We are partnering with the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University on a new NIJ-funded grant. The grant supports a 3-year study to examine early-stage implementation of a recent Texas mandate requiring schools to disseminate safe firearms storage information to students’ families each year. The research team will survey a statewide representative sample of school administrators and parents to assess perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors related to the campaign, including how the findings vary across demographic and community factors. The study will also include a process of co-interpretation with students and parents to inform future implementation strategies in the state.
Project
Oregon Opioid Overdose Prevention Plan
Our teams are working with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to address the opioid overdose epidemic through prevention strategies. This work will include five phases: (1) lesson plan development for elementary and high school youth; (2) materials development and planning to support synchronous professional learning to build the capacity of teachers; (3) virtual professional learning development to facilitating broader community understanding of prevention policies and practices; (4) delivering a social media campaign to engage youth; and (5) work with the ODE and districts on a comprehensive substance misuse prevention and intervention plan to ensure policies and practices are sustained. This project underscores our services that we provide to assist state and other jurisdictions in addressing the opioid crisis.
Evaluating Oklahoma Program for Justice-Involved Women With Substance Abuse Disorders
The U.S. Department of Treasury, under the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA), provides outcome payments for meeting positive employment and child welfare targets that result in value to the federal government. Under SIPPRA, jurisdictions can apply for funding to support, among other things, an evaluation to determine if the program achieved its predetermined targets. The State of Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services was awarded a contract for the Family & Children’s Services Women in Recovery program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The program is an outpatient alternative for women with substance use disorders facing incarceration. The project objectives include improving access to stable employment and reducing contact with child protection services. The JPRC will serve as the independent evaluator and lead a quasi-experimental study.
Violence Prevention Navigation Framework (VPNF)
Providing Technical Assistance to Enhance School Capacity to Prevent Youth Violence
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funded K–12 educational communities across the country to support their efforts to address youth violence by identifying needs and implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention efforts. In collaboration with our partner and lead organization, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the JPRC (and teammates from WestEd’s Resilient and Health Schools and Communities) will provide direct technical assistance to a selected number of these grantees. Our team will support grantees in their planning and implementation of specific programs and strategies to prevent youth violence. We will lead several broader tasks, including providing webinars and other group learning opportunities, and creating tools and other resources for the field.