In some cases it's better to let the kid handle it himself, in some cases it's better to go to the administration, in some cases it's better to switch schools.
How about teaching the kid to handle it himself, as in "okay let's analyze this situation together and come up with some creative solutions"? That would be my first choice; get the kid to practice something like rejection theory for standing up to bullies or something like that, or practice martial arts, or invite "potential allies" out to Disneyland or I dunno, my kid isn't getting bullied yet (that I know of).
Or take the Ender route and kill the aggressor. That sure stops the bullying, but it fits 'destroy the village to save it'.
Although my 8-year-old son likes his teacher, he is frequently bored at school. He attends a high quality suburban public school in the United States. He has a lot of traits in common with LessWrong readers, and we would like advice for what he can do to counter his boredom. Many of you must have found grade school more or less tedious. What were your coping strategies?