U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Link for Schools:  A system to prevent violence and its adverse impacts
Award Information
Awardee
              THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
Award #
              2016-CK-BX-0006
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    IOWA CITY, IA
Congressional District
              2
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2016
Total funding (to date)
              $3,675,128
Original Solicitation
              Comprehensive School Safety Initiative
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2016, $3,675,128)
Problem Statement: Contemporary approaches to violence prevention require systems that address a primary and secondary prevention. Link for schools is system that incorporates principles of Trauma Informed Care and Psychological First Aid (PFA) to intervene on mental and behavioral precursors of violence and to mitigate its impacts among exposed youth. Staff, students and parents in the Link schools will be trained in Trauma Informed Care. Another cadre of staff (Link Specialists who are nurses, counselors, student-family advocates, and mental health specialists) will be trained in PFA. At-risk youth will receive PFA and may be referred for additional community resources or advanced care. The objectives of this project are to evaluate the effectiveness of Link in reducing school violence and improving school outcomes, and to assess Links cost effectiveness.
Subjects: This study will be set in 12 schools with an enrollment of almost 5000 students from the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD), the second largest district in Iowa. About 27% of the CRCSD student population is minority. Half are eligible for free/ reduced meals, and 15% live in poverty.
Research Methods: An intervention trial will be implemented with three clusters (one middle and its three feeder elementary schools compose a cluster) to serve as either intervention or control sites. At-risk youth will be identified through either the districts existing behavioral management system which youth for violence risk indicators (e.g., referrals, absenteeism, falling grades, or stress symptoms). At intervention schools, at-risk children will be randomized into an immediate intervention or a waitlist control group. The immediate intervention group will receive one-on-one Psychological First Aid (PFA) in the fall semester, while the waitlist control group will receive PFA in spring semester.
Partnerships: This project involves a strong, ongoing partnership between the Principal Investigator and the CRCSD. Analysis: The following outcomes will be compared between intervention and control schools: school safety climate, violence-associated behavioral referrals, unexcused absenteeism, suspensions, and reports of school violence (e.g., bullying, assaults, and fights). Descriptive statistics will compare outcomes in intervention and control students, and General Linear Models will be used to control for confounding and to account for clustering. A cost analysis will be used to estimate the impact of the Link program per dollar invested. Product, Reports, Data Archiving: Products include presentations, manuscripts and policy briefs that will reach both the academic and practice communities. De-identified Link case management and school violence data will be archived. ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Link for Schools: A System to Prevent Violence and its Adverse Impacts




  
Grant-Funded Datasets
        
                      https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38301.v1

  
Date Created: September 14, 2016
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      Evaluation of Culture and Climate Effects in the Virginia Department of Corrections Cognitive Communities
                  A Micro-and Macro Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Colorado
                  Quantification of psychotropic cannabinoids in newly emerging hemp-derived products and evaluation of their stability and interconversion during storage
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov