About this Project | Site Credits

Johns Hopkins University, with funding from the National Institute of Justice, has developed an innovative approach to presenting training curriculum that supports national efforts to improve school safety. Target audiences for our curriculum include: public safety and law enforcement officers, educators, school administration and staff, parents, students, and concerned citizens. Our curriculum, which will grow and expand over time, incorporates a variety of interactive activities to foster school safety-related learning. Based on research and the experience of experts, our online program delivery model accommodates learners with diverse learning styles, and promotes lifelong learning opportunities with a learner-centered approach to online curriculum.

CORE BELIEFS OF PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

To use principles of cooperation and collaboration to build effective, high performing multidisciplinary teams oriented toward respect and the protection of rights of all individuals

PHILOSOPHY / APPROACH TO PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

• Begin with building a safe-school learning environment through community building, fostering inter-agency collaboration between school safety experts within an atmosphere of personal responsibility and integrity.
• Use technology tools where appropriate as part of a larger plan and context.
• Commit to using mediation and conflict resolution strategies to foster positive relationships and voluntary compliance.
• Commit to using research-based solutions.
• Promote democratic principles: respect for the individual, equal opportunities to promote individual growth and development, and the representation of multiple perspectives.

CORE BELIEFS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

• Every student has a right to learn in an environment that is physically and emotionally secure and based on trust.
• Every student has a right to comfort in the school environment to focus on achieving his or her potential.
• Every student has a right to equal access to school resources.
• Every student has a right to be respected.
• Every student has a right to have his or her Constitutional rights respected.

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

With the mission in mind, content developers from all audience groups and predetermined school safety topics collaborated to develop all our web-based content. The content was reviewed and enhanced by experts in school safety issues before being placed online for public use.

We used online learning and online interactions to:

• Build interagency collaboration
• Apply effective processes in collaboration and cooperation
• Promote democratic principles of respect for the individual, equal opportunities to learn and share knowledge, and collaboration founded on trust and mutual respect.