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Seven Steps to a safer School

 

 

 

STEP 4: FOCUS IN ON PREVENTION NEEDS

• Determine whether the prevention needs should be addressed at the primary, secondary or tertiary levels, or a combination of all three; consult the Pyramid of Prevention
• Link selection of the prevention activity to the data-based hypothesis developed in STEP 3.
• Follow the link to Evidence-Based Programs and Procedures
• Assure that the prevention program is sensitive to the cultural norms of the participants and the community in which they reside

Expanded Explanation:

Once the action hypotheses have been proposed and the potential outcomes rendered to a Goal Attainment Scaling format, the team needs to consider the targets and substance of the interventions.  The Pyramid of Prevention provides a model for this step.  Team members need to ask:

• Should the action be a primary prevention program that focuses on the needs of all of the students in the school?
• Should the action be a secondary prevention program that focuses on fewer students who are showing problem behaviors that may portend the emergence of more serious behaviors to come?
• Should the action be an tertiary prevention program that targets the needs of students with severe emotional-behavioral disabilities, mental illness, or other forms of dangerous or aggressive behavior?
• Should the action be a combination of all three preventative actions?

These are not decisions that should be arrived at lightly, for they have serious implications for issues related to effectiveness, budget, staff resources, and staff competencies. Consider the following decision rules:

• If the identified action hypothesis addresses school-wide policies and/or general knowledge and skills needed by all of the students in order to help prevent the occurrence of the problem, then a primary prevention program should be considered.
• If the identified action hypothesis addresses skill deficits (anger management, conflict resolution, social skills, academic underachievement), found in a smaller subset of students then a secondary prevention program is called for.
• If the identified action hypothesis targets the behavior of the very few students with the most seriously problematic behavior with the aim to protect them and others from the effects of a further escalation of the problem behaviors, then a tertiary prevention plan is indicated.

Links to evidence-supported programs and procedures for each of these three prevention targets can be found at Evidence-Based Programs and Procedures.  Careful consideration should be made by the team of the demonstrated outcomes for each of the procedures that will be considered.  For instance, primary prevention anger management curricula delivered at the classroom level is targeted at children who do not have serious anger control problems and is unlikely to have measurable effects on those who do.  On the other hand, evidence-supported school-wide bullying prevention programs can have a significant impact upon the few students who are engaging in bullying behavior, and research-supported, school-wide early literacy programs can have a measurable effect on discipline problems related to poor academic engagement. Consequently, the selection of the prevention activity should involve careful study of its intended outcomes and be directly related to the data-based hypothesis developed in STEP 3.

Cultural Issues:

When considering programs and procedures for enhancing school safety, careful attention should be given to the need to have a program that is sensitive to the cultural norms of the participants and the community in which they reside. In STEP 5, the subsection entitled Generate Support calls upon planners to solicit student, parent, and community input into the prevention plan. This is a critical feature. The School Safety Planning Team must make every effort to see that the recommended actions are seen by all as unbiased and in the best interests of all students and their families. Minority members, in particular African-American male students, are disproportionately referred for disciplinary consequences, including out of school suspension. Any plan that seeks to address disciplinary safety issues in the school must be sensitive to student, parent, and community concerns around this and related appearances and actualities of cultural bias.

This web site has been produced by The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment to provide research-based school violence prevention procedures for educators. The web site has been made possible with the generous support of the Robert and Renee Belfer Foundation and other supporters.
The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment to provide research-based school violence prevention procedures for educators
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