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SECTION IV – RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

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Applying what research tells us works – evidence-based practices – for violence prevention in our nation’s schools and communities is a top priority in our work. At the same time, we need to pay attention to taking care of the people who educate our children. – Assistant Surgeon General Brian Flynn, SAMHSA

According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, the degree of resilience that a person brings to their experience of stress relates to:

• The intensity and duration of the stressful experience(s);
• The individual’s own personal qualities, including the coping skills he or she uses;
• The individual’s personal reaction to the particular source(s) of stress involved, including how he or she perceives the cause of stress(es); and,
• The availability of social supports.

Educators and mental health professionals have identified a number of promising programs, practices and policies, some of which are evidence-based, for violence prevention in schools and communities. The following resources, used by schools and communities across the nation, can also enhance school and community members’ resilience to violence-related stress.

Resource Topics School Violence Prevention Resources Resources for Developing School Policies Resources for Building Parental Involvement and Community Partnerships Classroom Management / Student Discipline Resources Resources for Mental Health Following a Crisis School Violence and School Mental Health Information / Technical Assistance Centers Relevant Resources from the NEA Professional Library

 

School Violence Prevention Resources

• Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools by Kevin Dwyer, David Osher, and Cynthia Warger (1998). Washington, DC: U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, American Institutes for Research. Phone: 1-877-4ED-PUBS or 1-800-USA-LEARN, Web site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/earlywrn.html

• Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide by Kevin Dwyer and David Osher (2000). Washington, DC: U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, American Institutes for Research. Phone: 1-877-4ED-PUBS or 1-800-USA-LEARN, Website address: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/ActionGuide

• APA/MTV “Warning Signs” Guide. To order copies of the “Warning Signs” guide, produced by the American Psychological Association (APA) in collaboration with MTV/Music Television, call 1-800-268-0078 or visit APA’s webpage at http://helping.apa.org/warningsigns.

• MTV’s Fight for Your Rights: Take a Stand Against Violence CD/Action Guide. This interactive CD-Rom teaches conflict resolution through role-plays on computers and features music by top artists for CD-players to provide information on how youth can take a stand against violence in their communities. To order a free copy, visit the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s website at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/testmtv/mtv_new.html.

• Bullying Prevention Program – This is a model program for elementary, middle, and junior high school students for the reduction and prevention of bully/victim problems with school-wide, classroom and individual components. Contact: Sue Limber, Ph.D., Institute for Families in Society, University of South Carolina, Carolina Plaza, Columbia, SC 29208, (803) 777-9124.

• PATHS (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies) – PATHS is a model program for elementary school students to promote emotional and social competencies and reduce aggression and behavior problems while simultanteously enhancing the educational process in the classroom. Contact: Mark T. Greenberg, Ph.D., Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, 110 Henderson Building South, University Park, PA 16802-6504, (814) 863-0112. E-mail: [email protected].

• Blueprints for Violence Prevention and Safe Schools-Safe Communities – Contact the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 900 28^th Street, Suite 107, Campus Box 442, Boulder, CO 80309, (303) 492-1032. Blueprints For Violence Prevention is on the Web at http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints. E-mail: [email protected]. Visit Safe Schools-Safe Communities at http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/safeschools/mainpage.htm.

• I Can Problem Solve (ICPS): An Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving Program (1992) – Training manuals for teachers and other school personnel for curriculum designed for preschool, kindergarten/primary or intermediate/elementary grades. Research Press, Champaign, IL, (800) 519-2707. Contact: Myrna Shure, PhD, MCP Hahnemann University, Broad and Vine, MS 626, Philadelphia, Pa 19102, Phone: (215) 762-7205, Fax: (215) 762-8625, Email: [email protected].

• Second Step Program. Second Step builds on a foundation of teaching empathy, followed by teaching problem-solving skills, impulse control, and anger management. Benefiting not only children who need improvement in these skills, this program also benefits students who are victims of antisocial behavior. Reinforcement of prosocial skills helps students create a more peaceful environment where learning can take place. Contact: Committee for Children, 2203 Airport Way South, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98134, Phone: (800) 634-4449 or (206) 343-1223, Fax (206) 343-1445, Email: [email protected], Website: http://www.cfchildren.org/violence.htm.

