Most school shooters are current or former students. Most are suicidal. And most share their plans in advance.
These are among the key findings of The Violence Project, a research effort examining 50 years of mass shootings in the U.S.
The project’s insights have been cited widely in news stories in the wake of recent mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso. While informing the American public is certainly of interest to project leaders Jillian Peterson and James Densley, the professors have a more specific audience in mind. They want to translate their work into practical training for teachers and school administrators hoping to prevent violence from breaking out in their classrooms and campuses.
“People have a lot of misinformation around school shootings,” says Peterson, a psychologist and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Hamline University. “Being able to bring data to people is really powerful.”
Source: Ed Surge
Author: Rebecca Koenig