Joint Statement by AERA and ASHE on the Shooting at Umpqua Community College

 

Joint Statement by AERA and ASHE on the Shooting at Umpqua Community College

The American Educational Research Association and the Association for the Study of Higher Education extend their deepest condolences to the families of the 10 victims of the shooting at Umpqua Community College and to the entire campus community. As organizations committed to the nurturing of students and the betterment of society, we are saddened by yet another senseless loss of lives in a learning environment. Of all societal settings, the classroom, whether it is in an elementary school or on a college campus, should be the safest and most embracing space, and a haven from the violence that too often afflicts the country.

We call on the education research community to further commit itself to expanding the body of research on school safety and climate at the K-12 level and extending it to higher education. Developing and promoting research-based programs and policies to reduce the risk of violence on college campuses also needs to be a major focus of education research. To foster the advancement of this research agenda, AERA and ASHE will convene a special joint forum at the AERA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2016. We recognize our responsibility to educate diverse publics in ways that can truly reduce violence in society.