NCJ Number
92018
Date Published
1983
Length
27 pages
Annotation
In analyzing the school team approach to mobilizing local resources to deal with local school problems, this report describes the kinds of programs attempted by 173 school teams and their impact on six dimensions of school crime: vandalism, theft, drug and alcohol availability, attacks on students, attacks on teachers, and school climate.
Abstract
The efforts of school teams were examined in 173 high, middle, and elementary schools around the country, obtaining from them descriptions of the crime prevention and reduction programs they designed and implemented. Questionnaires on crime and disruptive behavior were gathered over a 3-year period to determine if any change occurred after the programs were introduced. In identifying what problems respond to team efforts, the study found it more difficult to change theft and drug use in schools than to reduce attacks on students, teachers, vandalism, and improve school climate. With regard to team strategy, the best results in high schools were obtained by efforts to increase communication within the school and between the school and parents/community. In middle and elementary schools, the best results were obtained by efforts to improve the school's handling of discipline and security. Efforts to improve self-understanding and interpersonal skills were ineffective across all three school levels. The research suggests three general themes that hold across all school levels: (1) order is a basic need if schools are to function; (2) it may be easier to change people through their participation in work on problems of importance to them than through efforts to bring about personal change; and (3) it helps to involve parents. (Author summary modified)