MU receives $4.1 million grant for training program for principals

The Missouri Prevention Center and the University of Missouri College of Education have received a $4.1 million grant from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to study a training program for principals.

The program, Safe and Civil Schools Leadership, aims to help principals create and maintain safe learning environments.

According to the official release, the Safe and Civil Schools Leadership program teaches principals how to:

collect and use meaningful data to guide decisions about changing a school’s climate;

create behavior leadership teams who will collect and interpret the data and monitor progress;

focus on clear expectations and high rates of positive staff-student interactions;

monitor and support student behavior in all school settings (common areas, classrooms, buses, hallways); support teachers in developing effective classroom management strategies.

Other MU researchers that be involved on the grant are Wendy Reinke, professor of educational, school and counseling psychology and co-director of the Missouri Prevention Center; James Sebastian, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy; Francis Huang, an assistant professor of educational, school and counseling psychology; and Aaron Thompson, an assistant professor of social work in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences.