The Impact of School Resource Officers on Student Success in 9-12 High Schools in Nebraska

The purpose of this study is to compare the grades 9-12 high school graduation rates, attendance rates, discipline referrals, and ACT scores in grades 9-12 Nebraska High Schools that have School Resource Officers with the same indicators of success in grades 9-12 Nebraska High Schools that do not have School Resource Officers. The study specifically examined data from the following sources: ● graduation rates from the Nebraska Department of Education(personal communication, 2019); ● attendance rates from the Nebraska Department of Education(personal communication, 2019); ● discipline referrals from the Nebraska Department of Education (personal communication, 2019); ● Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System ACT scores (Nebraska Department of Education, personal communication, 2019). The study used a quantitative data collection system of public K-12 Nebraska school districts, which allowed the researcher to create an overview of School Resource Officers impact on graduation rates, attendance rates, discipline referrals, and ACT scores. The high schools studied are grades 9 -12 public high schools within the state of Nebraska. Overall, the study provided valuable information for stakeholders in any school district which question the impact of school resource officers, specifically in the areas of graduation, attendance, discipline, and achievement scores