The Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) initiative: Lessons learned from implementing comprehensive youth development programs

Abstract

This article provides an overview of a special issue of Psychology in the Schools that examines the implementation of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative in seven local communities. An overview of the SS/HS Initiative is provided. Critical lessons learned from the seven sites are discussed with a focus on the special role that school psychologists can play in implementing these complex violence prevention programs.

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: Components Implemented by Elementary Classroom and Specialist Teachers

“…Not surprisingly, teachers in Cohort 4 engaged in more individual-level activities as compared to their Cohort 5 counterparts. That OBPP experience was associated with greater implementation fidelity is consistent with research documenting that it takes time for prevention program components to stabilize and become fully integrated in the school curriculum (Fixsen et al, 2005;Furlong et al, 2003;Han & Weiss, 2005). As a result, we suggest the need for periodic booster sessions, which few teachers herein had received, as well as ongoing technical assistance to help school staff maintain/sustain the intervention (Armstrong & Webb, 2006;Bundy, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2011).…”

“…Research suggests that it may take several years, typically 3 to 5 years, for a prevention program to become fully integrated in the school/community system and be sustained (Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005;Ryan & Smith, 2009). Furlong, Paige, and Osher (2003) noted that at least 2 years of OBPP implementation are needed before a school can expect to evidence decreased bullying and victimization rates. Similarly, highlighted that to be successful, the program needs to be maintained for more than 2 years.…”

Conceptualizing and Measuring Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships and Environments in Educational Settings

“…Based on our literature review, safe schools (i.e., schools free from violence and delinquency) can be operationalized as schools that have strong school leadership and policies; foster student, family, and community involvement; promote open communication and equal treatment of students; and coordinate prevention and intervention services that students need to maintain physical, mental and social health (Dwyer, Osher, & Warger, 1998; Furlong, Paige, & Osher, 2003; Langdon & Preble, 2008; Cross, Mohajeri-Nelson, Newman-Gonchar, 2007; Perumean-Chaney, S. E. and L. M. Sutton, 2013; Robers, Kemp. Truman, & Snyder, 2012).…”

Methodological and Measurement Issues in School Violence Research

“…Their results raise questions about the widespread reliance on student self-reports of bullying, and point to the need for careful validation of existing methods for identifying bullies and victims of bullying. Cross and Newman-Gonchar (2004) utilize data gathered as part of one site's implementation of the Safe School/Healthy Student Initiative (Furlong, Osher, & Paige, 2003). They examine standard validity checks across three different school violence and safety surveys and found that fewer students gave contradictory responses to surveys given routinely or in conjunction with a specific educational unit (treatment groups) than they did to surveys administered on short notice or not in conjunction with any instructional units (control groups).…”