NCJ Number
150347
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 20-22
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Developed over several years and recently tested with Australian school personnel, the Coping With Violence (CWV) approach ensures that all members of the school community are committed to resolving violence through education.
Abstract
The CWV approach is based on two fundamental beliefs: (1) that the school community should formally make a commitment to nonviolence; and (2) that a nonviolent philosophy should be accepted by students, parents, teachers, executives, and other community members. Statistical information on violence in Australian schools is incomplete, fragmented, and scant. An Australian Institute of Criminology report, for example, asserts that only 0.04 percent of students are ever involved in violent incidents. The number of recorded offenses in New South Wales, however, increased by 71.5 percent between 1986 and 1992, according to the Australian Board of Statistics. School administrators need to define violence adequately, examine the school's responsibility in violence prevention, and evaluate policies and processes which reinforce and maintain violent interaction patterns. The CWV approach represents a nonviolent response to violence management in schools and incorporates strategies for school personnel, policy development, antiviolence curricula for primary and secondary students, and intervention for identified or potentially violent students. 5 endnotes