Evidence-Based Violence Prevention Programs and Best Implementation Practices

This chapter reviews several examples of effective violence prevention programs as well as model school-safety programs. It shows that successful school-wide intervention programs have the following core underlying implementation characteristics: (i) they are comprehensive, intensive, ecological, and require "buy-in" from school and community; (ii) they raise the awareness and responsibility of students, teachers, and parents regarding the types of violence in their schools (e.g. sexual harassment, fighting, and weapons use); (iii) they create clear guidelines and rules for all members of the school community; (iv) they target the various social systems in the school and clearly communicate to the entire school community what procedures should be followed before, during, and after violent events; (v) they focus on getting the school staff, students, and parents involved in the program; (vi) they often fit easily into the normal flow and mission of the school setting; (vii) they use faculty, staff, and parents in the school setting to plan, implement, and sustain the program; (viii) they increase monitoring and supervision in non-classroom areas; and (ix) they include ongoing monitoring and mapping, which provide information that schools can use to tailor a program to their specific needs and increase its chance of success.