NIJ Day: Large-Scale Assessments of School Safety Strategies: Implications for Policy and Practice

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Concern about safety in schools has become a pervasive issue as policymakers, educators, and parents grapple with the mechanisms and strategies that should be in place to keep students and staff safe. Across approaches, it is imperative that decisions about school safety policy and programming are evidence-based and informed by research. Since 2014, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has made an unprecedented level of investment in research and evaluation studies to improve knowledge on what works to keep K-12 schools and students safe. This panel highlights findings from three large-scale studies funded by NIJ, each aimed at understanding different strategies to improve school safety – behavioral threat assessment, police in schools, and state school safety centers. In addition to examining the utility of these strategies in addressing school safety, the panel also explores the practice and policy implications based on the findings from each study.

Sub Unit

• Area IV. Correlates of Crime / 34. School Experiences

Individual Presentations

• School safety reform and student experiences: A statewide study of behavioral threat assessment in Texas - Trevor Fronius, WestEd; Justine Zimiles, WestEd

• Impact of school police reform on student safety, behavior, well-being, and disciplinary outcomes in California - Arena Lam, WestEd; Trevor Fronius, WestEd

• Using research to inform practice: A framework for state school safety centers - Ashley Boal, WestEd; Shawna White, WestEd; Sarah Russo, WestEd; Heather Sutherland, WestEd; Adrienne Washington, WestEd

Chair

• Jennifer K. Grotpeter, National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, USDOJ

Discussant

• Patricia Campie, American Institutes for Research