In Response to the Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School

Position Statement of the Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence

Endorsed by 183 organizations and more than 200 prevention scholars and practitioners

PDF Statement (English) | PDF Declaración de Posición

The undersigned school violence prevention researchers and practitioners and associated organizations wish to comment on the tragic acts of violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which have shaken the nation, and express our deepest condolences to families and loved ones of the victims and the entire Newtown community. We all share a common priority: Keeping our children safe. We need to come together in our communities to share our grief and talk about how we can move forward in light of this tragic event. This document updates the School Shootings Position Statement that was disseminated nationally following the tragic school-related shootings of 2006.

It is important to emphasize that our concern is not limited to schools. The Connecticut tragedy is referred to as a school shooting, but it is better described as a shooting that took place in a school. It is also relevant to consider the hundreds of multiple casualty shootings that occur in communities throughout the United States every year. Few of them occur in schools, but of course are especially tragic when they occur. Yet children are safer in schools than in almost any other place, including for some, their own homes.

While schools are of paramount concern, the location of a shooting is not its most important feature, although it is the most visible. From the standpoint of prevention, what matters more is the motivation behind a shooting. It is too soon to draw conclusions about this case, but in every mass shooting we must consider two keys to prevention: (1) the presence of severe mental illness and/or (2) an intense interpersonal conflict that the person could not resolve or tolerate.

Inclinations to intensify security in schools should be reconsidered. We cannot and should not turn our schools into fortresses. Effective prevention cannot wait until there is a gunman in a school parking lot. We need resources such as mental health supports and threat assessment teams in every school and community so that people can seek assistance when they recognize that someone is troubled and requires help. For communities, this speaks to a need for increased access to well integrated service structures across mental health, law enforcement, and related agencies. We must encourage people to seek help when they see that someone is embroiled in an intense, persistent conflict or is deeply troubled. If we can recognize and ameliorate these kinds of situations, then we will be more able to prevent violence.

These issues require attention at the school and community levels. We believe that research supports a thoughtful approach to safer schools, guided by four key elements: Balance, Communication, Connectedness, and Support, along with strengthened attention to mental health needs in the community, structured threat assessment approaches, revised policies on youth exposure to violent media, and increased efforts to limit inappropriate access to guns and especially, assault type weapons.

Balance – Communication – Connectedness – Support

A balanced approach implies well-integrated programs that make sense and are effective. Although it may be logical to control public entrances to a school, reliance on metal detectors, security cameras, guards, and entry check points is unlikely to provide protection against all school-related shootings, including the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. Indeed, shootings have occurred in schools with strict security measures already in place. A balanced approach to preventing violence and protecting students includes a variety of efforts addressing physical safety, educational practices, and programs that support the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students.

Communication is critical. Comprehensive analyses by the U. S. Secret Service, the FBI, and numerous researchers have concluded that the most effective way to prevent many acts of violence targeted at schools is by maintaining close communication and trust with students and others in the community, so that threats will be reported and can be investigated by responsible authorities. Attempts to detect imminently violent individuals based on profiles or checklists of characteristics are ineffective and are most likely to result in false identification of innocent students or other individuals as being dangerous when they actually pose little or no threat. Instead, school authorities should concentrate their efforts on improving communication and training a team of staff members to use principles of threat assessment to take reasonable steps to resolve the problems and conflicts revealed through a threat investigation.

Concerned students, parents, educators, and stakeholders in the community should attend to troubling behaviors that signal something is amiss. For example, if a person utters threats to engage in a violent act or displays a pronounced change of mood and related social behavior, or is engaged in a severe conflict with family members or coworkers, it makes sense to communicate concerns to others who might provide assistance. Early identification is important not only to prevent violence, but to provide troubled individuals the support, treatment, and help they need.

Schools and communities must find effective means to overcome any reluctance to break unwritten rules against “tattling” or “snitching” by communicating to all community members that their lives or the lives of their friends might depend on seeking help for troubled individuals before problems escalate. Channels of efficient, user-friendly communication need to be established and maintained, and can be facilitated when community members, students and staff members feel comfortable bringing concerns regarding safety to the attention of school administrators.

