RESPONDING IN PEACEFUL AND POSITIVE WAYS (RIPP)

OVERVIEW

Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways was created in response to concerns of overwhelming neighborhood violence in Richmond, Virginia. The school-based program strives to reduce violent situations and behavior by promoting peaceful alternatives among sixth-graders in Richmond public middle schools. The program integrates a violence prevention curriculum with peer mediation to encourage the behavior, attitude and knowledge necessary to reduce violence. The only consistent impact RIPP reported, however, was enhancing the knowledge base of program participants. Other outcomes reveal mixed effects.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Program is implemented among 6^th graders in eight Richmond public middle schools. The majority of students are African-American, of low socio-economic status and from single parent households.

The current Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways program consists of twenty-five 50-minute sessions. The sessions are school-based and occur once a week during school hours. Prevention specialists are specifically trained to implement peer mediation and the RIPP curriculum, which derives from a health promotion model. The curriculum incorporates largely experiential methods, didactic learning techniques and behavioral repetition. Activities include a 7-step problem-solving model, role-playing, group work, and critical-thinking exercises that allow students to experience and resolve violent scenarios in a controlled environment. The program hopes to equip the students with the knowledge and skills to promote peaceful and healthy alternatives to violence and ultimately reduce the amount of violence they encounter over their lifetime.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Farrell, A.D., Meyer, A.L., & White, K.S. (2001). Evaluation of Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP): A school-based prevention program for reducing violence among urban adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30(4), 451-463.

Evaluated population: A total of 626 students participated in the evaluation during the 1995-1996 school year

Approach: Three Richmond middle schools took part in the evaluation. These three schools represent different sections of Richmond but are demographically similar. Classrooms were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (13 classrooms, N=305) or to the no-intervention control group (14 classrooms, N=321). According to school records, boys and girls were distributed almost equally between groups and 96 percent of all participants were of African-American descent.

Self-report data at pre and posttest were collected from 474 (76 percent) students. Data on pretest and follow up were available from 66 percent of students at 6-months and 57 percent at the 12-month follow up. Attrition affected both groups similarly with 116 students transferring schools during the course of the program. On the whole, missing data resulted from absences, random responding or those who elected not to respond.

Outcome measures were collected at four points; pre and posttest data were collected in October and May of the school year and follow up data were obtained 6 and 12 months after completion of the program. Data were collected through self-report student surveys and school records on disciplinary violations and in-school suspensions. In order to emphasize confidentiality, research assistants administered the student surveys during homeroom periods and school officials did not handle forms. Students had the option of returning blank surveys. The student surveys measured attitudes toward aggression, emotional distress, self-esteem, emotional restraint, conflict resolution skills, aggressive/delinquent behavior, exposure to violence, and knowledge of material covered in curriculum.

Results: Overall, the RIPP program had the most consistent impact improving the knowledge base of intervention group students. It did not, however, have a significant impact on the attitudes and application of nonviolent responses. On some measures, such as disciplinary violations and in-school suspension, the control group was found to have significantly higher rates at posttest than the intervention group. These outcomes remained significant for boys at the twelve-month follow-up, but were not significant for girls. RIPP participants did report higher levels of involvement in peer mediation and lower levels of fight-related injuries than the control group at posttest.

The program seems to be more effective for students with higher pretest levels of violence. Students with lower levels of pretest violence were not found to be strongly affected by program participation and tended to display low levels of violence at all test points. Although the program is considered most effective for students with aggressive behavior, it is important to recognize that these students are among the most difficult to retain in the program because of poor attendance and frequent suspensions, often associated with this group.

A variety of factors may have influenced the overall impact of the RIPP program. It is important to note that roughly 8 percent of the intervention group missed more than one-third of the RIPP sessions and this may have an impact on reported program effects. Additionally, program evaluators emphasize the need for a supportive school environment, where students may be more inclined to apply RIPP skills, and for more generalized instruction, so that RIPP lessons will be considered applicable in a variety of situations.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Link to program curriculum: http://www.springer.com/west/home/generic/search/results?searchKey=easySearchKey&searchType=easy&visited=true&propagate=false&resultStart=1&resultCount=10&SGWID=4-40109-14-0-0&queryText=responding+in+peaceful+and+positive+ways&easySearchOption=all

References

Farrell, A.D., Meyer, A.L., & Dahlberg, L.L. (1996). Richmond Youth Against Violence: A School-based Program for Urban Adolescents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 12(5), 13-21.

Meyer, A.L. & Farrell, A.D. (1998). Social skills training to promote resilience in urban sixth-grade students: One product of an action research strategy to prevent youth violence in high-risk environments. Education and Treatment of Children, 21(4), 461.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 6th and 7th grades / Program age ranges in the Guide: 6-11, 12-14

Program components: community or media campaign; parent or family component; school-based

Measured outcomes: social and emotional health and development; behavioral problems

KEYWORDS: Sixth Grade, Seventh Grade, Middle Childhood (6-11), Adolescence (12-17), Children, Adolescents, Community or Media Campaign, School-Based, Social/Emotional Health, Education/Cognitive Development, Behavioral Problems, Violence, Middle School, Helping Behavior/Social Responsibility, Civic Engagement, African American or Black , Life Skills Training, Conduct Problem, Aggression, Urban.

Program information last updated 3/16/07

		© Child Trends 2004

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Program is implemented among 6th graders in eight Richmond public middle schools. The majority of students are African-American, of low socio-economic status and from single parent households.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References

Target population: Program is implemented among 6^th graders in eight Richmond public middle schools. The majority of students are African-American, of low socio-economic status and from single parent households.