This paper examined the perceptions of school administrators in the state of Illinois concerning their roles in preventing school violence. Targeted school violence has increasingly been a concern in the United States. It is a type of violence that transcends everyday altercations in the school context, and rises to the level of deliberate, usually planned efforts to bring violence to the school setting. The study focused on the administrators' perceptions of their roles in a new era of threat assessments to learn ways in which administrators can potentially, effectively address and mitigate the risk of targeted violence in educational settings. Additionally, the study sought to address gaps in existing literature by responding to calls for further research on leveraging the unique position of school leaders in violence prevention efforts and identifying evidence-based practices for enhancing school safety. The data revealed that administrators are implementing comprehensive strategies such as threat assessments and mental health screenings, and they believe these measures are effective in reducing incidents of school violence. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]