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School-based strategies to prevent violence, trauma, and psychopathology: The challenges of going to scale

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 April 2011

Lawrence Aber*
Affiliation:
New York University
Joshua L. Brown
Affiliation:
Fordham University
Stephanie M. Jones
Affiliation:
Harvard University
Juliette Berg
Affiliation:
New York University
Catalina Torrente
Affiliation:
New York University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Lawrence Aber, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, 82 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003; E-mail: la39@nyu.edu.

Abstract

Children's trauma-related mental health problems are widespread, largely untreated and constitute significant barriers to academic achievement and attainment. Translational research has begun to identify school-based interventions to prevent violence, trauma and psychopathology. We describe in detail the findings to date on research evaluating one such intervention, the Reading, Writing, Respect, and Resolution (4Rs) Program. The 4Rs Program has led to modest positive impacts on both classrooms and children after 1 year that appear to cascade to more impacts in other domains of children's development after 2 years. This research strives not only to translate research into practice but also translate practice into research. However, considerable challenges must be met for such research to inform prevention strategies at population scale.

Type
Special Section Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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