The biggest threat to an equitable and prosperous American society is not a particular educational policy, but the gravitational pull of politics, explains Jonathan Collins. Before educational policy can be developed and put into place, the politics that drive education must be acknowledged and addressed. Violence is erupting at school board…

In a suit involving an assaulted Native American middle school student, a federal court judge granted the Philadelphia Public Schools' motion for summary judgment. Even in this post-Columbine era, senseless on-campus, student-to-student violence is generally not considered a civil-rights issue. Exceptions are noted. (MLH)

More U.S. young people have been gunned down during the past 13 years than died in the Vietnamese War. Crimes against juveniles are increasing; also, the intensity of today's youth violence is increasing. Over 3 million crimes (11% of all crimes) occur each year in America's 85,000 public schools. Sources, predictors, and solutions are discussed.…

Intended to improve school safety by ensuring student compliance with rules, zero tolerance has become an excuse to treat all children needing corrective measures the same. An alternative approach, "Tough as Necessary," balances strength with fairness, incorporates school-specific values, and establishes and enforces differentiated…

According to the 26th annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll, the growth of fighting/violence/gangs and poor discipline are the most serious problems facing today's schools. Parents rate their community schools highly but assign only passing grades to the nation's schools. Most favor character education and President Clinton's education initiatives…

Technology can be used to keep children safe from sexual predators and other externalized violence, via coded intercom messages, e-mail warnings to teachers, and closed-circuit television broadcasts. Unfortunately, many schools with portables lack these services or telephones. Distant physical education teachers are at some disadvantage. Day-care…

Explores the social ecology of classroom aggression, demystifying four common "response dispositions" (exquisite sensitivity, group offense patrol, slight trigger disease, and heavy into violence) that provide fertile ground for uncivil behavior. To create a climate of classroom civility, teachers should engage in self-analysis, imagine…

School board members, administrators, and teachers must remember that the wearing of "gang" clothing or the appearance of "gang" graffiti does not always translate into gang activity and crime. In reality, the so-called national spread of gang problems may be just another teenage fad. School personnel should treat gangs as a…

Educators are embracing character education as the latest panacea for schools'"crisis of values." Americans want schools to accomplish what is not occurring at home. Values are learned through observation and practice. The challenge is changing behaviors of those influencing children--work-centered parents, inconsistent teachers, and…

As suggested by standard indicators--truancy, dropout rates, graffiti, vandalism, violence--youngsters in small schools rarely display the anger at the institution and its inhabitants that typifies Columbine and many other comprehensive high schools. Educators must cultivate learning communities and qualities (like empathy and compassion)…

Abuse is an environmental factor influencing some children's emergent metacognitive processes and perceptions. Because abused children most often remain in regular classrooms, they rely on teachers' ability to apply interventions responsive to their needs. This is accomplished by combining knowledge of educational best practices with knowledge…

After four years of implementation, the National Center for Education Statistics found that schools employing zero-tolerance policies are still less safe than those without such policies. Indiscriminate use of force is the hallmark of authoritarianism. Programmatic prevention, screening and early identification, and effective discipline policies…

The public continues to oppose allowing students and parents to choose a private school to attend at public expense, but favors government-paid tuition for students choosing to attend any public, private, or religious school. The public assigns local schools passing grades, likes schools' size, favors school prayer, and wants innercity schools to…