Responses of 109 students who failed reliability or validity checks on a school climate and violence questionnaire were compared with those of a randomly matched group who answered consistently and accurately. Results indicated significant differences in terms of school violence victimization and perceived danger at school. (SLD)

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Making Schools Safer for LGBT Youth: Despite Signs of Progress, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students Say Harassment Persists (Michael Sadowski);…

As part of a series of studies on the concerns and aspirations of American teachers, this report illustrates the concerns of teachers, students, and law enforcement officers about the increasing violence and fears of violence in U.S. schools. The survey is based on interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 teachers from grades 3…

This paper introduces a project that sought to examines students' perceptions of the meaning of school violence, its impact on their schooling experience, and the effectiveness of current strategies for dealing with violent behaviors. Interviews were conducted with 60 students in grades 7-9 (in groups of 12) drawn from 5 K-9 schools in central…

A 16-month evaluation sponsored by the National Institute of Justice compared the separate and combined impact of two New York City middle school violence prevention programs from February 1993 to June 1994. Project Schools Teaching Options for Peace (S.T.O.P.), a traditional conflict resolution program with a curriculum and peer mediation was…

This paper discusses three aspects of bias crimes against sexual minorities: (1) perpetration rates among young adults; (2) perpetrators' motivations; and (3) factors that prevent some people from committing hate crimes. In an anonymous survey of 484 students at 6 community colleges: one in 10 respondents admitted physical violence or threats…

This two part curriculum includes a student's guide and a teacher's guide designed to help upper-elementary and middle school students better understand violence and work to prevent it in the schools and community. Developing violence prevention plans will help students express their ideas about solutions to violence and will help students examine…

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…

Examines the origin and nature of student aggression, offering recommendations for refocusing the content of teacher education programs. The paper suggests refining the boundaries of professional development to engage all school personnel in combating aggression. Argues for strengthened university and public school collaboration to curb the rising…

The problem of juvenile delinquency in general and violence among youth in particular has been topping the public agenda in recent years. The phenomenon of violence is widespread among various groups, one of the major arenas being that of the school premises. Kenney and Watson (1989) aptly define violence in schools through the metaphor "the…

This report provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. Some of these indicators document that student safety has improved. For example, the victimization rate of students ages 12-18 at school declined from 73 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2003 to 55 per 1,000 students victimizations in 2004. However, other…

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) Act of 1986 provides funding to school districts to supplement local efforts to eliminate violence and drug and alcohol use by their students. In 1997-98 the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) received a total of $1,197,750 through SDFSC grants. In the AISD these funds support a…

Individual, semi-structured interviews were administered to 154 elementary school children and 47 elementary teachers drawn from middle class suburban schools. Children and teachers were questioned about their perceptions of the social and territorial constraints and prerogatives children have in school (their felt status) and those they ought to…

TWO METHODS OF IMPLEMENTING SCHOOL SHOP EYE PROTECTION PROGRAMS WERE INVESTIGATED TO DETERMINE THE MORE EFFECTIVE FOR DEVELOPING FAVORABLE AND LASTING STUDENT ATTITUDES. TWO INDEPENDENT SAMPLES, TOTALING 76, WERE DRAWN FROM THE TENTH GRADE VOCATIONAL MACHINE SHOP STUDENTS AND FROM COLLEGE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AN ENGINEERING MACHINE SHOP COURSE.…

Noting that bullying among primary school-age children has become recognized as an antecedent to more violent behavior in later grades, the 3-year Maine Project Against Bullying examined currently available research on bullying and evaluated books, curricula, media materials, and programs to identify resources and strategies which can be applied…