Dive Brief:
- The National Institute of Justice awarded University of Virginia School of Education professors Catherine Bradshaw and Dewey Cornell a total of $6.1 million to research school safety.
- Bradshaw, associate dean for research and faculty development, and Cornell will use the money to focus on “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports”, also known as PBIS, and threat assessment.
- Virginia became the first state last year to mandate that all K-12 schools use a threat assessment approach, so that punishment is proportional to the actual threat.
Dive Insight:
“Many threats are not serious and may involve statements made in anger that soon resolve while others are more serious,” Cornell told the Cavalier Daily. “In the most serious case there may be a combination of mental health services and law enforcement intervention if needed.”
Their research is in line with the growing knowledge of the overuse of restraint inside schools. PBIS is considered an alternative to restraint, as it deals with the student's emotional needs first.
The fact that the grants are going to two University of Virginia faculty members is rare, according to Education School Dean Robert Pianta.