilities and bullying. An ardent advocate of developing safe school programs nationally. Dr. Cerullo continues to inspire many young students, parents, school, and state officials in communities across the country. He is also a champion for underrepresented youth and researches ways to eliminate the academic inequities in their respective classrooms. In 2009, Dr. Cerullo partnered with Dr. John A. Williams, former Dean of Graduate Studies at Cheyney University, to create a new Saturday Academic Academy based in Philadelphia for at-risk students so they could be better prepared for post-secondary education and not drop out of school. Dr. Cerullo earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science Education at Moravian College. He earned his Master’s degree in Professional Elementary and Secondary Education (with a concentration in Educational Administration) from East Stroudsburg University. Cerullo earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Leadership and Administration from American University. He has continued his professional development, focusing on Education Leadership and Urban Education, at both West Chester University and Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education. Among his many professional accomplishments, Dr. Cerullo served on former Delaware’s Governor Ruth Ann Minner’s Drop Out Prevention Task Force in 2008. He provided leadership as a member of his local School Board of Education from 1998 to 2001 and was elected president of the board in his final year. While a faculty member at West Chester, Dr. Cerullo served on former University President Adler’s Special Interest Group from 2003 to 2006 and was recognized by Dr. Adler with the Star Staff Status in 2007 for his Urban School Improvement work with U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah (D) and Dr. Bill Cosby with the School District of Philadelphia. In 2005, Dr. Cerullo and West Chester University received the Outstanding Service Award in Urban Education from the School District of Philadelphia Board of Education. As Director of the Delaware Mentoring Council, Dr. Cerullo partnered with Mayor James Baker of the City of Wilmington in establishing a new mentoring proclamation, the Wilmington Mentoring Commission in 2009, to help promote youth mentoring and lower the high school dropout rate to all at-risk youth within the City of Wilmington. The participating school districts were: Red Clay, Christina, Colonial, and Brandywine. Dr. Cerullo is currently the Vice-President and President-Elect of the Glen-Riddle Rotary International Club, a member of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, an Associate Member of the Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychologist, the Association for Elementary and Secondary School Principals and the Knights of Columbus (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Glen. Mills, PA). Dr. Cerullo has appeared on Fox News, ABC, CBS and CNN discussing Bullying and Anti Violence Prevention. Additional information about Dr. Cerullo, and Teach Anti-Bullying, is available online at Dr. Claudio Cerullo
