Dive Brief:

• Whether education and prevention programs during childhood can reduce gun violence later in life and how youth are affected by having access to guns at home are two of the research areas that the RAND Corp. will oversee during the next five years as part of a privately funded project, according to a press release.
• The Laura and John Arnold Foundation, based in Houston, is giving $20 million to finance the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research, which will also examine protective factors that limit gun violence. The donation is expected to spark contributions of up to $30 million from the philanthropic sector.
• Educators will be among the different groups participating on an advisory committee, along with healthcare professionals, university researchers, and representatives from government, law enforcement and the private sector.

Dive Insight:

In March, following the passage of the federal STOP School Violence Act, which sends funds to school districts for training and additional security measures, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) expressed opposition to the provision that redirected funds away from school violence research and evaluation.

“Losing these programs is tragically counter-productive and short-sighted at a time when the need for evidence-based policies and practices that protect schools, students and society has never been greater,” the statement said.

In previous statements, AERA leaders also drew attention to policies that have restricted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from studying gun-related violence. According to NPR, the spending bill signed by President Donald Trump removes those limits and allows the CDC to conduct research on the topic as it would other public health issues. But the report also notes that scientists are skeptical about any policy change because the bill didn’t include funding for research.