This systematic review synthesizes research on school-based crisis intervention protocols, descriptions, and evaluations. We performed a comprehensive literature search, and 60 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. We found an overwhelming lack of evaluation studies (n = 3), suggesting that interventions are being administered…

When school communities are troubled by violence, or threats of violence, at the hands of young people, educators have an opportunity to learn about aggression and adolescent identity development. A disturbing threat incident provides the point of departure for this principal's reflection on how high school curriculum can better meet the identity…

A major school crisis can cause physical and emotional distress as well as impact student academic performance. The purpose of this study was to use a web-based survey to explore Missouri school counselors' perceptions of individual and school-wide crisis preparedness and crisis training experiences. Results indicate that the more involved school…

This study surveyed New Mexico high school principals on their current state of preparedness for serious school violence. The researcher surveyed 119 public high schools, receiving a 65% return rate from a 25-question survey. Specifically, this study analyzed the relationships of three predictor variables: prevention, response, and building of…

Some tragedies are so emblazoned in people's minds that years later they can recall where they were when they first heard the news. The assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the Challenger explosion, and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are among these events. So also is the Columbine High School tragedy of April 20, 1999.…

For administrators at the secondary level, not many school days go according to plan or script, but few things are more disruptive than a student threat of violence. When threats are made--or if there is a rumor of a serious student threat--it can take both time and resources to investigate, interview, and analyze multiple pieces of information in…