American Institutes for Research

David Osher is vice president and Institute Fellow at the American Institutes for Research. Dr. Osher is an expert on violence prevention, school safety, supportive school discipline, conditions for learning and school climate, social and emotional learning, youth development, cultural competence, family engagement, collaboration, mental health services, and implementation science. He has led impact and qualitative evaluations of initiatives and programs, systematic reviews, and expert panels, as well as projects that have developed surveys, and supported schools, districts, and states to promote conditions for learning, including school safety, and to address disciplinary disparities.

Dr. Osher is principal investigator of the National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, The National Resource Center on Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, and the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk. He is or was also principal investigator of experimental, quasi-experimental, and qualitative research studies that examine whole child, youth development, and social and emotional learning programs at a school and district level both in the U.S. and internationally. He co-authored Safe, Drug Free, and Effective Schools: What Works! and led the expert panel that produced Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools, which was released by President Clinton, as well as two related products for the Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services: Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide and Safe and Supportive Schools Step by Step. He was also the lead author of Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline: An Educator’s Action Planning Guide, released by the White House in July, 2015. Dr. Osher helped the U.S. Department of Education develop the National Agenda for Improving Results for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance, chaired the expert panel convened for the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice on the relationship between disability and involvement in the juvenile court and correctional systems, and led the What Works Clearing House review of character education. He also serves as principal investigator of the contract that supports the work of the Federal Agency Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs.

Dr. Osher, who consults with ministries, NGOs, educators, districts, schools, and human service agencies across the world, serves on numerous expert panels and editorial boards and has authored or co-authored over 380 books, monographs, chapters, articles, and reports, including Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools Step by Step and Teaching and Working with Children who have Emotional and Behavioral Challenges, and 175 peer reviewed papers and invitational presentations. He has served as dean and taught at a liberal arts college and two professional schools of human services.