Strengthen the evidence base on school-based law enforcement through rigorous experimental studies, including random assignment designs¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The brief recommends improving the quality of available evidence on school-based law enforcement's effectiveness, noting that the U.S. National Institute of Justice's Comprehensive School Safety Initiative funded dozens of additional rigorous studies beginning in 2015. It highlights WestEd's partnership with Texas State University and the Texas School Safety Center to conduct an experimental study of a new framework for SROs on student perceptions of safety, whose "use of random assignment will make it an important addition to this body of research."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Studies must move beyond presence/absence designs to examine factors such as officer selection, roles, training, and support from school and police administration

Constraints¶

• Existing evidence is largely descriptive or lacks credible research designs, so current conclusions about effectiveness remain premature

Target Learners¶

• Students in middle schools and high schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Student perceptions of safety at school; school safety outcomes

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Stern, A., & Petrosino, A. (2018). What do we know about the effects of school-based law enforcement on school safety? San Francisco, CA: WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resources/effects-of-school-based-law-enforcement-on-school-safety