1 / 38

Reducing Weapons and Weapon Exposure in Schools:

Reducing Weapons and Weapon Exposure in Schools: A Statewide, Data-Driven, Local Empowerment Approach. Ron Avi Astor  Stein-Wood Professor of School Behavioral Health USC Suzanne Dworak -Peck School of Social Work Rossier School of Education University of Southern California

ivy
Download Presentation

Reducing Weapons and Weapon Exposure in Schools:

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Reducing Weapons and Weapon Exposure in Schools: • A Statewide, Data-Driven, Local Empowerment Approach Ron Avi Astor  Stein-Wood Professor of School Behavioral Health USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Rossier School of Education University of Southern California In collaboration with Rami Benbenishty Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Emeritus) Citations: 1. Astor, R.A., & Benbenishty, R. (2019). Bullying, school violence, and climate in evolving contexts: Culture, organization and time (Chapter 5- Weapons and Schools). New York: Oxford University Press. 2. Astor, R.A., Jacobson, L., Wrabel, S., Benbenishty, R., & Pineda, D. (2018) Welcoming practices: Creating schools that support students and families in transition. New York: Oxford University Press. 3. Astor, R.A. & Benbenishty, R. (2018) Mapping and monitoring bullying and violence: Building a safe school climate. New York: Oxford University Press.

  2. Two Visions About What Our Schools and Society Should Be • One vision believes that the path for lasting safety comes from welcoming, caring, and supportive schools • focuses on school climate, social emotional learning, civic engagement and community-- in addition to great academics. • also advocates for humane social supports, community linkages to resources for those students struggling with mental health, family and societal obstacles.

  3. Alternative Vision of School Safety • Another vision is a restrictive and punitive reaction to the mass shootings in schools that aims to protect students from mass shootings • based on tools and ideas that originate in law enforcement, • prison architecture and security measures • military strategies

  4. Comprehensive Reviews Covering Hundreds of International Studies, and Large-Scale Epidemiological Studies Show: • Schools with positive school climate and integrated SEL foci have significantly reduced • Isolation • Verbal bullying • Physical bullying • Sexual harassment/ assault • Cyberbullying • Negative relationships between students and between students and teachers • And have decreased student/ teacher reports of: • Weapons use, being threatened by a weapon, and seeing or knowing about a weapon on school grounds

  5. Positive Climate Lowers Rates of Victimization With Vulnerable Groups All Over The Globe. • Homeless, foster care, and group home students • Military and Veteran connected students • LGBTQ students • Immigrant groups-- including refugees • Girls --surrounding sexual harassment (multiple countries) • African American, Native American, Latinx-- in USA • Jewish, Arab, Christian, Bedouin, Druze, Ultra Orthodox-- in Israel • Different subgroups in Chile, Taiwan, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, France, and Cameroon

  6. Bullying, School Violence, and Climate in Evolving Contexts: Culture, Organization and Time Ron Avi Astor Rami Benbenishty

  7. School Organization Consequences (e.g.,) Academic Suicide Fear Substances External Influences Victimization to Violence and Bullying School Climate

  8. Federal State County District School

  9. National Public Health Strategy Focusing on Education, Climate, SEL and Reducing Weapons • Mapping and Monitoring, and Welcoming Methods, focus on using valid and reliable local data with: • Student voice and empowerment • Teacher voice and empowerment • Staff voice and empowerment

  10. Awareness Evaluation Mobilization Assessment DATA Gather Process Interpret Share Decide Implementation Planning

  11. What About SEL, Climate, and Resources for Weapon Behavior Reduction? • Using Monitoring and Welcoming school Methods to combine SEL, Climate, Local Community Resources, and Threat Assessment surrounding student and teacher reports of weapon behaviors on school grounds?

  12. Example of Public Health Approach • In climate improvement surveys 20-30% of CA students say they have seen a weapon on school grounds (each year for the past 20 years) • We have that data in CA for almost every school every year. The strategy of weapon reduction and prevention starts with student voice, knowledge and suggestions • Schools with high rates are identified and given extra resources needed to improve climate, improve SEL, link to community resources • Local voice of students, staff and parents are used to make safer and more welcoming school • Has been done at scale in Israel, Chile, CA as examples.

