Best Practices in Training School Resource Officers: What are we learning from evaluating the nation's largest training program?

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM MT

Location: Mile High Ballroom 1EF, Colorado Convention Center

This panel builds on prior conversations held during IACP 2023 and 2024, examining what current research reveals about the effectiveness of policing in schools—and how future studies can ask better questions to uncover the nuanced roles of school-based law enforcement. Much of the existing research treats school resource officers (SROs) as a uniform group. In practice, however, there is significant variability in training, responsibilities, and the agreements between school districts and police departments. This session will focus on the training needs of school police officers, featuring findings from the NIJ-funded study An Evaluation of the Largest National Training Provider for School Police. Panelists—including researchers and practitioners from the National Association of School Resource Officers—will offer recommendations for best practices in training programs. The discussion will also incorporate guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS Office and the NIJ-supported research that informs it. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how tailored training and thoughtful research can improve school policing and strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and educational communities.

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Jennifer Grotpeter, Ph.D.

Social Science Research Analyst
National Institute of Justice
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Speaker(s)

AB

Ashley Boal, Ph.D.

Senior Research Associate
WestEd, Justice and Prevention Area
Portland, Oregon, United States
Joseph McKenna, PhD

Vice President of Threat Detection and Prevention Program Development
Navigate360
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Mo Canady

Executive Director
National Association of School Resource Officers
Hoover, Alabama, United States