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
 Project SOARS (Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School safety)
Award Information
Awardee
              IRIS MEDIA INC
Award #
              2015-MU-MU-K003
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    EUGENE, OR
Congressional District
              4
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2015
Total funding (to date)
              $5,622,172
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 15 Comprehensive School Safety Initiative
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2015, $5,622,172)
Project SOARS will develop, field-test, and evaluate a comprehensive, student-centered, and technology-based school safety framework for high schools designed to increase students resilience to victimization. SOARS consists of: (a) web-based school safety and behavioral assessments, (b) a student-driven social capital building and safety awareness campaign, (c) a web-based student tipline with embedded training, and (d) student and school personnel web-based training in team-based restorative problem solving. SOARS will inform theory about how to reduce
student victimization within a restorative framework. Project products (e.g. assessments, training videos, restorative problem-solving protocol) will be of practical use to high school personnel.
Evidence of the feasibility and efficacy of blending school-wide climate improvement with restorative discipline will likely inform policy recommendations.  We will conduct formative research with 36 students, especially from vulnerable groups defined by
race/ethnicity, disability status, and sexual orientation, 36 school personnel, and 36 parents and community stakeholders. We will work with about 240 students, their parents and 8 teachers to field test SOARS, and with about 4000 students, their parents and 160 teachers to evaluate the efficacy
of SOARS. All research activities will be carried out in partnership with Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Oregon and Danville School District in Danville, Illinois.  We will use focus groups during Year 1 to assess stakeholder needs and use NVivo to analyze the qualitative data. We will use the Agile development approach and user acceptance testing protocol in Year 2 to test the relevance and usability of prototypes of all SOARS components. We will collect pre and post data during initial implementation in Year 3 to test the feasibility of SOARS in authentic high school settings via an ANCOVA model testing gain scores in student and teacher perceptions of school climate and knowledge of school safety strategies. In Years 4 and 5, we will use a quasi-experimental design and a 2-level analytical model to test the efficacy of SOARS on reducing
bullying/harassment, improving student engagement with proactive and restorative school safety practices, and improving stakeholder perceptions of school climate.
The web-based tools will be made available to practitioners. Empirical outcomes will be
disseminated to stakeholder audiences via conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications and webinars. Annual and final reports to the funder will be prepared. Datasets resulting from the initial implementation and efficacy test will be archived in the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data following de-identification of all variables and preparation of a data dictionary.
This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law.
ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Mobile App for Reporting Student Behaviors Coupled with School Safety Curriculum Shows Promise
                  Initial Field Test of the SOARS (Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety) Framework for High Schools
                  Snitching versus reporting: A qualitative analysis of barriers and facilitators to addressing safety concerns among high school students
                  Implementation of Tiplines and Reporting Apps for School Safety: A Qualitative Analysis of Parent and School Personnel Perspectives
                  Project SOARS Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety




  
Grant-Funded Datasets
        
                      http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACJD/studies/37896
                  https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37896.v1

  
Date Created: September 30, 2015
    
          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
        
                      The sexual assault microbiome: Detecting contact when minimal male DNA is present.
                  Evaluation of Target Enrichment for SNP Genotyping of Skeletal Remains
                  911, What's Your Emergency?: Factors Impacting Call Coding
 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