Main Content
Offered Winter 2028
Tuesday evenings, 5:30pm – 8:00pm (Pacific Time), online synchronous format.
Class dates: Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb.22
Tuition: $1,000
We are a Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) clock hour provider approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB).
Course description
Deepens students’ understanding of the research base and applied practices that guide effective BTAM in educational settings. Emphasis is placed on critically evaluating empirical literature, translating research into practice, and refining decision-making skills in complex, real-world scenarios. Students will explore contemporary studies on targeted school violence, BTAM models, and intervention outcomes. Students will also engage with program implementation challenges, including team dynamics, policy development, and system-level integration within schools and districts. Through case analyses and applications, students will practice conducting comprehensive threat assessments, developing management plans, and evaluating intervention effectiveness. Emphasizes the use of data to inform prevention strategies and safe school climates.
Over the course of the quarter, students will:
- Critically analyze and synthesize research related to school threat assessment and targeted violence prevention
- Apply threat assessment models to complex cases
- Evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of intervention and management strategies
- Integrate research findings into practical decision-making and policy development
- Assess the role of bias, culture, and equity in school BTAM practices
- Design and implement comprehensive threat management plans
- Use data and outcomes to inform program evaluation and improvement
John Van Dreal
Chief Architect, Violence Prevention Solutions; Public Consulting Group
John Van Dreal is a school psychologist, the chief architect of violence prevention solutions for Public Consulting Group, and the retired director of Safety and Risk Management Services for the Salem-Keizer School District. He continues his career consulting with school districts and communities on behavioral threat assessment systems and violence prevention. He has over 35 years of experience in threat assessment and management, psycho-educational evaluation, crisis intervention, behavioral intervention, and security and risk management systems consultation. He is the recipient of the 2024 Association of Threat Assessment Professional’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is recognized internationally as an expert in threat assessment and as a pioneer of multidisciplinary threat assessment.
In 1999, he began the development and implementation of the Salem-Keizer Cascade Model, an evidence-based, multi-agency student threat assessment system considered by experts to be a best practice. Through that collaboration, he has worked daily with educators, law enforcement, trial court personnel, juvenile justice, and mental health personnel in preventive behavioral threat assessment—the management of youth and adult threats of aggression within the schools, institutions, and the community. He served as Chair of Oregon’s Mid-Valley Student Threat Assessment Team from its inception in 2000 through 2015 and continues to provide consultation to its membership. He has served as a member of the Marion County Threat Advisory Team since 1999. He is the editor and principal author of the book Assessing Student Threats: Implementing The Salem-Keizer System, Second Edition and has advised on, or contributed to, a number of threat assessment guides, publications, articles, and documentaries. His third book (authored with Courtenay McCarthy and Coleen Van Dreal), Preventing Youth Violence: The Pathway Back through Inclusion and Connection, was released in March of 2022. He regularly provides training and consultation to audiences nationally on threat assessment systems, preventing and mitigating human violence, school security, and response options for violent intruder and active shooter situations.
John is dedicated to his community, patronizing locally owned establishments and supporting nonprofit arts and human services organizations. He is a musician, a published poet, and a nationally renowned fine artist with paintings in several notable collections. Finally, he is lucky to be the partner of a gifted school counselor, the proud father of two brilliant adult children, and a loving companion to his dog, Jojo.
