Recovery in Aurora, Part A
2014
This case study considers community mental health and resiliency through the example of a movie theater mass murder in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012. It is the first in a 2-part case that follows the Aurora Public Schools (APS) Superintendent’s emergency management process for addressing community trauma, and details the range of reactions to and stakeholders’ perspectives on recovery. The case prompts students to consider what it means for a community to recover mental health and resiliency, and explores coordination challenges within and across public and private sectors.
The case is part of a series produced by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Case Program, hosted by the HKS Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence (SLATE) initiative, the world’s largest producer and repository of case studies designed for teaching about how government works and how public policy is made. Each case in the series is designed to train public leaders, and introduces actual policy dilemmas along with data to equip students to learn how to apply the rigor of quantitative analysis in the real world.
This case may be purchased for a nominal fee; registered educators may obtain a free review copy. Online supplemental resources include short free documents and videos on how to teach with the case method, as well as downloadable related tip sheets and questions for class discussion.
Source:
Tannenwald D. Recovery in Aurora: The Public Schools’ Response to the July 2012 Movie Theater Shooting (A). HKS Case No. 2024.0. Harvard Kennedy School Case Program 2014. http://case.hks.harvard.edu/recovery-in-aurora-the-public-schools-response-to-the-july-2012-movie-theater-shooting-a.