• Virginia Youth Violence Project. Located at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, the Virginia Youth Violence Project identifies effective methods and policies for youth violence prevention, especially in school settings. This project conducts and disseminates research on the understanding and reduction of violent behavior and provides education, consultation, and training for educators, psychologists, and others in the social, legal, and human services professions. Contact: Virginia Youth Violence Project, 405 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2495, Phone: (804) 924-8929, Fax: (804) 924-1433, Email: [email protected], Website: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/curry/centers/youthvio/.

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Resources for Developing School Policies

• NEA Crisis Communications Guide & Toolkit – See Book 1 for “Checklist – How Does Your School or District Crisis Plan Measure Up?” on pages 1.6-1.8, also available at http://www.nea.org/crisis.

• The National Education Policy Network – Contact: National School Boards Association (NSBA), 1680 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, Michael E. Wessely, Manager. Phone: (703) 838-6700, E-mail: [email protected]; or see the NSBA on the Web at http://www.nsba.org/

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Resources for Building Parental Involvement and Community Partnerships

• Families and Schools Together (FAST) — The Families and Schools Together (FAST) program promotes multiple levels of social bonding for youth and addresses violence prevention by building and enhancing students’ relationships with their families, peers, school personnel, and other members of the community. The program emphasizes parental involvement in schools. Contact: Lynn McDonald, PhD, ACSW, FAST Program Founder, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1025 W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, Phone: (608) 263-9476, Fax: (608) 263-6448, E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/fast/

• Communities That Care (CTC) – CTC, a community operating system, provides training, technical assistance, and research-based tools for measuring youth problems and risk and protective factors, helping communities to promote the positive development of children and youth, and preventing adolescent substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout and violence. Contact: Drs. David Hawkins and Richard Catalano, Professors of Social Work, University of Washington, Co-Directors of Developmental Research and Programs, 130 Nickerson Street, Suite 107, Seattle, WA 98109, Phone: (800) 736-2630, Fax: (206) 286-1462, E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://www.drp.org/CTC.html

• Protective Schools: Linking Drug Abuse Prevention with Student Success – Kris Bosworth, Ph.D. (2000), Smith Initiatives for Prevention and Education, College of Education, The University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210069, Tucson, AZ 85721-0069, Phone: (520) 626-4964, E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://www.drugstats.org

• How to Help Your Child Succeed in School – For students in early elementary grades, this program provides parent education on how to support children’s schoolwork at home. Reference: Hawkins, J.D., R.F. Catalano, G.J. Jones, and D. Fine, (1987). Deliquency prevention through parent training: Results and issues from work in progress. In J.Q. Wilson & G.C. Loury (Eds.), Children to Citizens: Families, Schools and Delinquency Prevention. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

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Classroom Management / Student Discipline Resources

• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Technical Assistance Center, Behavioral Research and Training, 5262 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5262, Phone: 541-346-2505, Fax: 541-346-5689, E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://www.pbis.org

• The Responsive Classroom, Northeast Foundation for Children, 71 Montague City Road, Greenfield, MA 01301, 1-800-360-6332, Email: [email protected], Web site: http://www.responsiveclassroom.org.

• Horsch, Patricia, Chen, Jie-Qi, and Nelson, Donna (November 1999) “Rules and Rituals: Tools for Creating a Respectful, Caring Learning Community” Kappan, Phi Delta Kappa International, Vol. 81, No. 3, 223-227, online article at http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/khor9911.htm.

• Towards Effective Instructional and Behavioral Systems of Support: A School-Wide Approach to Discipline and Early Literacy by George M. Sugai, Edward J. Kame’enui, Robert H. Horner, and Deborah C. Simmons. University of Oregon. Visit: http://www.ericec.org/osep/eff-syst.htm

• Project ACHIEVE: A Collaborative, School-Based School Reform Process Improving the Academic and Social Progress of At-Risk and Underachieving Students. Howard Knoff, Ph.D. and George Batsche, Ph.D., Co-Directors, Institute for School Reform, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy, School Psychology Program, FAO 100U, Room 270, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-7750, Phone: (813) 974-9498, Fax: (813) 974-5814, E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected], Web site: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/deptpsysoc/psych/

• Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) – A school-based, primary prevention program for grades K-12 involving a conflict resolution skill-building curriculum for social-emotional learning and student peer mediation. RCCP National Center, 40 Exchange Place, Suite 1111, New York, NY 10005, Phone: (212) 509-0022, Fax: (212) 509-1095, E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://esrnational.org

