The "District of Columbia School Choice Incentive Act of 2003," passed by the Congress in January 2004, established the first federally funded, private school voucher program in the United States. The purpose of the new scholarship program was to provide low-income residents, particularly those whose children attend schools in need of…

This paper examines three groups of respondents (teachers, students, and principals) commonly surveyed in climate studies. The study sought to discover whether or not principals, students, and teachers agreed in their assessments of their school's disciplinary climate. The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88) was used to create…

During summer and fall 2001, the Florida Commissioner of Education conducted eight regional meetings, open to the public, on school safety and security. The purpose of the meetings was to explore safety issues faced by districts and schools, share best safety practices, and generate local discussion on matters of school safety and security. This…

The Campus Climate Research Group at the University of Georgia conducted a survey to explore safety and acceptance issues for lesbian, gay, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students at the university. The findings are based on 82 questionnaires returned form 223 surveys distributed to the LGBTQ community in fall 2001. The research results indicate…

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) conducted a survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students affiliated with local youth service organizations around the United States. A total of 496 youth from 32 states completed the survey fully. Over 90% reported that they sometimes or frequently hear homophobic remarks in…

This report presents findings from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services ongoing evaluation of local School Resources Office (SRO) programs. Evaluation data were obtained from 3,244 Student Incident Reports (SIR), a survey of 2,067 school staff, a survey of 11,864 middle school and high school students, and 104 SRO quarterly…

This digest presents an overview of effective antiviolence strategies for use with elementary school children that educators can integrate into their schools and classrooms. The most effective antiviolence efforts focus on measures that prevent all types of children's bad conduct: aggression, bullying, and hate bullying. The most effective school…

Reports data from a nationwide survey of New Zealand high school students and staff that examined their attitudes toward lesbian/gay/bisexual students. Most respondents perceived that lesbian/gay/bisexual students were not safe at school and that these students experienced subtle and extreme forms of intimidation. However, many students and staff…

Focus groups with 82 middle and high school students from diverse school settings elicited four themes: (1) definitions of school violence must be expanded beyond physical assault; (2) teachers should be more involved in establishing a safe environment; (3) respect is the key to effective communication; and (4) connections with school and adults…

Examines the short-term outcome of an antibullying program by comparing children attending a school involved in the program to children not receiving the program. Results indicated that bullying did not decrease four months after the program was introduced. There were, however, improvements reported in the level of victimization, peer isolation,…

Discusses the importance of creating safe school environments for gay and lesbian students. Anti-gay bias has been called the last acceptable form of discrimination in the United States, and many U.S. public schools are complicit in cultivating this intolerance. Describes one public and one private high school's efforts to make safe environments…

An important element of the context in which children are educated is the safety in their schools. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships among student perceptions of community safety, school environment, substance use, and school safety with a total of 3,092 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Data were used from the…

Uncovering issues of school safety, both perceived and real, requires research that probes students' perspectives. This paper tells the story of a comparative research project initiated in an English education methods course. The study was conducted in two high schools and utilized mapping and surveying to determine students' perceptions of school…

In the popular imagination, Americans are a child-loving people. Across the land, selfless parents take classes, read books, create playgroups, and exchange the latest information about how to ensure safe, contented, and productive childhoods. The range of public programs and policies benefiting children, directly or indirectly, offers further…

Previous studies have yielded little knowledge about firearm-related behavior applicable to the "average" youth, either because the research focused on select populations, or because only the most general of weapon-related questions were asked. To fill this void, a study was conducted on the firearm experience of average youths based on results…