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Palm Beach County School District Proposal to implement Ripple Effects as gang prevention intervention in five (targeted) elementary schools

Award Information

Award #
2009-JL-FX-0250
Location
Awardee County
Palm Beach
Congressional District
Status
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2009
Total funding (to date)
$300,000
Original Solicitation

Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2009, $300,000)

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

The Palm Beach County School District and the Department of Safe Schools addresses gang violence prevention intervention through its Single School Culture© for Climate initiatives. This project will be the pilot implementation of a research proven, self-regulated, computerized intervention program that individually targets implicit and explicit student behavior and internal risk factors of at-risk students. Similarly, this structured, computer-based intervention individually targets behavior management skills, cultural competence and personal leadership of students and teachers, to address the intertwined issues of behavior management in five elementary schools that serve students in Palm Beach County, Florida. By using technology to target personal risk factors and skill deficits of both students and teachers, with proven, cognitive, behavioral, social skill and social justice training, privately, without blame or shame, the Ripple Effects intervention project offers promise to reduce discipline problems and increase pro-social efficacy skills thus reducing these students chances of later involvement in the justice system. The design includes both proximal and distal measures of effects. Proximal effects include social-emotional abilities in children, prejudicial attitudes in teachers, and perceptions of respect in the school environment by each group. Distal outcomes include discipline referral rates, absenteeism, and academic performance.

NCA/NCF

Date Created: September 15, 2009