A school‐based violence prevention model for at‐risk eighth grade youth

This study examined the effectiveness of a school and community‐based violence prevention program for at‐risk eighth‐grade students in three public schools in Florida. School officials matched intervention students with community‐based mentors in an employment setting to allow targeted youth to explore careers and receive one‐on‐one intervention from an adult mentor. Intervention students were compared to a control group of students not receiving mentorship services. This study used MANOVA and t‐test analyses to examine six outcomes measured: (1) unexcused absences; (2) number of in‐school suspensions; (3) number of days of in‐school suspensions; (4) number of out‐of‐school suspensions; (5) number of days of out‐of‐school suspensions; and (6) total number of infractions committed on school property. The findings suggested that mentored students, as compared to control group students, had significant reductions in total number and days of suspensions, days of sanction, and infractions committed on school property.