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In this quantitative study, the relationship between levels of empathy and advocacy competencies among a sample of K-12 educational leaders are examined. The researchers determined higher levels of empathy to be a positive, statistically significant predictor of advocacy for students at the individual as well as community levels. Researchers discovered educators possessing high levels of empathy would be better able to advocate effectively. Professional implications as well as implications for training future school leaders are explored.

We examined the moderating effect of gender on witnessing bullying, defending, and internalizing symptoms among sixth-grade students at one middle school in the northwestern United States. Results indicated that for females, witnessing bullying was positively associated with depressive symptoms and social anxiety, whereas for males, defending was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Findings suggest the importance of equipping female students with strategies to cope with witnessing bullying and providing male students with appropriate intervention skills for defending targets.