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 Welcome to the Espelage Research Addressing Violence in Education (RAVE) Lab Website!

RAVE is dedicated to transforming schools into places where students of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, and abilities can thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. Our research is centered on making schools physically and psychologically safe for all students, whether that is through creating professional development that promotes cultural competence for school personnel, evaluating school-based social-emotional learning or peer-led programming, and elevating the experiences of marginalized youth through integrative data analysis. Professor Espelage’s research focuses on translating empirical findings into prevention and intervention programming and policies. She has secured over fourteen million dollars of external funding and advises members of Congress on bully prevention legislation. She also conducts regular webinars for the CDC, NIH, and NIJ to disseminate research. Our mission is to promote a positive school climate using evidence-based youth violence prevention efforts that are effective for all students.

RAVE focuses on the following topics:

Prevention Science

School-Based Interventions

Social-Emotional Learning

School Safety

Bullying Prevention

Teen Dating Violence Prevention

Sexual Violence Prevention

Mental Health Promotion