• Proactive Classroom Management – Seattle Social Development Project – A promising program for grades 1-4 that trains teachers in proactive class management and involves interactive teaching and cooperative learning. Children in grade 1 receive cognitive-based, social competence training. The project includes parent training with “Catch ’em Being Good,” “How to Help Your Child Succeed in School,” and “Preparing for the Drug Free Years.” Reference: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, on the Web at http://www.Colorado.EDU/cspv/blueprints/promise/Seattle.htm

• Project PATHE — This promising program for students in middle school and high school promotes effective social competence, reduces school disorder, and improves school environments. The program includes treatment for low-achieving and disruptive students. Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, on the Web at http://www.Colorado.EDU/cspv/blueprints/promise/PATHE.htm

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Resources for Mental Health Following a Crisis

• NEA Crisis Communications Guide & Toolkit – See Book 4, Tool 7 – “For Parents, Staff and Media: About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,”. Web site: http://www.nea.org/crisis

• National Organization for Victims’ Assistance (NOVA), 1-800-TRY-NOVA.

• National Emergency Assistance Team (NEAT) of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). NEAT is comprised of seven nationally certified school psychologists who have had formal training and direct experience in crisis response. Team members provide services ranging from advice over the phone to joining a crisis management team on the ground when invited. Contact: National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 657-0270, http://www.naspweb.org

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – SAMHSA is the Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services in order to reduce illness, death, disability and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illness. Contact: SAMHSA, Room 12-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Email: [email protected] Web site: http://www.samhsa.gov

• Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN) – KEN, at the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), offers trained staff who can respond to questions and provide resources from more than 200 publications about mental health – including anti-stigma campaign resources and resources specifically relating to mental health following crises situations. Contact: KEN, P.O. Box 42490, Washington, DC 20015, Phone: 1-800-789-2647, Fax: (301) 984-8796, E-mail: [email protected], Web site: http://www.mentalhealth.org

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School Violence and School Mental Health Information / Technical Assistance Centers

• Safe Schools/Healthy Students Action Center. The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Action Center can provide local education agencies, communities, and families with access to resources and materials to enhance their ability to undertake collaborative efforts to prevent school violence and enhance resilience. The Action Center is funded through a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and Justice and is operated by the National Mental Health Association in partnership with the National Association of School Psychologists. In addition to assisting local education agencies, communities and families, The Action Center was founded to assist federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiatives and School Action Grantees to fully attain their goals of interagency collaboration and adoption of evidence-based practices to reduce school violence and substance abuse and promote healthy (including mentally healthy) development and resiliency. Contact: Safe Schools/Healthy Students Action Center, 1021 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, Phone: (703) 837-3370 or toll free 1 (877) 339-7747, Fax (703) 549-4265, Web site: http://www.sshsac.org

• Center for School Mental Health Assistance (CSMHA). Located at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the Center for School Mental Health Assistance (CSMHA) provides technical assistance to schools and communities and conducts a number of local, state and national training events. It is one of two school mental health training and technical assistance centers funded by the Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (see also, below, the Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA). CSMHA staff can be contacted toll free at 1-888-706-0980, or by email at [email protected]. CSMHA’s website address is http://csmha.umaryland.edu

• Center for Mental Health in Schools: Training and Technical Assistance. Located at UCLA’s Department of Psychology, the Center for Mental Health in Schools, funded by the Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides many resources for educators, clinicians, policy-makers and others interested in school mental health, including:

• Hard copy and online resources. Guidebooks, introductions to specific practices, resource aids, samplers, and more cover a broad variety of school mental health topics. See list of materials online at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu (most materials can be downloaded in a PDF format) or contact the Center for a print version of the Center’s resource list and/or printed materials from the resource list.
• Quick find searches online provide Web users with access to the Center’s responses to specific technical assistance requests received in the past.
• Addressing Barriers to Learning, the Center’s quarterly newsletter, includes feature articles related to the title as well as sections on specific practices for daily use in working with behavior, emotional, and learning problems in school settings. Past issues are on the Center’s website. Contact the Center to get on the mailing list to receive the quarterly newsletter and other materials.
• E-News, the Center’s electronic monthly news update, is an informative, monthly newsletter via email that focuses on emerging issues, up-to-date news, information about recent reports, publications, resources, funding opportunities, conferences and more. To subscribe, send an email request to [email protected], leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message type: subscribe mentalhealth-L.

