DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38263.v1
title: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Comprehensive, Research-Based Framework for Implementing School-Based Law Enforcement Programs, Texas, 2017-2020
title: Version 1

description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a comprehensive, research-based framework of recommended practices for integrating police into the educational environment. This research tested use of a multi-faceted school-based law enforcement (SBLE) framework to determine how the framework contributes to multiple outcomes. The objectives for this study were to: (1) implement a randomized controlled trial to test a comprehensive framework for SBLE involving 25 middle and high schools; (2) assess the impacts of this framework on student victimization and delinquency, use of exclusionary discipline practices (e.g., suspension, expulsion), school climate measures, and student-officer interactions; and (3) disseminate tangible findings that can immediately be translated into practice and further research in schools nationwide.
description: This study operationalized the project objectives as research questions organized around project impact and implementation. This resulted in the following impact research questions and implementation and counterfactual research questions: <b>Impact research questions:</b> Does using the comprehensive research-based framework for implementing school-based law enforcement programs: Reduce student victimization and delinquency in treatment schools compared to control schools? Reduce the use of exclusionary school discipline in treatment schools compared to control schools? Enhance school climate in treatment schools compared to control schools? Improve student perceptions of police in treatment schools compared to control schools? <b>Implementation and counterfactual research questions:</b> To what extent were all framework elements implemented as designed in treatment schools? To what extent did fidelity of implementation affect treatment impacts? What did control schools implement during the study period?
description: The study utilized a true, cluster-randomized experiment design with repeated measures to estimate and understand the treatment impacts of the comprehensive framework on relevant outcomes in 25 schools. The Texas School Safety Center guided all treatment activities outlined in the comprehensive framework over two full school years. Schools in the control group did not use this framework and continued to run their school-based law enforcement program as they saw fit. At the end of the final year, the intervention was delivered to seven schools in the control group who chose to participate. All data collection procedures and instruments were pilot tested during the pre-baseline period in a middle school and high school in an adjacent district not participating in the study.
description: None
description: Response Rates: Not applicable
description: Presence of Common Scales: Scale models present in the study include the Bullying and victimization - Hanson and Voight (2014), Delinquency - Hanson and Voight (2014), Adult-student relationships - Hanson and Voight (2014), and Rule clarity- Bear et al. (2014). See student survey data collection instrument for scale values. School bonding- Goodenow (1993), You et al. (2011) Connectedness and safety- Hanson and Voight (2014) Perceptions of police- Zullig et al. (2015)
description: A stratified random sampling design to assign 25 schools from six separate school districts with 13 schools in the treatment group and 12 schools in the wait-listed control group.
description: Datasets: DS0: Study-Level Files DS1: Student-Level Discipline Data DS2: School-Level Student Survey Data
description: Twenty-five schools from six separate school districts with 20,536 middle and high school students responses. Smallest Geographic Unit: None
description: web-based survey