This paper presents the findings from the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI) Projects.
This publication of the Department of Justice (DOJ) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) summarizes and synthesizes five key findings of the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI) Projects and provides an overview of a comprehensive framework for school safety. The findings are that (1) a comprehensive framework for school safety balances evidence-based strategies for addressing school climate, student behavior, and physical security with consideration for the school’s unique needs and resources; (2) a positive school climate benefits multiple student- and school-level outcomes, including academic achievement, behavior, and physical safety; (3) a continuum of responses to student behavior problems should seek to address the underlying causes of misconduct, aggression, and violence, not just the symptoms; (4) research on the effectiveness of physical security technologies in schools is limited, but there are several widely accepted physical security technologies and practices for schools; and (5) due to schools’ limited resources and capacity, the implementation of school safety programs and practices often differs from guidelines, diminishing their impact. The document provides recommendations following from each of these key findings. NIJ’s three main components of a comprehensive approach to school safety are (1) school climate, (2) student behavior, and (3) physical security). This review provides school and district officials with information on and guidance for how to balance the components of school safety, and it provides federal, state, and local policy leaders with evidence on the gaps in knowledge, practice, and implementation of evidence-based practices for school safety.