Evaluation of Link for Equity: A Program to Reduce Racial/Ethnic School Violence Disparities

项目概要/摘要 尽管青少年暴力事件总体上有所减少，但种族和族裔之间的校园暴力率仍然高得惊人。 少数民族儿童与白色儿童相比。不良儿童经历（ACE）， 包括种族歧视，使有色人种儿童面临遭受校园暴力高风险。最常见的 学校中的种族歧视形式是对有色人种学生过于严厉的纪律处分。中间 对ACE，特别是学校纪律中的种族歧视的关注是预防校园暴力的关键。我们 我建议对Link for Equity进行一项嵌套随机等待列表对照试验，Link for Equity是一种文化响应支持系统 针对ACE影响的儿童，包括第1级普遍创伤知情护理和文化谦逊培训 第二级心理急救和种族歧视预防。本研究的目的是：1）适应， 实施并评估“平等联系”对学校暴力差异的影响，2）评估 链接公平对减少教师对学生的种族歧视，并确定是否链接的影响， 公平对校园暴力的影响是通过种族歧视来调节的，以及3）探索链接对 学校暴力的公平性是通过压力和联系机制来调节的。我们有 与6个表现出严重校园暴力和纪律差异的地区建立伙伴关系， 他们通过可比的人口统计数据，校园暴力，纪律差异和地理。都是高中 而这些地区的一所附属中学将参与，总共有12所学校。我们将首先适应 材料，以每个学校和社区的独特的创伤经验。然后，我们将进行嵌套 随机候补名单对照试验与12所学校。每对地区将被随机分配到 干预组接受Link for Equity或等待名单对照组两年后接受干预。在 在学校一级，在干预年，我们将招收大约1200名接触4+ ACE的有色人种学生， 创伤后应激障碍筛查呈阳性的人接受二级心理急救。这些学生也将 被单独随机分配接受立即第2层干预或另一个等待名单对照组， 一个学期后接受干预。我们将连续两个学年采用这些程序， 这对于持续影响我们的主要（即，学校暴力、种族歧视）和中学 结果（即，包括压力和连通性在内的介质）。我们的研究是高度创新的，因为我们将 使用严格的嵌套随机设计，社区参与的方法来定制我们的干预材料， 和多个数据来源来实现我们的研究目标。此外，我们还组建了一个多学科团队， 专家（儿童创伤、健康公平、流行病学、干预措施和生物统计学）和社区 与我们的学校和教育领导职位有着深厚联系的联系人。如果Link for Equity被证明是 有效，我们的团队准备采取可行的步骤，实现可持续性和全州范围内的实施。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Despite overall reductions in youth violence, rates of school violence remain alarmingly high among racial and ethnic minority children compared to white children. Exposure to adverse child experiences (ACEs), which include racial discrimination, place children of color at high risk for school violence. One of the most prevalent forms of racial discrimination in schools is overly harsh disciplinary practices with students of color. Intervening on ACEs, particularly racial discrimination in school discipline, is key to preventing school violence. We propose a nested randomized waitlist control trial of Link for Equity, a culturally responsive system of support for ACE-impacted children, composed of Tier 1 universal trauma-informed care and cultural humility training and Tier 2 Psychological First Aid and racial discrimination prevention. The aims of this study are to: 1) adapt, implement and evaluate the effect of Link for Equity on school violence disparities, 2) evaluate the effect of Link for Equity on reducing teacher-to-student racial discrimination and determine if the effects of Link for Equity on school violence are mediated through racial discrimination, and 3) explore how the effects of Link for Equity on school violence are mediated through stress and connectedness mechanisms. We have partnerships with 6 districts who demonstrate significant school violence and discipline disparities and paired them by comparable demographics, school violence, discipline disparities and geography. Both a high school and a feeder middle school from these districts will participate for a total of 12 schools. We will first adapt materials to the unique trauma experiences of each school and community. Then, we will conduct a nested randomized waitlist control trial with 12 schools. Each pair of districts will be randomized to either an immediate intervention group to receive Link for Equity or a waitlist control group to receive intervention two years later. At the school-level, during intervention years, we will enroll about 1200 students of color exposed to 4+ ACEs or who screen positive for posttraumatic stress to receive Tier 2 psychological first aid. These students will also be individually randomized to receive immediate Tier 2 intervention or to another waitlist control group to receive intervention one semester later. We will employ these procedures for two consecutive school years, which is critical for sustained impacts on our primary (i.e., school violence, racial discrimination) and secondary outcomes (i.e., mediators including stress and connectedness). Our research is highly innovative in that we will use a rigorous nested randomized design, community-engaged methods to tailor our intervention materials, and multiple sources of data to pursue our study aims. Further, we have assembled a multi-disciplinary team of experts (in childhood trauma, health equity, epidemiology, interventions and biostatistics) and community liaisons with deep ties to our schools and leadership positions in education. If Link for Equity proves to be effective, our team is poised to take actionable steps towards sustainability and statewide implementation.