The VISA Center: Report on a Program for Students Suspended from the Buffalo Public Schools for Violent and/or Aggressive Behavior, Substance Abuse, or Weapons Possession (9/16/06)

Principle Investigator: Dr. Lawrence Shulman, Professor, U.B. School of Social Work,
Co-Investigator and Data Analyst: Dr. Eugene Maguin, SSW Research Associate Professor
Research Associates: Charles Syms, Clinical Assistant Professor, U.B.S.S.W., Dr. Mark Cameron, Department of Social Work, Southern Connecticut State University
Research Assistants: Sandra Sheppard and Amy Manning

Project Setting and Overview

The setting for this study was the Buffalo, New York public schools. The VISA (Vision, Integrity, Service and Accountability) Center was designed to offer suspended Buffalo public school children in grades 6-11 an opportunity to explore alternatives to violence-related behaviors within a two-week, structured, supportive environment. Assignment to the VISA Center was offered as an alternative to the regular program of academic support prescribed for students formally suspended from school.

The project was funded by a $700,000 New York State Legislative Initiative Grant. The project was originally designed to run for three academic years starting in the fall semester of 2000 and ending at the completion of the 2002-2003 school year. The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 resulted in a dramatic shift in funding priorities for the State legislature and led to the program closing down later that fall. A three-year project became a one year project over two school years.

Recognizing this reality, the project staff expanded the focus of the data analysis beyond just a direct comparison of the outcomes for the VISA (experimental) group and the non-VISA suspended students (the control group). Instead, it was decided to use the project data to deepen our understanding of the factors contributing to a child’s behavior in the school, as well as those factors that might help students in trouble survive and even thrive in their school settings. We were also interested in school-specific data that might serve as a predictor of re-suspension as well as a moderating variable affecting the impact of the program on outcomes. A full test of the VISA program’s impact on students would have to wait for another study. Data analysis and findings included in this report might help in the design of a future project.

The report on this Web page describes the behavioral and academic program components, the sample of VISA students and the control group, the research methodology and limitations, and it addresses the following questions: