DOJ grant supports study of the effects of school security equipment on student outcomes

Katarina Benson — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:17:09 +0000

DOJ grant supports study of the effects of school security equipment on student outcomes Katarina Benson Wed, 04/02/2025 - 12:17

George Mason �鶹�� professor Samantha Viano is leading a multi-university team to assess the impact of school security equipment (SSE) grants on school violence, safety, and related outcomes. The team has received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of the U.S. Department of Justice to support of the project, “The Impact of School Security Equipment on Students and Schools.”

Samantha Viano. Photo provided

Working with Viano are Lucy Sorensen of �鶹�� at Albany, Trevor Fronius of WestEd, Benjamin W. Fisher of �鶹�� of Wisconsin–Madison, and Meagan Call-Cummings of Johns Hopkins �鶹��. The study focuses on the impact of SSE on school- and student-level safety, climate, disciplinary, and juvenile justice outcomes at all levels of K-12 education.

“This initiative is crucial because it addresses whether the billions of dollars U.S. schools are spending on security equipment is leading to the intended outcomes,” said Viano, an associate professor in the School of Education at George Mason. “Despite the substantial funding, there is limited causal evidence on the effectiveness of SSE in improving school safety. This study aims to fill this gap by providing rigorous, mixed-methods research to inform educational policy and practice.”

The goals of this project are to identify the impact; determine how the impact of these grants varies depending several factors; compile a security contract database; understand the reasons why schools apply for SSE grants; and contextualize study findings through participatory action research with youth.

A unique aspect of this initiative is the direct involvement and engagement of students through Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) within George Mason’s Youth Research Council. YPAR is a type of community-engaged research designed and conducted by youth, in collaboration with adult mentors. Approximately 50 youth from more than 20 high schools in Virginia will participate in co-designing and co-facilitating research as part of Viano’s study.

Viano said this approach will ensure that the findings of the study include the perspectives of students who are the individuals most significantly affected by the installation of school security measures.

When asked why she became involved in this project, Viano said her “motivation stems from what I believe is an urgent need to address school violence and the lack of empirical

evidence on the effectiveness of school security equipment. This project aligns with my interest in educational policy, school safety, and equity, aiming to provide actionable guidance for schools and policymakers.”

This study is one of several important research initiatives led by Viano that will help close the gap in the available data and evidence needed to enhance our understanding of how security measures can affect student outcomes in K-12 schools.

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Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant

Colleen Rich — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:06:25 +0000

Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant Colleen Rich Fri, 12/04/2020 - 13:06

Anthony Falsetti and Mary Ellen O'Toole of Mason's growing Forensic Science Program at the site of the new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory. Photo by Ian Shiff/Creative Services.

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has awarded a $2 million grant to George Mason �鶹�� to further the advancement of forensic science.

The funding from the NIJ will create a National Center on Forensics at Mason to provide medical and legal learning opportunities for medical students training as deputy medical examiners/ coroners in rural areas while also offering forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges and law enforcement officials. The award, which was announced by the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, is expected to also develop other opportunities as appropriate among designated partners that will benefit current and future practitioners in the field.

Mary Ellen O’Toole, the former FBI profiler who is the director of the Forensic Science Program within Mason’s College of Science, said the grant will allow her program to collaborate with partners to ensure that all victims and their families receive justice.

“Too often victims and their families and the professionals investigating the crimes who reside in rural areas don’t have access to the same resources as those from urban, metropolitan areas,” O’Toole said. “This gap can be significant and stand between case resolution and years of never knowing what happened. This grant will allow us and our partners to work to increase the number of much-needed forensic experts like medical examiners and coroners and to provide state-of-the-art training for them and other professionals.”

Joseph DiZinno, an associate professor and a former FBI forensics expert, will serve as the project’s principal investigator, while Anthony Falsetti, an associate professor and forensic anthropologist, will serve as the co-PI.

Mason will partner with the National Institute of Justice, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the National Association of Attorneys General, the �鶹�� of Washington Schools of Medicine and Law, and the Montana Forensic Science Division to serve as a national resource to raise awareness about and address the shortage of medical examiners and coroners, particularly in rural areas, DiZinno said.

“By increasing the number of forensic pathologists and by training the medical examiner, coroner and legal communities, the National Center on Forensics will directly impact the criminal justice system’s ability to determine if crimes have been committed and ensure that the guilty are held accountable and the innocent are not unfairly charged or convicted,” DiZinno said.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

“In spite of geography, every case and every victim should be afforded the same commitment and range of resources for a thorough and comprehensive investigation and resolution within our criminal justice system,” O’Toole said. “This unique grant will allow us to bring these resources to the communities and people who need it the most.”

The grant is part of the continued expansion of the Mason program, which recently unveiled its new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory that is slated to open next semester on the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas. The five-acre facility will be just the eighth in the world capable of transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human remains.

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DOJ grant supports study of the effects of school security equipment on student outcomes

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Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant