To break up student fights without getting hurt, teachers should get help, dismiss the audience, identify themselves, use specific commands, defer to rules instead of personal authority, identify the aggressor, direct the loser to a specific location, obtain identification, make written reports, and discuss actions taken with the principal. (MLH)

Biometrics (hand geometry, iris and retina scanners, voice and facial recognition, signature dynamics, facial thermography, and fingerprint readers) identifies people based on physical characteristics. Administrators worried about kidnapping, vandalism, theft, and violent intruders might welcome these security measures when they become more…

A national survey of 1,216 school executives reveals administrators' perceptions of violence in their own school districts, neighboring communities, and the nation at large. Generally, administrators perceived a widespread increase of school violence (especially outside their own districts, in the southeast, and among low-achieving students).…

Recent U.S. Education Department surveys find a crime perception gap between administrators and teachers. More teachers than principals say they have problems with student violence, weapons, robberies, verbal and physical abuse, vandalism, and racial tension. National Crime Survey statistics report 16,000 daily thefts and violent crimes on school…

The National School Safety Center pegs the number of gun-toting U.S. students at 100,000. Unless metal detectors are employed as part of a carefully thought-out school safety plan, their use is likely to be ineffective, controversial, and a legal minefield. Random student searches are becoming common. A sidebar describes a Washington, D.C., junior…

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…

A Spanish teacher successfully sued a student she claimed terrorized her, after school administrators ignored her complaints. Nearly 11% of teachers experience verbal and physical abuse by students. Although some states are stiffening penalties against violent students, educators' best recourse is to publicize the problem, devise policies, and…

Schools must increasingly deal with children who brandish weapons and exhibit antisocial or violent behavior. Psychologists agree that young children are very susceptible to violence and that stored violent images can warp their interpretation of reality. To combat youth violence, many schools have adopted antiviolence curricula and conflict…

In "Thriving on Chaos," author Tom Peters suggests that future managers will need the quick reactions of video game players. Patient observation may work better. Chaos theory teaches that random happenings cannot be controlled; the toughest, randomly caused problems have no solutions; a leader's vision or moral code cannot be imposed on…

Workplace violence has not bypassed schools. Stories are surfacing about disgruntled school employees threatening, attacking, and sometimes killing administrators. This article shows how school leaders can develop greater awareness of potential problems and design cautionary measures. Contributing factors, warning signs, legal consequences,…