Connectedness refers to what binds us together as families, friends, and communities. All students need to feel that they belong at their school and that others care for them. Similarly, local neighborhoods and communities are better and safer places when neighbors look out for one another, are involved in community activities, and care about the welfare of each other. Research indicates that those students most at risk for delinquency and violence are often those who are most alienated from the school community. Schools need to reach out to build positive connections to marginalized students, showing concern, and fostering avenues of meaningful involvement.

Support is critical for effective prevention. Many students and family members experience life stresses and difficulties. Depression, anxiety, bullying, incivility, and various forms of conflict need to be taken seriously. Every school should create environments where students and adults feel emotionally safe and have the capacity to support one another. Schools must also have the resources to maintain evidence-based programs designed to address bullying and other forms of student conflict. Research-based violence prevention and related comprehensive support programs should be offered, following a three-tier approach, operating at universal (school-wide), targeted (for students who are at risk), and intensive (for students who are at the highest levels of risk and need) levels.

Mental Health, Integrated Threat Assessment, Media Effects, and Access to Guns

Nationally, the mental health needs of youth and adults are often shortchanged or neglected. That needs to change. Using much-needed federal and state funding, community-based mental health organizations should work in cooperation with local law enforcement, schools, and other key community stakeholders to create a system of community-based mental health response and threat assessment. These efforts should promote wellness as well as address mental health needs of all community members while simultaneously responding to potential threats to community safety. This initiative should include a large scale public education and awareness campaign, along with newly created channels of communication to help get services to those in need.

Research has established that continued exposure to media violence (e.g., TV, movies, video games) can increase the likelihood of physically and verbally aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, and aggressive emotions. Exposure to violence in the media can lead to (1) displacement of healthy activities, (2) modeling inappropriate behaviors, (3) disinhibition of socially proscribed behaviors, (4) desensitization to the harmful effects of violence, (5) aggressive arousal, and (6) association with a constellation of risk-taking behaviors. Taken together, this research speaks to a strong need to revise policies on youth exposure to violence in the media.

Finally, it is also important to acknowledge that access to guns plays an important role in many acts of serious violence in the United States. Multiple lines of research have demonstrated a clear connection between local availability of guns and gun-related violent behaviors, with estimates of close to 2 million children and adolescents having access at home to loaded, unlocked guns. Although guns are never the simple cause of a violent act, the availability of lethal weapons including assault type weapons to youth and adults with emotional disturbance and antisocial behavior poses a serious public health problem. Our political leaders need to find a reasonable and constitutional way to limit the widespread availability of guns to persons who are unwilling or unable to use them in a responsible, lawful manner.

In summary, we ask for a renewed nationwide effort to address the problem of mass shootings that have occurred repeatedly in our schools and communities. Now is the time for our political leaders to take meaningful action to address the need for improved mental health services and protection from gun violence. At the same time, concerned citizens in every community should engage in comprehensive planning and coordination to prevent violence in our schools and communities. These plans should include access to mental health services for youth and adults who are showing signs of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, withdrawal, anger, and aggression as well as assistance for the families that support them. The bottom line is that we must all work together toward the common goal of keeping our schools and communities safe.

Co-authors of this document (in alphabetical order)

Ron Avi Astor, Ph.D., University of Southern California rastor@usc.edu

Dewey G. Cornell, Ph.D., University of Virginia dcornell@virginia.edu

Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign espelage@illinois.edu

Michael J. Furlong, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara mfurlong@education.ucsb.edu

Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara jimerson@education.ucsb.edu

Matthew J. Mayer, Ph.D., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey mayerma@rci.rutgers.edu

Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D., University at Buffalo, State University of New York nickersa@buffalo.edu

David Osher, Ph.D., American Institutes for Research dosher@air.org

George Sugai, Ph.D., University of Connecticut george.sugai@uconn.edu

Organizations Endorsing This Statement

Afterschool Alliance

Alberti Center for the Prevention of Bullying Abuse and School Violence, University at Buffalo

Alliance for Children and Families

American Academy of School Psychology

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

American Association of Pastoral Counselors

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

American Board of School Psychology

American College Counseling Association

American College Personnel Association’s Commission for Counseling & Psychological Services (CCAPS)

American Council for School Social Work

American Dance Therapy Association

American Educational Research Association

American Federation of Teachers

American Group Psychotherapy Association

American Music Therapy Association

American Orthopsychiatric Association

American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children

American School Counselor Association

Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare

Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP)

Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD)

Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies

Association of School Business Officials International

Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas

Born This Way Foundation

Bullying Research Network

California Association of School Social Workers (CASSW)

California Organization of Counseling Center Directors in Higher Education

California Pupil Services Coalition

California Society for Clinical Social Work

California Technical Assistance Center on PBIS

CAMH Centre for Prevention Science, Toronto, Canada

Carolina Network for School Mental Health

CAST

Center for Behavior Education and Research. Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

Center for Child and Family Well-being at the University of Nebraska Lincoln

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at George Washington University

Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Winder Research Institute, Windber, PA

Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Center for Violence Prevention, University of Northern Iowa

Character Education Partnership (CEP)

Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS), Roslyn, New York

Child Welfare League of America

College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine

College of Education, University of Illinois

Communities Healing Adolescent Depression & Suicide (CHADS) Coalition for Mental Health

Connecticut Association of School Psychologists (CASP)

Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD)

Council for Exceptional Children

Council for Exceptional Children Division for Research (CEC-DR)

Council of Administrators of Special Education

Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP)

Council of New York Special Education Administrators

Council on Social Work Education

Division of Learning Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children

Early Care and Education Consortium

Education Development Center

Everyone Reading

Families International Incorporated

Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute, San Diego, CA

FedED—thefeded.org

FEI Behavioral Health, Inc.

Gateway to College National Network

Gateway Youth Suicide Prevention Resources Partnership, St. Louis

Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California Santa Barbara

Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Hazelden Foundation

Higher Education Consortium for Special Education

HighScope Educational Research Foundation

Illinois Council for Exceptional Children

Illinois School Psychologists Association (ISPA)

Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior, University of Oregon

Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, San Diego, CA

Interdivisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health of the American Psychological Association

International Association of Applied Psychology (ECOSOC and DPI)

International Bullying Prevention Association Board

International Reading Association

International School Psychology Association

International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD)

Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence

Just Community, Inc., Quakertown, PA

Kids Under Twenty One (KUTO)

Leadership Council on Child Abuse & Interpersonal Violence

Learning Disabilities Association of America

Maine PBIS Leadership & Policy Council

Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

Massachusetts School Psychologists Association

Meaningfulworld

Mediation Center of Dutchess County, NY

Mediation Works

Mental Health America

Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders

Misericordia University Teacher Education Department

Mississippi Psychological Association

National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health

National Association for Pupil Transportation

National Alliance of Black School Educators

National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health

National Association for the Education of Young Children

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders, Inc.

National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors

National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

National Association of School Nurses

National Association of School Psychologists

National Association of School Resource Officers

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)

National Association of Social Workers

National Association of Social Workers-California Chapter

National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE)

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)

National Career Development Association

National Center for Learning Disabilities

National Education Association

National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health

National Head Start Association

National Organization of Forensic Social Work

National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV)

National School Climate Center

Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools at the University of Nebraska

New Jersey Association of School Psychologists

New Jersey Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention

New York Association of School Psychologists

New York State Center for School Safety

Parents Forum

Pasadena Pride Center

Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (PAC-TE)

Prevent Child Abuse America

Puerto Rico Psychology Association

Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

School of Education, Arcadia University

School of Education and Human Development, University of Southern Maine

School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA)

Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, Baltimore Maryland

Social Work Program, University of Wisconsin-Superior

Social Work Section, American Public Health Association

Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)

Society for the Study of School Psychology

Special Education Program, College of Education, University of Washington

Stop Abuse Campaign

Student Affiliates in School Psychology (Division 16), American Psychological Association

Suffolk County Psychological Association (SCPA)

TASH

Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children

TESOL International Association

Texas Educational Diagnosticians’ Association

The Boys Initiative

The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Hygiology Post

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Therapists For Social Responsibility

Trainers of School Psychologists

United Neighborhood Centers of America

University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service

University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work

University of Southern California Rossier School of Education

University of Southern California School of Social Work

Upper Bucks Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Coalition

Virginia Anti-Violence Project

Voices for America’s Children

Voices for America’s Children

Wisconsin School Psychologists Association

Witness Justice

World Council for Psychotherapy (ECOSOC)

