BEST program added to Metro schools in an effort to fight school violence

by Emily Pearce

When Metro schools open Aug. 17, six schools will be taking part in a structured violence prevention program, developed by Vanderbilt researchers, aimed at 4- and 5-year-olds.

"We feel teaching them problem-solving techniques and anger management in preschool, with their peers, is a powerful intervention."

--Thomas Catron, Associate
professor of psychiatry and
co-director of the Center for
Psychotherapy Research and Policy at VIPPS

In an effort to fight school violence, Vanderbilt researchers and Centerstone Community Mental Health Centers, Inc. joined forces last year in a pilot project at Caldwell Early Childhood Center to teach preschool children, their parents and teachers proven techniques aimed at stopping violent behavior before it starts.

This year preschool classes at Carter Lawrence, Glenn, Head Magnet, Bordeaux, John Early and Warner will take part in the evaluation of the Behavioral Enrichment and Social Training program.

"State officials have expressed interest in expanding the BEST program to counties throughout Tennessee, if we continue to prove that this is a cost-effective way to prevent violence," said Thomas Catron, associate professor of psychiatry and co-director of the Center for Psychotherapy Research and Policy at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies.

Studies show that children from low-income backgrounds are twice as likely to develop serious emotional problems as the general population, he said.

"This program allows us to reach children early who might be at risk of developing behavioral problems," said Catron. "The earlier you can reach a child the better. We feel teaching them problem-solving techniques and anger management in preschool, with their peers, is a powerful intervention."

And if the Caldwell pilot project is any indication, BEST appears to be very promising. "Caldwell teachers and parents noticed a difference in the children's behavior after completing the BEST program," said Susan Han, research associate at the Center for Psychotherapy Research and Policy at VIPPS. "The children learned how to cooperate, calm down, talk about their feelings and show more caring behavior. Before they might have hit someone when they were unhappy or angry. Now they've learned ways to handle their feelings and problems, such as saying 'I'm feeling sad or down' or talking through a problem to find a solution."

Practicing friendly skills, rewarding positive behavior with smiling sun tokens, learning how to handle problems through role playing, and playing with "Calm Down" snail and "Pushy Puppy" puppets are just a few of the tools and techniques used in the violence prevention program.

The premise behind the program is simple, according to Han. Using a common language and a structured framework, BEST counselors, who are Centerstone clinicians trained by Vanderbilt researchers, teach instructors and parents how to reinforce positive behavior while ignoring and eliminating negative and inappropriate behavior.

The counselors show the teachers behavior management techniques along with methods on how to improve a child's self-esteem and ability to solve problems. The trained teachers then take what they have learned and apply it to the classroom. And, in bimonthly group meetings, the BEST counselors teach the parents how to reinforce what the children learn in the classroom at home. "When adults are consistent, these children learn pretty quickly that praise and positive reinforcement will follow their positive behavior," Han said. Han and the counselors monitor the classrooms and give the teachers feedback.

"BEST uses two proven treatment programs," Catron said. Reaching Educators, Children and Parents (RECAP), a comprehensive treatment manual and intervention model for children with serious emotional problems, was created at Vanderbilt by Bahr Weiss, associate professor of psychology.

"One piece missing for the preschoolers' program was teaching materials to be used in the classroom," Catron said. "That's where Second Step came in." Second Step is a violence prevention program developed in Seattle by the Committee for Children.

"We have continued to adapt and refine RECAP and Second Step for the preschoolers program based on what we learned at Caldwell," Han added.

Han has spent the past six months refining the program and getting the language just right. Vanderbilt researchers also received input from the teachers. "For example, the teachers wanted us to train the educational assistants in BEST techniques and to offer the program for a full year instead of one semester," she said. "We realized the benefit of this and will be doing both this year."

To measure whether the program is a success, three Metro schools will receive the BEST program and three will be part of a control group, preschoolers not receiving BEST. Han says the control group schools will receive BEST next year, pending continued funding. Researchers will collect data at the beginning of the school year, at the midpoint and at the end of the program to see how the BEST students compare with the control group.

"If we can demonstrate that there is an observable positive outcome with the children, the next step will be to see if BEST works in a variety of settings," Catron said. "Will it work in Head Start classes, day care and in rural preschools? Can we reduce aggression? Are the children learning more in the classroom because there are fewer disruptions?" Catron says he is applying for a National Institute of Mental Health grant to conduct a larger study to answer these questions. VIPPS is also working with the state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to see if there are opportunities for collaboration with some of the state's existing programs.

The BEST program has received support from key state agencies, the Governor's office, Metro schools and the private sector. The program is made possible thanks to a partnership with Centerstone, the state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the state Office of Criminal Justice Program, The Memorial Foundation and the Kroger Foundation.