This presentation will describe one component of a school-based violence prevention program in a predominantly Hispanic suburb of Chicago as a part of the federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative. Most marginal behavior problems are more effectively curbed through making changes in the classroom and school climate than through a ten or twenty session curriculum. The strengths of the public health approach towards violence prevention are augmented by research from other fields. Operant conditioning principles tell us that when behaviors are reinforced, those behaviors increase. Educational research tells us that as students get more involved, they are less likely to act out. Despite good intentions, many teachers don’t have access to research on child and developmental psychology or the time to design classroom applications. In this initiative, staff from the Cook County Department of Public Health work alongside elementary school administrators and teachers to implement strategies that are designed to increase pro-social behaviors and academic performance and decrease anti-social behaviors. Health department staff coach classroom teachers on things such as creating meaningful roles for each student, rewarding groups for positive behavior, and teaching cooperative games (based in part on work of Dr. Dennis Embry). The program has multiple levels of evaluation, including teachers’ assessment of student behaviors and number of referrals to Special Education. The presentation will include the theoretical underpinnings of this approach and the challenges and successes of implementation in the first year of the project.
Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1) Describe the importance of applying research findings from other disciplines to the design of youth violence prevention programs; and 2) Apply information to developing low-cost, effective violence prevention initiatives in their schools
Keywords: Violence Prevention, School-Based Programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.