Detecting and combating plagiarism from Web-based sources is a concern for administrators and instructors involved in online distance education. In this paper, we quantify copy-and-paste plagiarism among adult learners in an online geography course offered through Penn State's World Campus Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate program.…

At the beginning of 2006 the media reported instances where people who had been convicted of sexual offences against children were permitted to work in schools. A list of unsuitable people (known as "List 99") has existed for over 80 years and yet the system appears to have broken down. In this article I seek to examine some of the…

The Commissioner's annual report provides the Legislature with information reported by school districts concerning incidents of serious student misconduct grouped into the following four major reporting categories: violence, vandalism, weapons, and substance abuse. An analysis of trends yields indications of progress and of ongoing concern, and…

Mastery of literacy skills may be a preventive and proactive way to address the problem of the high cost of imprisonment and the huge increase in the prison population. However, correctional educators contend with multiple problems in delivering literacy programs to inmates. Findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey indicate that, of the 5…

Statistics show that more than 770,000 students were injured in schools in 1992 and more than 3 million crimes are committed in schools each year. This guide empowers parents with information to identify safety problems in schools and work toward their solution. After a general discussion of school safety and the role of parents, the book reviews…

The Committee on Natural Resources reports on Bill H.R. 4034 to amend the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act of 1978 to authorize grants for the expansion of recreation opportunities for at-risk youth in urban areas with a high prevalence of crime and for other purposes. The Committee reports favorably on the Bill, with an amendment, and…

Although violence and substance use are usually considered urban problems, rates of violence and substance use in rural areas are catching up to urban rates. This collection of six articles explores violence and substance use in rural America, the relationship between the two, the factors contributing to these problems, and effective preventive…

This collection of essays describes how communities can make their schools safe. The text is divided into four parts: "Roots of Violence"; "Legal Issues"; "Strategies for Making Schools Safe"; and "Conclusions and Recommendations." The chapters in part 1 include the following: "The Impact of Violence in Schools" (Donald F. DeMoulin);…

A 1-year voluntary program in technology education has been offered for 4 years at the New Hampshire State Prison. To date, the inmates who have completed the program and been retested on the Test of Adult Basic Education have improved their initial scores as much as four grade levels. An associated drop in disciplinary problems in some inmates…

On June 29, 1993, a Senate Task Force on School Violence hearing was held at the California State capitol. The hearing examined the issues of violence on school campuses. Victims of campus crime, relatives of murdered students, administrators, law enforcers involved in campus safety, and students who themselves committed crimes in school spoke at…

Guidelines for developing a security system that promotes safe and vandal-free schools are offered to administrators in this handbook. Areas covered are: (1) a security checklist; (2) identification of security needs and development of an action plan; (3) a school incident reporting system; (4) comparison of a secure and a nonsecure school; (5)…

This paper discusses the controversy that has traditionally surrounded the issue of capital punishment. When a Texas television reporter sought permission to televise the execution of a convicted murderer by lethal injection in 1983, arguments were advanced both for and against televising executions. A recent poll shows that 84% of Americans…

The purpose of this report is to present the results of a crime victimization survey conducted among Virginia residents. The description of the findings is divided into four sections: criminal victimization experiences, reporting of victimizations, attitudes toward crime, and crime prevention and protection measures. The report is offered as a…

EStablished in 1980 to help improve management effectiveness, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for audit, investigative, fraud detection and prevention, and some security services for the Department. In this document--its first semi-annual report--the OIG first describes its organizational…

Describes a 30-233 "Youth Awareness Program" in Washington, DC, to help students recognize the responsibilities of citizenship. Police collaborate with schools in providing classroom visits, field trips, and instructional materials aimed at specific areas of concern for adolescents, such as alcohol, drugs, smoking, sexuality, juvenile…