Much of this brief comes from the ERIC Digest on Zero Tolerance Policies (ERIC #: ED451579). State legislatures and school boards are adopting a growing number of zero-tolerance polices toward weapons, guns, and violence. Zero-tolerance polices are rules intended to address specific school-safety issues. Despite the controversies that it has…

Examines nine school-based peer mediation and conflict resolution projects supported by state health departments in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, and North Carolina, noting project differences regarding targeted students, project consultants, teacher and student training, mediation format, teaching methods/curriculum content, complementary…

Explores the possibility that combining conflict management and English content, particularly short stories, can help young people develop more effective cognitive skills. Proposes a unit that begins with journal writing and general discussion of conflicts (including a description of three styles with which people manage conflict) and moves on to…

Examines the response made by San Antonio (Texas) public schools to school violence and discusses the competing disciplinary views offered to address the problems. The author distinguishes between rhetorical and actual efforts to solve community problems in urban areas that surround urban schools and argues for mediation as a theory of social…

Observes that the influence of television and media violence on children's behavior is of concern to many people. Examines research related to the influence of such violence on children's behavior and to teaching about the differences between television and real-life violence. Makes suggestions for dealing with this concern. (DSK)

Presents an overview of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, a key federal program that provides funding directly to states and local educational agencies to facilitate drug and violence prevention programs. The Gun-Free Schools Act is also examined, and the major challenges communities face in correcting school safety problems are…

This qualitative study examined perceptions of the causes and nature of conflicts and violence among African-American girls in an urban high school. In-depth, iterative interviewing was used to explore the perceptions of these girls, male students, teachers, and other school personnel. Ethnographic observation was also used. Conflicts and violence…

The experience of Rwanda's genocide in 1994 shocked the world into disbelief as Western media finally focused their attention on the region's ongoing conflict. Yet little is being done today to prevent the reproduction of a parallel disaster in its twin country, Burundi, where similar conflict patterns may spark another intensely violent civil…

Departing from UNESCO disarmament education guidelines, a conceptual framework is presented in which disarmament is seen in relation to the overall question of peace, which also includes problems of development and human rights. The need for disarmament is based on arguments related not only to disarmament "per se", but also to the need for…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the factors perceived by teachers as significant to the development of a safer school-work environment. The case study involved a 4-year project to decrease school violence in an urban, elementary, Chapter 1 school. Data were obtained from administration of the School Level Environment…

Research confirms the fact that violence is a growing problem in American society. The frequency of reports of youth involved in violent acts reflects an inability to handle conflicts in safe, constructive ways among this age group. Although the business of schools is to educate, many students are more concerned with their own safety than…

This digest addresses the topic of increasing violence among and against youth in society. The opening section "What Personal Qualities Are Associated with Reduction of Violence," identifies: (1) problem-solving and reasoning skills; (2) social capacities; and (3) a productive sense of purpose, independence, and power. The section…

Nearly one million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are victims of violent crimes each year, and this has been true since at least 1985. Children are becoming involved in violence at ever younger ages, both as victims and as perpetrators. The threat of firearms is the greatest concern in adolescent violence, but no single factor can be…

Bullying in schools is a widespread phenomenon that has been largely ignored by professional investigators. It is often a covert problem, but once it is put into the context of social interaction, schools are able to respond to it in productive ways. A multifactorial response is best, and prevention is far better than crisis management. One of the…

Teacher education programs are rapidly changing to ensure that pre-service teachers are well prepared to successfully conquer the critical issues they will encounter in K-12 public schools. The major issue influencing teaching and learning is school violence and the lack of a sense of peace and caring in educational institutions. The educational…