Citation

Hamlin D, Li A. J. School Violence 2020; 19(3): 362-376.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15388220.2019.1700801

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Schools located in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods report disproportionately high rates of crime and violence. Theoretical reasoning suggests that school-based parent participation may lead to improved school safety in these settings, but little empirical work has tested this relationship. This study examines the relationship between school-based parent volunteering and two measures of school safety by using data from five waves of the School Survey on Crime and Safety, Common Core Data, and the American Community Survey.

RESULTS from analyses of 12,698 schools indicated that school-based parent volunteering is associated with improved school safety, controlling for school organizational features, sociodemographic characteristics, and neighborhood-level crime. For schools in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, this relationship persisted with parent volunteering being associated with less school crime and violence and student bodily harm.

FINDINGS establish a need for future research to determine whether parent volunteering may be a tool for enhancing school safety.

Language: en

Keywords

school safety; Parent volunteering; school survey on crime and safety