Keeping rural schools and communities safe: examining risk factors for violence that challenge readiness to respond.

• In Event: Contexts that Contribute to the Root Causes and Prevention of Violence in Rural and Urban Places

Abstract

This presentation will review results from a mixed-methods seven-year longitudinal study of school and community safety in a small rural community, examining four research questions: 1) How does the ecology of risk and protective factors within schools or communities influence the educational and safety outcomes of students? 2) Is school, individual, or community readiness to mitigate risk factors for school or community violence associated with improved educational and safety outcomes? 3) What are the core components of school, individual, and community readiness to mitigate risk factors for school or community violence? 4) How do the associations between school, individual, and community readiness, along with school and community safety, and student outcomes vary over time? Implications for school and community safety practice as well as theory-building and measurement in rural settings will be discussed.

Authors

• Patricia Campie, American Institutes for Research

• Anthony Peguero, Arizona State University

• Allyson Pakstis, American Institutes for Research