Contact: Center for Mental Health in Schools, UCLA/Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90094-1563, Phone: (310) 825-3634, Fax: (310) 206-8716, Email: [email protected]; Website: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.

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Relevant Resources from the NEA Professional Library

NEA Professional Library

Distribution Center

P.O. Box 2035

Annanpolis Junction, MD 20701-2035

(800) 229-4200 / Fax (301) 206-9789

www.nea.org/books

• NEA Safe Schools Now Network Video Series – VHS copies of individual shows, each accompanied by a discussion and resource guide, can be purchased from the NEA Professional Library. Visit http://www.safeschoolsnow.org for more information or to view/download discussion/resource guides.

• Reasons for Hope (2000). In this 43-minute video, community members from Littleton, Colorado discuss their healing processes and their hopes for the future and school personnel from Columbia, South Carolina examine a school-community program called “Early Alliance” which supports young children, families, and teachers. Highlights how home, school and community partnerships can teach children to act in pro-social ways. Presents information on national trends in youth violence, separating myths from reality.

• Building a Safe and Responsive School Climate (2000). Based on the belief that creating safe, responsible, and respectful environments for young people requires the will and commitment of the whole community, this 43-minute video looks at establishing nurturing and preditable school climates. Profiles activities in Richmond, Virginia and Eugene, Oregon involving the school, home and community working together to help young students succeed in school.

• Early Signals of Distress (2000). How does a system identify and respond to warning signs of distress in children? What are some effective and comprehensive responses? What is an appropriate role for the school and its employees? How do we avoid stigmatizing children who may be in trouble? This program looks at two school communities – one in Los Angeles, California and one in Westerly, Rhode Island – and their efforts to understand and heed the messages that young people send.

• Forging Community Alliances (2000). Each community has a distinct set of characteristics. Creating effective collaborations to address school and community safety requires a thorough knowledge of the local scene so that program outcomes match community needs. This episode examines strong collaborations forged in two communities – Mesa, Arizona and Buncombe County, North Carolina.

• Safer Schools: Helping Students Resist Drugs (2000). Produced in collaboration with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, this video focuses on after-school programs that help students resist peer pressure to engage in drug use. By channeling students’ energies during critical after-school hours, these schools help students practice positive behaviors that augment safety in classrooms, schools, and communities. Specialists will discuss the link between substance abuse and violence and offer warning signs to help identify at-risk students. Young people share their views and experiences about this pervasive societal problem. This show premiered the NEA Safe School Now Network’s first live, half-hour call-in segment that allowed viewers to ask questions of in-studio experts.

• Violence-Related Stress: A Guide for School Staff (2000). Produced in collaboration with SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services, this 45-minute video highlights the Tucson Resiliency Initiative at La Cima Middle School in Tucson, Arizona and a school-community collaboration in Maryland enabling Montgomery County Schools to achieve district-wide preparedness for a comprehensive approach to crisis response. In a thought-provoking and emotionally moving segment, six school staff share their wisdom based on their own personal experiences of dealing with violence-related stress.

• Call, Judi, et al (2000). Innovative Discipline (Revised Edition). NEA, Washington, DC. This book, updated to include a section on school safety, presents discipline strategies that can improve the culture of a school and covers peer mediation, self-help sessions, and TQM as a discipline strategy.

• Building Safe and Orderly Schools: Tools and Skills to Make It Happen (1999). This kit, which includes two videos and a 60-page resource guide, comes from a joint project of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. A resource designed for union and association trainers to use in their work with educators who want to sharpen their skills in classroom management and managing student behavior outside the classroom, this kit presents best ways to create a classroom floor plan, establish and teach students the rules, communicate with parents, intervene to handle behavior problems, write behavior contracts, and create effective time-out strategies.

• Peer Support: Teachers Mentoring Teachers (1998). NEA, Washington, DC. Peer mentoring groups are blooming across the country as teachers reach out to their colleagues for advice and support. Highlights in this book include how to set up a mentoring program and how to create effective collegial partnerships.

• Froschi, Merle, Sprung, Barbara, and Mullin-Rindler, Nancy (1998). Quit It! A Teacher’s Guide on Teasing and Bullying for Use with Students in Grades K-3. Educational Equity Concepts, Inc. and Wellesley (MA) College Center for Research. Classroom bullying is more prevalent than many educators realize. This book contains nine classroom lessons to help teachers and students explore the topic of bullying and teasing, including problem-solving assignments, literature connections, physical games and exercises, reproducible worksheets, and family activity letters.

