Crime and vandalism on farms is possibly a symptom of rural youth delinquency and of concern to rural educators. This study of experience of Tennessee farmers with crime and vandalism is intended to provide a measure of the present social condition of rural society. Questionnaires were mailed to a weighted sample of farm operators in all Tennessee…

The kinds of destructive acts that take place on college campuses, the circumstances under which different behaviors occur, and the norms governing current students' attitudes toward destructiveness were studied. Data were collected in 1980 and 1981 through administration of two questionnaires to a national sample of undergraduates. Responses to…

If the findings of recent research are any guide, the dollars that are now spent on security devices and personnel, and the educational time now lost by involving teachers and administrators in expanding security programs, would be better spent on strategies for making schools more humane places in which learning can take place. We should look for…

The extent of school violence and vandalism is staggering, according to the author. He briefly reviews the history of conflict in American education, concluding that when a new group of people comes into an institution, such as the public schools, there is bound to be conflict and tension, as when the schools were desegregated by court order. He…

All types of school vandalism have a monetary cost, but they also have a social cost. Monetary costs are arrayed against social costs, giving four basic types of vandalism according to the major effects vandalism can have, regardless of motive. Prevention priorities should be established to control the two types of vandalism with high social cost,…

This paper examines the relationship between the evaluation (for both behavior and academic work) and authority systems of public high schools and the extent to which students in those schools become disengaged. Student disengagement is reflected in student absenteeism, low-level student participation in school, and student participation in…

Increasing school violence and vandalism, in Philadelphia and nationwide, require discussion of the likely causes and of new solutions. Crime in schools is extensive, according to the national Safe School Study. Philadelphia data show that school crime there increased from 1975 to 1980 in seven out of ten categories. The authors of the Safe School…

Workshop materials, all from Broward County (Florida), include job descriptions for the positions of director of security, security investigator, security specialist, and security patrolman. A security report also contains charts reflecting arson, vandalism, and theft costs from the school in years 1970 through 1979. The last section contains…

After introductory sections on the incidence of crime among juveniles and in the schools, the author concentrates on the rights of students in the schools and in the courts. He traces the historical development of juvenile courts from their original intentions up to the Supreme Court decisions that have granted substantial civil liberties to…

Studies on the problems of vandalism and violence in the schools have focused on societal changes, school behaviors, and the attitudes and behavior of the school principal in their efforts to understand the causes of such problems. This study examined recent trends in rates and costs of vandalism, and in rates of assaults by students on other…

A study of campus crime trends from 1974 to 1990 examines the relationships between campus crime and college characteristics. The research drew on merged national databases containing federal crime statistics, community demographic data, and campus characteristics. The results show that campus rates of both violent crime and property crime are…

The starting point of an effective school safety program is the development of a written policy statement that reflects the school board's belief in safety for its students and that is widely publicized to the staff and community. A sample safety/security policy is provided that lists, first, the superintendent's responsibilities in establishing a…

The Oxnard School District initiated a Year Round Education (YRE) program beginning in 1976. In 1984 the district maintained eleven YRE schools and four traditional schools. All the YRE schools are on a 60-20 plan with four staggered YRE tracks and a fifth track offering a traditional school year calendar. This cost analysis outlines how the…

A contemporary theory of behavior is that faulty patterns of thinking divide the criminal from the noncriminal. The causation of school violence is children choosing to be violent; and the problem of school violence is acceptance of their choice. Short-term control measures are adherence to systematic school rules, use of technology, security…

A study examined student perceptions of the school environment in a small, rural high school in southeastern North Carolina. Surveys returned by 417 students in grades 9-12 suggested that the presence of gangs and unsafe or hidden areas were not major problems. The fact that 46 percent indicated that vandalism was a problem suggests that vandalism…