Individual Divisions of the American Psychological Association

Society for General Psychology (Division 1), American Psychological Association

Experimental Psychology (Division 3), American Psychological Association

Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics (Division 5), American Psychological Association

Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology (Division 6), American Psychological Association

Developmental Psychology (Division 7), American Psychological Association

Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (Division 9), American Psychological Association

Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12), American Psychological Association

Society of Consulting Psychology (Division 13), American Psychological Association

Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Division 14), American Psychological Association

Division of Educational Psychology EC (Division 15), American Psychological Association

School Psychology (Division 16), American Psychological Association

Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17), American Psychological Association

Psychologists in Public Service (Division 18), American Psychological Association

Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology (Division 21), American Psychological Association

Society for Consumer Psychology (Division 23), American Psychological Association

The Executive Committee of the Society for the History of Psychology (Division 26), American Psychological Association

Society for Community Research and Action (Division 27), American Psychological Association

Psychotherapy (Division 29), American Psychological Association

Society of Psychological Hypnosis (Division 30), American Psychological Association

Division of State, Provincial and Territorial Affairs (Division 31), American Psychological Association

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Division 33), American Psychological Association

Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology (Division 34), American Psychological Association

Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Division 36), American Psychological Association

Division of Health Psychology (Division 38), American Psychological Association

Psychoanalysis (Division 39), American Psychological Association

Division of Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40), American Psychological Association

Society for Family Psychology (Division 43), American Psychological Association

Society for the Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues (Division 44), American Psychological Association

Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues (Division 45), American Psychological Association

Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (Division 48), American Psychological Association

Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Division 49), American Psychological Association

Division of Addiction Research (Division 50), American Psychological Association

Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity (Division 51), American Psychological Association

International Psychology (Division 52), American Psychological Association

Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (Division 53), American Psychological Association

Society of Pediatric Psychology (Division 54), American Psychological Association

Trauma Psychology (Division 56), American Psychological Association

Individuals Endorsing This Statement

Bob Algozzine, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Craig Anderson, Ph.D., Iowa State University

Julie Antilla, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Anthony Antosh, Ph.D., Rhode Island College

Steven Aragon, Ph.D., Texas State University-San Marcos

Ron Astor, Ph.D., University of Southern California

Carolyn Bates, Ph.D., Austin, TX

Sheri Bauman, Ph.D., University of Arizona

George Bear, Ph.D., University of Delaware

Tom Bellamy, Ph.D., University of Washington

Rami Benbenishty, Ph.D., Bar Ilan University, Israel

Richard Bonnie, Ph.D., University of Virginia

Danah Boyd, Ph.D., NYU & Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society

Renee Bradley, Ph.D., Parent and Special Educator, Virginia

Catherine Bradshaw, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence

Stephen Brock, Ph.D., California State University, Sacramento

Mary Beth Bruder, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Brad Bushman, Ph.D., Ohio State University

Catina Caban-Owen, North Windham School, Connecticut

Kelly Caci, M.A., New York Association of School Psychologists

J. Manuel Casas, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Timothy Cavell, Ph.D., University of Arkansas

Sandra Chafouleas, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Casey Cobb, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D., National School Climate Center

Adam Collins, M.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dewey Cornell , Ph.D., University of Virginia

Jay Corzine, Ph.D., University of Central Florida

Wendy Craig, Ph.D., Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Jonathon Crystal, Ph.D., Indiana University

Jack Cummings, Ph.D., Indiana University

Richard De Lisi, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University

Thomas DeFranco, Ph.D., Dean Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

Frank DeLaurier, Ed.D., Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment

Michelle Demaray, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University

David DeMatteo, JD, Ph.D., Drexel University

Stanley Deno, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Erin Dowdy, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Paul Downes, Ph.D., Dublin City University, Ireland

Joyce Downing , Ph.D., University of Central Missouri

Kame’enui Edward, Ph.D., University of Oregon

Maurice Elias, Ph.D., Rutgers’ Collaborative for Community-Based Learning, Service, and Public Scholarship

Michael Epstein, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dorothy Espelage, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Graciela Espindola , Sutter County Schools, CA

Michael Faggella-Luby, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Albert Farrell, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University

Peter Faustino, Psy.D., New York Association of School Psychologists

Patrick Faverty, Ed.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Elizabeth Fernandez, Principal, North Windham School, Connecticut