• The Multicultural Resource Series

• Professional Development Guide for Educators (1999). Gene-Tey Shin, Paul Gorski, and Martha Green, Editors. NEA Human and Civil Rights, Washington, DC. Real multicultural education goes far beyond focusing on a particular group for a month. Ongoing, inclusive teaching can validate the lives and experiences of all children. This book includes personal essays written by educators who describe how multicultural education has transformed their teaching and serves as a comprehensive source for multicultural organizations, publications, videos and Web sites.
• Resources for a Multicultural Classroom (2000). Martha Green, Joyce Blakley, Sybille Scott, Deborah Stuart, Gene-Tey Shin, and Paul Gorski, Editors. NEA Human and Civil Rights and NEA Professional Library, Washington, DC. This book contains annotated print, film, video, and electronic resource lists to help educators plan K-12 programs that tie the strengths of diversity and inclusion with prescribed curriculum. Resources are divided into eight categories: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial/Interracial, Gender, Disability, and Sexual Orientation.

• Sullo, Robert A. (1999). The Inspiring Teacher: New Beginnings for the 21^st Century, NEA, Washington, DC. Inspiring teachers teach more than facts and subject matter. They teach a way of being in the world. This book presents the latest research on brain-based learning – about how we learn most easily and effectively – and information on how to form positive alliances with colleagues and parents, skills to help people resolve conflicts effectively, and how to inspire students by drawing forth their potential.

• Zocchetti, Miche and Zocchetti, Nicole (1998). The School Change Checklist: A Basic Guide, NEA, Washington, DC. This book presents seven critical guidelines for writing a mission statement, guidance on how to fashion a new curriculum, and provides practical information on getting the financial support needed to make change happen and sustain it.

• Kosier, Ken (1998). The Discipline Checklist: Advice from 60 Successful Elementary Teachers. NEA, Washington, DC. Sixty elementary teachers, recognized for highly successful efforts at maintaining discipline, share their insights and suggestions on classroom management and how to motivate today’s students, including how to model positive interactions and the importance of flexibility in discipline strategies.

• Murray, Barbara A. and Murray, Kenneth, T. (1997). Pitfalls and Potholes: A Checklist for Avoiding Common Mistakes of Beginning Teachers. NEA, Washington, DC. This book includes user-friendly checklists on a variety of topics including how to get a job, manage student conduct, get along with administrators, maintain personal priorities, and avoid lawsuits.

• Stein, Nan and Sjostrom, Lisa (1996). Bullyproof: A Teacher’s Guide on Teasing and Bullying for Use with Fourth and Fifth Grade Students. NEA and the Wellesley College Center for Research, Washington, DC and Wellesley, MA. This books presents concrete answers to dilemmas faced by targets, perpetrators, and so-called bystanders, including eleven engaging lessons to get students to think about the distinctions between playful and harmful behavior. Writing activities, reading assignments, class discussion questions, suggested role plays, case studies, and homework assignments for use in the classroom are included.

• Christensen, Beth, et. al. (1996). Building Parent Partnerships. Highlights in this book include ways to accommodate parents’ busy schedules, addressing the changes in the nature of today’s families, how to plan effective parent conferences, and how to use newsletters to build partnerships with parents.

• Harmin, Merrill (1995). Inspiring Discipline: A Practical Guide for Today’s Classroom. NEA, Washington, DC. A broad base of behavior management strategies are presented in this book, including how to do building community in the classroom, dissolve antagonism and resentment, recognize and respect people’s limits, and use positive interventions.

• Stein, Nan and Sjostrom, Lisa (1994). Flirting or Hurting? A Teacher’s Guide to Student-to-Student Sexual Harassment in Schools (Grades 6 through 12). NEA and the Wellesley College Center for Research, Washington, DC and Wellesley, MA. This guide presents a multi-dimensional approach to preventing and eliminating sexual harassment in schools, including core lessons, student handout reproducibles, supplemental activities, writing assignments, homework ideas, and background teaching notes.

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Introduction Letter from Bob Chase Full Table of Contents Section I – Stress 101: A Primer on Stress for School Employees Section II – Violence and Schools: Separating Myth from Fact Section III – Reducing Violence-Related Stress in Schools Section IV – Recommended Resources References Project Advisory Group

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