Americans have been exposed to increased levels of mass violence during the past decade. School violence, shootings in the workplace, and terrorist acts both here and abroad--all have affected individuals, families, communities, and our country. This report addresses the urgent need to evaluate the various psychological interventions that are…

This project focused on the collection and analysis of longitudinal student data generated by six high schools from a large urban school system in the Midwest. Two of the schools recently converted to a 4 X 4 scheduling structure, while 3 additional schools have used a block-8 scheduling structure for a number of years. One school maintains a…

This study examined the outcomes of student conflict mediation at two urban middle schools in California. Data collection involved observations, interviews, and instrumentation with the Mediation Rating Profile (C. Carter, 1998), and a writing prompt. Several mediation agreements contained avoidance resolutions, such as "stay away from each…

This paper reports on the National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools, the first national study of problem behavior containing information from multiple sources -- principals, teachers, and students. Nationwide, 7% of schools or an estimated 6,451 schools reported to law enforcement personnel at least one incident of physical attack or…

This publication is a compilation of five papers that were originally presented at the 1975 National Conference of the College and University Safety Educators Association. Most of the booklet consists of the text of these papers; also included are a copy of the conference agenda and a complete roster of conference participants. The five papers…

In this presentation, made to the White House Conference on Character and Community, the author advocates creating a preventive intervention system for chronic violence; that scientific research supports this system; that it is cost-beneficial to do so; and that it is necessary in order to help the next generation become productive citizens. He…

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it investigated preservice and inservice teachers' observed and experienced violence at various educational levels. Second, the study determined by gender, these individuals' knowledge and awareness of violence factors. The subjects consisted of 26 university preservice and four inservice teachers in…

Many politicians, policy makers, and citizens tend to ignore both the value of prevention and the voluminous research disproving the efficacy of punishment. This study offers a review of historical responses to school violence and discipline and offers some suggestions in these areas. After describing the American penchant for punitive correction,…

Specific issues relevant to the emergency health preparedness of schools and the key roles and expectations applicable to teachers are outlined. It is noted that, while issues of legal liability relevant to teachers are complex, teachers are expected to: (1) anticipate possible risk or harm involved in activities; (2) give adequate warning of…

In an effort to address the series of school shootings in the 1990s, several organizations compiled and published checklists and other materials for schools to use in identifying students who might be capable of violent acts. As a consequence, schools have entered into the controversial world of profiling. In this paper, the authors use their…

The present study examined features of the school ecology and social support as risk and protective factors in students' safety at school among 73 third- through fifth-grade students. Students' perceptions of safety in several contexts within schools were assessed. Student, peer, and teacher perceptions of victimization were contrasted. In…

School safety is a topic of national debate due to the severity of student violence in the last few years. While the percentage of violent incidences in schools nationwide has decreased, the problem resides in the increased severity of such crimes. Teachers are facing random acts of violence seldom faced in the past. This paper discusses…

The Survey of School-Based Gang Prevention and Intervention Programs is a study of approaches used by schools to reduce or prevent gang involvement among schools. Principals in a probability sample of 1,287 schools were asked what they were doing in their schools to prevent problem behavior or to promote a safe and orderly school environment.…

This paper presents a transcript of the speech delivered by the author at the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing, Washington, DC, May 15, 2007. The author talked about how the Healthy Schools Network works to ensure that every child will have an environmentally healthy school that is clean and in good repair. The organization…

Students (n=78) and teachers (n=22) in five high schools with violence concerns were given maps of their schools and asked to identify the locations and times of the most violent events and most dangerous areas in and around the school. Participants were also asked to identify the ages and genders of the perpetrators and victims of the violent…