Episode 3: The Role of Education and Teachers in Preventing Violent Extremism

Education systems offer an existing environment where tools that can be useful in preventing violent extremism are taught, such as critical thinking, digital literacy and civic values. However, asking teachers to assess or report on security concerns among their students – such as signs of radicalisation to violent extremism – can sometimes be counterproductive or even destructive by breaking teachers’ bond of trust with students or causing other potential harms. While education systems are often designed to teach values to students, it is important to consider the best ways to ensure the safeguarding of teachers and students so that they can discuss complex ideas of historical, social, political and ideological dimensions.

David P. Eisenman, Stevan Weine, Nilpa D. Shah, Nicole V. Jones, Chloe Polutnik Smith, Paul Thomas & Michele Grossman (2022) Bystander reporting to prevent violent extremism and targeted violence: learning from practitioners, Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, DOI: 10.1080/19434472.2022.2130960

Joel Busher, Tufyal Choudhury and Paul Thomas, (2019) ‘The enactment of the counter-terrorism ‘Prevent duty’ in British schools and colleges: Beyond reluctant accommodation or straightforward policy acceptance’, Critical Studies on Terrorism, 12:3, 440-462. doi.org/10.1080/17539153.2019.1568853