This article presents the "Readiness for Solutions to Lower Violence Model (ReSOLV)" a model generated from Elinor Ostrom's Institutional Analysis Framework, as an alternative approach for adopting equitable and evidence-based strategies to reduce violence in schools and communities. The article explores application of the model within the context of three unique study sites from a longitudinal study in California involving one large county urban school district and county, one small city and school district, and one rural city and school district. We review prevailing approaches for responding to school and public safety problems and examine relevant literature on individual, organizational and community readiness to change the status quo in favor of evidence-based solutions. Implications for school safety research and practice are discussed.