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A Positive Youth Development Approach to School Safety

NCJ Number
306894
Date Published
April 2023
Length
3 pages
Annotation

This information booklet from the National Center for School Safety provides an overview of a researcher-developed, comprehensive model for school safety; it provides a diagram of the model and describes contextual factors, environmental approaches, and equitable responses; and lists contributor and contact information.

Abstract

This document provides an overview of a researcher-developed, comprehensive model of school safety to describe the multiple pathways that contribute to school safety and positive youth development. The model was designed to help practitioners and policymakers understand how the strategies they choose may be related to a larger context of school safety. The model includes four key components: contextual factors; environmental factors and their associated strategies; equitable response; and outcomes. It begins with recognition of the underlying contextual factors necessary for the successful implementation of whichever approaches are taken in a school or district. The model suggests that while the goal of comprehensive school safety strategies is to address the psychological and physical safety of students and staff, the most important thing is to implement a model that helps schools create environments in which students can thrive and develop into healthy and productive adults.

Date Published: April 1, 2023