Diana Fishbein, Ph.D., RTI International

Emily Fisher, Ph.D., Loyola Marymount University

Lori Fishman, Psy.D., Harvard Medical School

Marilyn Flynn, Ph.D., Dean, University of Southern California School of Social Work

Anjali Forber-Pratt, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Laurie Ford, Ph.D., University of British Columbia

Lise Fox, Ph.D., University of South Florida

Karen Frey, Ph.D., University of Washington

Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Douglas Fuchs, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Michael Furlong, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Ken Furlong, B.A., Carson City Sheriff’s Office

Debra Furr-Holden, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence

Robert Gable, Ph.D., Old Dominion University Virginia

Karen Gallagher, Ph.D., Dean, USC Rossier School of Education

James Garbarino, Ph.D., Loyola University Chicago

Michael Gerber, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Cynthia Germanotta, M.A., President, Born This Way Foundation

Donna Gilbertson, Ph.D., Utah State University

Peter Goldblum, Ph.D., Palo Alto University

Steven Goodman, Ph.D., Director, Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative

Deborah Gorman-Smith, Ph.D., University of Chicago

Denise Gottfredson, Ph.D., University of Maryland

Kathy Gould, Illinois Autism Training and Technical Assistance Project

Sandra Graham, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Mark Greenberg, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Frank Gresham, Ph.D., Louisiana State University

Eleanor Guetzloe, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of South Florida

Lisa Hagermoser Sanetti, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Laura Hanish, Ph.D., Arizona State University

Gregory Hanley, Ph.D., Western New England University

Isadora Hare, MSW, LCSW, Health Resources and Services Administration

Patricia Hawley, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Richard Hazler, Ph.D., Penn State University

Thomas Hehir, Ph.D., Harvard University

Kirk Heilbrun, Ph.D., Drexel University

Susan Herbst, Ph.D., President, University of Connecticut

Melissa Holt, Ph.D., Boston University

Arthur Horne, Ph.D., Dean Emeritus, Univ. of Georgia

Robert Horner, Ph.D., University of Oregon

Susan Hupp, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Shelley Hymel, Ph.D., University of British Columbia

Shelley Hymel, Ph.D., Bullying Research Network

Decoteau Irby, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Kathy Jens, Ph.D., Cherry Creek Schools, CO

Shane Jimerson, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Asha Jitendra, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Beverly Johns, MacMurray College

LeAnne Johnson, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Kristine Jolivette, Ph.D., Georgia State University

Sherri Jones, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

James Kauffman, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia

Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

Maryam Kia-Keating, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Jennifer Kitson, Ed.S., NCSP, Education Development Center

Becky Ladd, Ph.D., Arizona State University

Kathleen Lane, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Jim Larson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Kelly Lassman, Ph.D., Pace University

Philip Leaf, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence

Seung-yeon Lee, Ph.D., Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Peter Leone, Ph.D., University of Maryland

Felice Levine, Ph.D., Executive Director, American Educational Research Association

Timothy Lewis, Ph.D., University of Missouri

Robert Lichtenstein, Ph.D., Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

Benjamin Lignugaris, Ph.D., Utah State University

Susan Limber, Ph.D., Clemson University

John Lochman, Ph.D., University of Alabama

Allison Lombardi, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Anna Long, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Sabina Low, Ph.D., Arizona State University

Dan Maggin, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Chicago

Christine Malecki, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University

Roxana Marachi, Ph.D., San Jose State University

Matthew Mayer, Ph.D., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

G. Roy Mayer, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, California State University Los Angeles

Daniel McCarthy, MSW LCSW, School Social Work Association of America

Jennifer McComas, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Scott McConnell, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Phyllis McDonald, Ed.D., Johns Hopkins University

Kent McIntosh, Ph.D., University of Brish Columbia

Kristen McMaster, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Janet Medina, Psy.D., McDaniel College

Danielle Mele-Taylor, Psy.D., University at Albany

Sterett Mercer, Ph.D., University of British Columbia

William Mitchell, Ed.D., Licensed Psychologist

Daniel Murrie, Ph.D., University of Virginia

Howard Muscott, Ph.D., SERESC/NH CEBIS

Rick Neel, Ph.D., University of Washington

C. Michael Nelson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky

J. Ron Nelson, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Jodi Newman, Ph.D., University of Washington

Amanda Nickerson, Ph.D., University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., New York University

Karen Nylund-Gibson, Ph.D., University of California Santa Barbara

Wendy Oakes, Ph.D., Arizona State University

Lindsey O’Brennan, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Breda O’Keeffee, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Robert O’Neill, Ph.D., University of Utah

Pamela Orpinas, Ph.D., University of Georgia

David Osher, Ph.D., American Institutes for Research

Trina Osher, Ph.D., Huff Osher Consulting, Inc.

