School Response to Violence and Vandalism - An Urban District's Perspective

• NCJ Number: 91018
• Author(s): M H Kean
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 29 pages
• Sale Source: Eric Document Reproduction Service
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, April 13-17, 1981, Los Angeles, California

Annotation

Increasing school violence and vandalism, in Philadelphia and nationwide, require discussion of the likely causes and of new solutions.

Abstract

Crime in schools is extensive, according to the national Safe School Study. Philadelphia data show that school crime there increased from 1975 to 1980 in seven out of ten categories. The authors of the Safe School Study and other experts cite over 20 factors related to school crime, including school governance and leadership, interpersonal communication in schools, family characteristics, and local crime conditions. Strategies suggested nationally to handle school crime involved both short-term measures, such as student identification systems, and long-range changes in such aspects of education as disciplinary systems, student participation in school decisions, and student-teacher contact outside school. A Philadelphia School District committee adds further strategies, oriented toward better training for teachers and police and toward greater community involvement. To handle school crime effectively, however, a comprehensive new synthesis of the various strategies developed is needed. The solution offered here combines 15 recommendations, including suggestions for early identification and handling of potential disruptors, alternative educational programs, and improved disciplinary records. (Resources in Education (ERIC) abstract)