U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

School-Based Violence Prevention Programs: What Works (From Violence in American Schools: A Practical Guide for Counselors, P 247-266, 2000, Daya Singh Sandhu and Cheryl Blalock Aspy, eds. -- See NCJ-185486)

NCJ Number
185501
Author(s)
Mary K. Lawler
Date Published
2000
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Schools throughout the United States are being challenged to develop and implement effective school-based violence prevention programs to reduce aggressive and violent behavior.
Abstract
The public health prevention model forms the basis for most violence prevention programs. This model includes prevention efforts at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Violence prevention programs that work provide individual attention to students and multiple activities that involve parents, teachers, and community leaders and residents. Specific elements of promising violence prevention programs that have been identified by experts include clear behavior norms, skills training strongly based on theory, comprehensive and multifaceted approach, coordination across programs, physical and administrative changes, at least 10 to 20 sessions, training for all school staff, multiple teaching methods, and cultural sensitivity. Challenges schools face in selecting appropriate violence prevention programs are considered, and specific violence prevention programs are briefly described in table format. 31 references and 2 tables