David Blacker points to a problematic decline in personal freedoms, including student speech rights: "[A]s the 'educational mission' of schools moves ineluctably even further toward warehousing and surveillance--pre-jail--then remaining intra-institutional speech rights will easily be quashed." Critical of the elastic conception of…

Using public information from birth certificates and prison records from Florida, we adopt a reduced-form approach to estimate the effect of relative age on the probability of incarceration in adulthood (until age 30-40). We use a Regression Discontinuity Design around the cutoff date for Kindergarten enrollment (Sept. 1). We find strong evidence…

The euphemism that Florida, the nation's third most populous and politically powerful state, is a battleground is an apt description--and more than just every four years. Every year, every day in the state's capital, Florida has become high ground for pro-corporate, special-interest lobbyists who seek to instill a far-right legislative and social…

Based on events in Florida, this case explores issues that accompany the choice to arm school personnel as a means to address school violence and shootings. Readers consider the issue from the perspective of the school board of a large, diverse district and are presented with dilemmas while they consider the effectiveness, the political…

Despite the familiar American scene of lined-up students being ushered out of school buildings while their classmates lay wounded or dead inside, and despite repeated calls for restrictions on the guns used in such shootings, nearly twenty years after Columbine, the gun lobby retains a powerful grip on the nation's politicians - using money and…

Crime and violence on college and university campuses have found their way into the media spotlight. As a result, criminal and violent acts have become issues that warrant research. We discuss literature focused on the potential contributing factors that may lead to violent behavior. Additionally, we review legislation intended to protect students…

Nonlethal strangulation of intimate partners has substantial direct health effects and is associated with an increased risk of later lethal violence by a partner or ex-intimate partner but can be difficult to prosecute under felony assault statutes. After review of state laws regarding assault, the authors identified 10 states with specific…

This article presents a review of the "Psychosocial Evaluation and Threat Risk Assessment" (PETRA), a 60-item self-report instrument "designed to address the psychosocial characteristics most commonly associated with acts of school violence" among middle school and high school students ages 11 to 18 years. The PETRA was…

College students experience an extremely high level of violence among intimate partners during their college careers, with prevalence rates ranging between 20% and 50%. Because intimate partner violence (IPV) among college students is such a widespread problem, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to this type of abuse.…

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying; therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of…

Until recently, school executives have been too busy responding to growing school violence to worry about their own safety. Although teachers and students are most common targets, recent murders of three superintendents and an assistant principal show top administrators are vulnerable to misdirected anger and frustration. Administrators should not…

This paper describes a program that was developed and implemented to define better the incidents used by a rural school district to report school violence to the state. The program was also designed to decrease the use of out-of-school suspension by 90 school administrators in this Florida district. Some of the strategies used for the program…

"Too Good for Drugs and Violence" is designed to promote high school students' prosocial skills, positive character traits, and violence- and drug-free norms. The curriculum consists of 14 core lessons and an additional 12 lessons that can be infused into other subject areas (such as English, science, and social studies). Students engage…

Four-hundred and eight 14 to 19-year-old adolescents in grades 9 through 12 participated in this study. The Adolescent Anger Rating Scale was used to assess differences in expressed anger among participants. Specific styles of anger were measured: reactive, instrumental, and anger control. Results of this study suggest that males demonstrate…

Violence in the schools is a fundamental concern for students, educators and communities as they collectively address issues that make schools safer. A longitudinal analysis of disciplinary referrals was conducted with a large countywide school district to measure differences across socioeconomic status and school level. These variables proved to…