Early Investigation into the Quality of Training for School Resource Officers

• In Event: Police Training: Evaluation and Development

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of school resource officers (SROs) and other school safety personnel, little is known about the quality or outcomes associated with SRO training. To address this gap, WestEd's Justice and Prevention Research Center is conducting a comprehensive evaluation of trainings provided by the National Association for School Resource Officers (NASRO), the nation’s largest provider of training for SROs. This National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded evaluation seeks to better understand the quality and utility of NASRO training for SROs and other school safety personnel. This presentation will share early findings from the study, including data from pre-post knowledge assessments and surveys of trainees collected at the end of each NASRO training over a one-year period. Findings will describe trainee perceptions of course and instructor quality, training strengths and opportunities for improvement, growth in knowledge and skills, and plans to apply learning in the field. These findings set the stage for the next phase of the evaluation, which follows up with trainees six months after course completion to gather information about the extent to which they have used what they learned.

Authors

• Ashley Boal, WestEd

• Sarah Russo, WestEd

• Justine Zimiles, WestEd

• Hannah Sutherland, WestEd