  13. Killed by a Weapon Injured with a Weapon Threatened with a Weapon Carried a Gun Carried a knife of a club Saw a Weapon Heard of a Weapon NoWeapon Exposure

  14. Student-Level Distribution of Weapon-Related Behaviors (N = 528,436)

  15. This means between 2011 and 2013 in California alone over • 100,000 guns brought to school grounds • 200,000 knives and clubs brought to school grounds • 175,000 students threatened by weapons on school grounds • 625,000 saw a weapon on school grounds

  16. Distribution of Weapon-Related Behaviors in Schools (N = 1,849)

  17. Combining SEL, Climate, Community Resources, and Threat Assessment Using Student Voice • In a recent 7 year study (2017) conducted in 145 CA Schools (over 100,000 students), a combination of Climate/ SEL/ Community interventions resulted in: • 55 % reduction in gun carrying on school grounds • 37.5% reduction in knives, guns, clubs or other weapons in injury or threats with a weapon of injury • 40% reduction in seeing a weapon on school grounds • 44% reduction in gang affiliation and participation

  18. Consortium Schools at Wave II (during intervention—start), Wave III (near end of intervention), and Wave IV (three years after the intervention) Compared With Wave 1 (pre-intervention): Dividing indexed means Time 1 with Times II, III, and IV. Shifts over time in means for indexes on outcomes.

  19. Rastor@usc.edu Thank You!

  20. Additional Links to Resources • https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/opinions/guns-in-schools-opinion-astor/index.html • https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/03/07/590877717/experts-say-here-s-how-to-prevent-the-next-school-shooting • https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-our-nations-schools-could-help-students-in-an_us_5a3777c3e4b0e1b4472ae7ed • https://curry.virginia.edu/prevent-gun-violence • https://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/reducing-the-threat-of-gun-violence-and-promoting-school-safety-through-connectedness-community-and-support-ron-avi-astor/ • https://casel.org/ • https://www.schoolclimate.org/ • https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/national-commission-on-social-emotional-and-academic-development/ • Welcoming practices: Creating schools that support students and families in transition. https://goo.gl/S9a1XP (discount code ASFLYQ6) • Mapping and monitoring bullying and violence: Building a safe school climate.  https://goo.gl/XUFB1M (discount code ASFLYQ6) • http://www.aera.net/Education-Research/Issues-and-Initiatives/Bullying-Prevention-and-School-Safety/Bullying-Prevention

  21. Suicide and School

  22. Chart 7.1. School-Level Distribution of Suicidal Ideation

  23. Chart 7.2. School-Level Suicidal Ideation by Severe Victimization at School

  24. Chart 7.3. School-Level Suicidal Ideation by Weapon Involvement at School

  25. Chart 7.4. School-Level Ideation by Percentage of Students Receiving Free and Reduced-Price Lunch

  26. Chart 7.5. School-Level Ideation by Academic Achievement

  27. School Victimization: Percentages of "at Least Once" During the Last 12 Months for Total Secondary Consortium by Military Connectedness and Year

  28. Percentages of Lifetime Smoking or Using Substances for Total Secondary Consortium by Military Connectedness and Year

  29. Percentages of total secondary (middle and high school) consortium Involvement with Weapons in School at Least Once in the Past 12 Months by Military Connectedness and Year

  30. Variation in Outcomes for by District for Middle Consortium Schools at Wave II, Wave III (near end of intervention), and Wave IV (three years after the intervention) Compared With Wave 1 (pre-intervention): Dividing indexed means Time 1 with Times II, III, and IV. Shifts over time in means for indexes on outcomes.

  31. Variation in Outcomes for by District for High School Consortium Schools at Wave II, Wave III (near end of intervention), and Wave IV (three years after the intervention) Compared With Wave 1 (pre-intervention): Dividing indexed means Time 1 with Times II, III, and IV. Shifts over time in means for indexes on outcomes

More Related