Research on Lowering Violence in Communities and Schools (ReSOLV)
Background
In 2001, the first Surgeon General’s report on youth violence presented a comprehensive review of the root causes of violence and called for investment in cross-level research designs that examine multiple risk factors across individual, school, and community levels simultaneously. Since then we have learned that exposure to violence and adverse circumstances in multiple settings over time, can alter a youth’s developmental pathway and effects may linger into adulthood.
A comprehensive approach to school safety requires a focus on the root causes within the school and larger community setting. Schools and school staff must be prepared to apply comprehensive solutions that engage and build a strong collective bond with students, parents, and community partners, and also know how their own interactions with and among students influence school safety and educational outcomes.
Project Overview
The National Institute of Justice created the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI) to improve knowledge about the root causes of school violence, develop strategies to increase school safety, and rigorously evaluate innovative school safety strategies. In support of the CSSI, AIR—in partnership with Arizona State University, The Wandersman Center, Dawn Chorus Group, and a group of nationally recognized school safety experts—is conducting Research on Lowering Violence in Communities and Schools (ReSOLV), formerly known as the California School Safety Project. This longitudinal study examines the association of school safety and student outcomes with school-based risk and protective factors and readiness to adopt a comprehensive school safety approach.
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Study Locations
The study is being conducted in one urban, one suburban, and one rural California school district, and whose findings will inform research, policy, and practice by focusing on school safety in communities where crime and violence is greatest.
Study Outcomes
Findings will help schools and communities better understand the relationship between community, school, and individual capacities and the willingness to adopt a comprehensive school safety approach to address root causes of school violence. Results will inform schools’ planning, financing, and evaluation of current and future school safety prevention and intervention efforts.
ReSOLV Council of Advisors
Amy Azano
Virginia Tech, School of Education
Brian Bumbarger
Griffith University Institute of Criminology/
Penn State University Prevention Research Center
Ruth Cusick
The Collective for Liberatory Lawyering
Larry Fondation
United Parents and Students
Los Angeles
Denise Gottfredson
University of Maryland (Professor Emeritus)
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Gene Hall
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Educational Psychology and Higher Education
Thomas Graven
San Francisco Unified School District
Student Family and Community Support Department
Vera Lopez
Arizona State University
School of Justice and Social Inquiry
JoJo Reyes
Mendota Representative
Mendota Unified School District
Victor Rosa
Hanford Representative
Hanford Joint Union High School District
Abe Wandersman
University of South Carolina Department of Psychology/
The Wandersman Center