Ernestina Papacosta, Ph.D., Ministry of Education and Culture E.P.S Cyprus

William Parham, Ph.D., ABPP, Loyola Marymount University, School of Education, Counseling Program

Debra Pepler, Ph.D., York University & Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Canada.

Reece Peterson, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

William Pfohl, Ph.D., Past President, International School Psychology Association

Robert Pianta, Ph.D., University of Virginia

Nicole Powell, Ph.D. MPH, University of Alabama Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems

Ron Prinz, Ph.D., University of South Carolina

Robert Putnam, Ph.D., May Institute

Jodi Quas, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Matt Quirk, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Linda Reddy, Ph.D., Rutgers University

Tyler Renshaw, Ph.D., Louisiana State University

N. Dickson Reppucci, Ph.D., University of Virginia

Cecil Reynolds, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Ken Rigby, Ph.D., School of Education, University of South Australia

Phil Rodkin, Ph.D., University of Illinois

Philip Rogers, Executive Director, National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)

Phillip Rogers, Ph.D., National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)

Chad Rose, Ph.D., Sam Houston State University

Susan Rose, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Matthew Ruderman, M.Ed., University of California, Santa Barbara

Frank Sacco, Ph.D., President, Community Services Institute, Springfield & Boston, MA

Wayne Sailor, Ph.D., University of Kansas

David Sciarra, JD, Ph.D., Education Law Center

Terrance Scott, Ph.D., University of Louisville

Jill Sharkey, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Susan Sheridan, Ph.D., University of Nebraska

Brandi Simonsen, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Bryan Sipe, B.S., Chief of Police, College of Coastal Georgia

Russell Skiba, Ph.D., Director, Equity Project at Indiana University

Phillip Slee, Ph.D., Flinders University, South Australia

Stephen Smith, Ph.D., University of Florida

Douglas Smith, Ph.D., Southern Oregon University

Andrea Spencer, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education, Pace University

Sharon Stephan, Ph.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine

Skye Stifel, M.A. M.Ed., University of California, Santa Barbara

Sarah Stoddard, Ph.D., University of Michigan

Philip Strain, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver

George Sugai, Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Michael Sulkowski, Ph.D., University of Arizona

Jean Ann Summers, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Susan Swearer, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Frank Symons, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Elizabeth Talbott, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago

Jim Teagarden, Ed.D., Kansas State University

Deborah Temkin, Ph.D., Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

William G. Tierney, Ph.D., President of AERA and USC Professor

H. Rutherford Turnbull, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Ann Turnbull, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Jennifer Twyford, Ph.D., California Lutheran University

Brendesha Tynes, Ph.D., USC Rossier School of Education

Marion Underwood, Ph.D., University of Texas at Dallas

Tracy Vaillancourt, Ph.D., University of Ottawa

Hill Walker, Ph.D., Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior

Cixin Wang, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Matthew Wappett, Ph.D., University of Idaho

Daniel Webster, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence

Michael Wehmeyer, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Mark Weist, Ph.D., University of South Carolina

Richard West, Ph.D., Utah State University

Andrew Wiley, Ph.D., Kent State University

Anne Williford, Ph.D., University of Kansas

Mark Wolery, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Marleen Wong, Ph.D., Associate Dean, University of Southern California School of Social Work

Linda Woolf, Ph.D., Webster University

Roger Worthington, Ph.D., Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center

Michelle Ybarra, MPH Ph.D., Center for Innovative Public Health Research (CiPHR)

Jina Yoon, Ph.D., Wayne State University

Marc Zimmerman, Ph.D., University of Michigan

We are not able to add more individuals to this list.

Organizations wishing to join the list can contact Matthew Mayer at mayerma@rci.rutgers.edu