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ERIC Number: ED188294
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1980-Apr
Pages: 27
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Violent Society, Violent Schools: It's a Question of Choice.
Morgenstern, Robert E.
A contemporary theory of behavior is that faulty patterns of thinking divide the criminal from the noncriminal. The causation of school violence is children choosing to be violent; and the problem of school violence is acceptance of their choice. Short-term control measures are adherence to systematic school rules, use of technology, security consciousness, innovative people programs, and teachers trained or experienced in handling disruptive students. Long-term control measures stem from a redefinition of the role of the school. School administrators must recognize that their responsibility ends when the student makes a choice not to behave. In addition, administrators must demand that the criminal justice system respond to their needs. The long tradition of excusing criminal behavior because the offender is a child must end. Finally, in our individual lives, we must reassess our own behavior. Support of public media that sell violence cannot be continued. The long-term control of school violence will be attained when children recognize that criminal behavior will not be tolerated and parents recognize that they are responsible for their children. (Author/MLF)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National School Boards Association (40th, San Francisco, CA, April 19-22, 1980).