Evaluation of the RIPP-6 Violence Prevention Program at a Rural Middle School

Abstract

The effectiveness of the sixth grade component of Responding In Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP-6), a universal violence prevention program originally developed for urban middle schools that serve a predominantly African American student population, was evaluated at a school serving an ethnically diverse population in rural Florida. RIPP-6 was implemented with students assigned to one pod within the school; students within the other pod provided a comparison group. Both pods received the seventh grade RIPP curriculum the following year. Outcomes were assessed using a battery of measures completed by students at pretest, posttest, and 1-year follow-up. Compared with students in the comparison group, students who participated in RIPP-6 reported significantly lower approval of violent behavior, more peer support for nonviolent behaviors, less peer pressure to use drugs, and greater knowledge of the intervention at posttest. They also reported significantly lower posttest frequencies of physical aggression, drug use, and peer provocation. These effects were no longer significant following implementation of the seventh grade RIPP program with students in both pods. These findings have important implications for the development of effective prevention programs for middle school students.