Violence Prevention
A Step in The Right Direction
Home > Youth Services > Resources > Violence Prevention Resources > The Right Direction
Volume 8 Issue 2
by Joanne Bieschke
Violence is the second leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 15 and 24 years and the leading cause of death for African Americans in this age group. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the average age of both violent offenders and victims has been growing younger and younger in recent years. A recent evaluation of the Second Step Violence Prevention Curriculum suggests that early intervention through this comprehensive program can help change behavior and reduce interpersonal violence.
The Second Step Violence Prevention Curriculum is a nationally acclaimed violence prevention program designed to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in children and increase their level of social competence. Second Step teaches skills in empathy, impulse control, problem solving, appropriate social behavior, and anger management. Studies show that these are key skills which are lacking in high-risk children, as well as adult perpetrators of abuse. The program, designed by Committee for Children in Seattle, Washington, is composed of four curricula: Preschool-Kindergarten, Grades 1-3, Grades 4-5, and Grades 6-8. Each grade level has 15-25 easy to follow lessons with all materials and information being supplied for the teacher in the curriculum kit.
Dr. David C. Grossman, MD, MPH and colleagues, from the University of Seattle, Washington, evaluated the efficacy of Second Step: Grades 1-3 and sought to determine whether the effects of the curriculum persisted after the completion of the intervention. As explained in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), May 28, 1997, "aggressive and prosocial behavior changes were measured two weeks and six months after participation in the curriculum by parent and teacher reports and by observation of a random subsample of 588 students in the classroom and playground/cafeteria settings." The direct observation method demonstrated the most improvement in student behavior. The authors conclude that their study provides encouraging evidence of a “modest” positive effect. Evaluators found that there were .23 fewer acts of negative physical behavior per hour per student and 6.68 more acts of neutral or prosocial behavior per hour per student six months after the cuniculum was implemented. With an average of 22 students per classroom and 6 school hours per day this wnounts to about 30 fewer acts of negative physical behavior and more that 800 acts of prosocial behavior per class every day. Teachers, school administrators, and parents across the country would welcome such "modest" changes
An evaluation of this depth is important to the field of research and prevention. With the onslaught of substance abuse and violence prevention curriculum packages, schools need to know if a particular program has been evaluated or not and what are the results. Many violence prevention curricula exist but according to JAMA, "few, if any, are marketed on the basis of their proven effectiveness and very few evaluations have been published." While it is true that just because a curriculum worked in one school does not mean it will work elsewhere, it is better for schools to choose among evaluated programs than to make choices based on slick packaging and attractive marketing. School personnel must obviously always keep in mind the unique needs of their students but must not he afraid the ask the question, "Where's the proof?.
The Sheriff's Youth Services Department has been actively involved in the use of the Second Step curriculum for the past several years. Since 1994 we have piloted the program in a total of 17 classrooms in eight schools throughout suburban Cook County. We have provided comprehensive teacher training for the use of this curriculum to 153 teachers and administrators from 34 schools. If you are interested in learning more about the Second Step Violence Prevention Curriculum please call 773-869-4711.
Home > Youth Services > Resources > Violence Prevention Resources > The Right Direction
Jail Diversion and Crime Prevention
Youth Services Department
3026 South California, Building 1, 2nd floor
Chicago, Illinois 60608
Phone 773-869-4711 Fax 773-869-7514
ccysd@cookcountysheriff.org
