Research Description
Creating Protective Environments through School Policy Development This research was funded by the CDC for a five-year, $2.25 million grant that will evaluate existing school policy to prevent and respond to youth violence and provide technical assistance to K-12 schools across Michigan to inform and improve policy implementation to prevent and respond to physical, sexual, emotional, and electronic violence and harassment among adolescent males and females. In partnership with Dr. Joanne Smith-Darden of the Michigan State University, School of Social Work and the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health, Dr. Kernsmith will collaborate with K-12 schools to develop contextually-specific policies and strategies that effectively create protective environments for youth by reducing violence and responding to threats of violence, engage in trauma-informed responses to victims and observers of violence, and reduce exclusionary discipline strategies, such as suspensions and expulsions.