The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Safety." Contents include: (1) Students Demand Safe, Supportive Schools:…

The view that colleges are generally safe has been challenged by threats of violence on campuses across the country, causing fear among stakeholders. Community college faculty are not immune to crime-related fear on campus; however, the research has largely ignored this population. This research serves to fill that gap. The purpose of this…

The present pilot study explores pre-service teachers' experiences related to active shooter preparedness and perceptions of preparedness of active shooter training and drills. A survey was conducted among pre-service teachers (N = 97) regarding (a) previous experiences with active shooter response drills, (b) perceptions of preparedness for…

Understanding the extent to which caregivers perceive active shooter lockdown drills in K-12 schools as physically and emotionally safe for their children is pertinent, yet little empirical evidence exists. Negative parental perceptions of drills can lead to decreased student participation and compliance and amplify public concerns associated with…

A variety of factors are associated with the likelihood of reporting guns at school; however, mixed empirical findings hinder our ability to inform policies to reduce school violence. Additionally, many of the established factors are difficult to change over time, and limited attention has been devoted to more malleable factors such as anonymous…

This report provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. The information presented in this report serves as a reference for policymakers and practitioners so that they can develop effective programs and policies aimed at violence and school crime prevention. Accurate information about the nature, extent, and scope of…

In this article I discuss an approach to teaching about the Russian war in Ukraine that uses the war as a focal point for teaching about topics in comparative politics and international relations. I discuss the pedagogical advantages for political science teaching, including meeting the interests of students, introducing students to theories in…

As many American teachers have or will experience unsafe working conditions (McMahon et al., 2014), it is critical to understand the role real or potential violence can play in shaping teachers' perceptions and experiences of their work. This study affirmed the critical need for researchers to understand teacher perceptions of workplace gun…

Douglas Kellner's "Re-Visioning Education: Cultural Studies, Critical Media and Digital Literacies, and Democracy" provides a comprehensive account of his critical theory of education that combines his work in philosophy of education, cultural studies, and media and digital literacies aimed at a critical theory of education and radical…

This case study explored the impacts of school shootings on K-12 school principals. Eleven school principals and assistant principals from rural, suburban, and urban areas in all regions of the United States were interviewed. The study answered two research questions: What impact do school shootings have on school principals? and What do…

This research study focuses on students' and faculty's awareness and preparedness during an active-shooter event. The study examines the perceptions and abilities of the students and faculty at a large southern university. The study surveys the participants current ability to use and their opinions of using the emergency alert notification system…

According to recent research, gun violence at schools has become a public health issue. Teachers, administrators, students, and communities are trying to cope with the aftermath of gun violence at schools. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to identify coping mechanisms among teachers and administrators after experiencing…

This study identified risk, promotive, and protective factors for handgun carriage among 265 primarily African American adolescents (M[subscript age] = 14.3) living in low-income urban areas. Community-based violent victimization and witnessing violence and in-person and cyber forms of peer victimization increased the probability of handgun…

Firearm suicides among adolescents have increased in the US and rates vary across racial and ethnic groups. In this study, we examined contextual information around adolescent firearm suicides and analyzed how incident characteristics vary across racial and ethnic groups. We analyzed firearm suicides among adolescents (ages 10-18 years) from 2004…

Purpose: Groups of students were enrolled in a course that sought to produce a three-phase theoretical model over three semesters. Design/methodology/approach: A design project to comprehensively address school violence was launched at a university in eastern Pennsylvania. Findings: This article updates the recent and most critical finding of the…