How Can We Improve School Safety Research?

The authors of this article consider how education researchers can improve school violence and school safety research by (a) examining gaps in theoretical, conceptual, and basic research on the phenomena of school violence; (b) reviewing key issues in the design and evaluation of evidence-based practices to prevent school violence; and (c) suggesting new directions for a translational science agenda that can inform policy and practice. The authors describe international empirical approaches that help match annual school safety monitoring data with specific evidence-based practices for each school site, school district, or region. The systemic exploration of successful large-scale applications of evidence-based programs at the district, regional, and state levels could inform theoretical paradigms, empirical databases, and practice.