NCJ Number
169051
Editor(s)
A P Goldstein,
J C Conoley
Date Published
1997
Length
515 pages
Annotation
These 20 papers examine the nature and incidence of violence in schools and discuss interventions in schools, communities, families, and individuals to control and reduce this problem.
Abstract
An overview reports that violence toward persons and property in schools is substantial; apparently increasing; and harmful to students, teachers, and other staff members. It concludes that interventions need to target not only students and schools but also families and communities. Additional papers present the perspectives of a teacher and a principal on creating low-aggression classrooms and safe schools, discuss the role of the State department of education, and list 48 promising strategies that school administrators can implement now at little or no cost to make their campuses safer. Further papers present student-oriented interventions such as classroom management and school crisis teams, school-oriented interventions such as curriculum approaches and security policy, and system oriented interventions focusing on families with aggressive children and community violence. Other papers focus on cultural sensitivity, accepted but potentially abusive practices by educators that may contribute to student misbehavior and violence, and the impact of perceptions regarding the requirements of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act related to information on individual students' behavior. The concluding chapter recommends that teams of mental health professionals, educators, and parents work together to select, implement, and sustain violence prevention and treatment programs. Tables, figure, chapter reference lists, and index