Capitol Hill Briefing on Research-Based Strategies for Safe Schools Includes AIR Vice President David Osher

Washington, D.C. – Dr. David Osher, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and other nationally-recognized experts on children’s behavioral and development issues will discuss research-based strategies for safe schools during a briefing on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

The briefing, New Strategies for Keeping Schools Safe: Evidence-based Approaches to Prevent Youth Violence, is sponsored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and will report on research presented in a special issue of the organization’s Educational Researcher that focuses on school safety.

The research to be discussed at the briefing examines violence, bullying, and disruptive behavior, and reports on the harmful consequences of school environments that are unsafe or disruptive—especially for minority students—and the kind of policies and education approaches needed to maintain safety and order in our schools.

The 2 p.m. briefing will be held in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 430, Constitution Avenue and 1st Street NE, Washington, D.C.

Felice J. Levine, Executive Director of AERA, will serve as the moderator. Participants include:

• U.S. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA)
• David Osher, Vice President, American Institutes for Research, Washington, D.C.
• Anne Gregory, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
• Matthew J. Mayer, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.

Osher is nationally recognized for his research and writings on the issues facing children with emotional and behavioral problems. He is the principal investigator for AIR’s Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice, The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, The Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, and the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Students Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk.

He has written or co-authored more than 240 books, articles, research papers or monographs including the widely acclaimed “Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools,” published in 1998 by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, “Safeguarding our Children: An Action Guide” published in 2000 by the same federal agencies, and the widely used “Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools Step by Step,” published in 2004.

About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.