School Violence: Education & Prevention

1. School Violence: Education & Prevention Kathleen Szychulski COUN 511

2. INTRODUCTION • Definition –School violence is “any behavior that violates a school’s mission or climate of respect or jeopardizes the intent of the school to be free of aggression against persons or property, drugs, weapons, disruptions, and disorder.”

3. SCHOOL VIOLENCE STATISTICS • From July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005, there were 48 school-associated deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. • Incidents of crime are reported at 96% of high schools, 94% of middle schools, and 74% of primary schools. • The percentage of public schools experiencing one or more violent incidents increased between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 school years, from 71 to 81 percent. • In 2005, four percent of students ages 12-18 reported being victimized at school during the past six months. • In 2003-04, 10% of teachers in central city schools were threatened with injury by students, compared with 6% of teachers in urban fringe schools and 5% of teachers in rural schools. Five percent of teachers in central city schools were attacked by students, compared with 3% of teachers in urban fringe and 2% of teachers in rural schools.

4. WEBSITE ANALYSISSchool Violence • Discovery School • Center for the Prevention of School Violence • Guidance Channel • Education World • Maryland State Department of Education

5. DISCOVERY SCHOOL (Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators) • Mainly for Teachers • Designated Area for Special Education Teachers and Counselors to Explore Topics of Interest • Lesson Plans (Link to Teacher Talk) • Feeling Peer Pressure • Television Violence • Using Nonviolent and Violent Methods to Solve Problems

6. CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE • Students • Hot Lines • Peer made posters, plays, and videos speaking out on the issue of violence

7. CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE (continued) • COUNSELORS • •provide group and individual counseling dealing with academic, career, personal, and social needs • •coordinate mentor programs available to all students to assist with academic and peer concerns; • •facilitate programs (e.g., conflict resolution, peer mediation, and anger management) that train students how to handle their anger and peer problems; • •conduct regular discussion groups on school district’s code of student behavior and discipline (Idaho School Counselor Association, 1999).

8. GUIDANCE CHANNEL • Teacher Resources • Information about National Youth Violence Prevention Week (March 26-30) • Tools, strategies, games, and books that deal with the issue of violence prevention • Focuses on having everyone work collaboratively on combating the epidemic of school violence

9. Guidance Channel (continued)Portion of this website discusses how to settle conflicts effectively • Set ground rules. Agreeing to listen to each other without interruptions will lead to better understanding. • Have each person tell their side of the story. You can better understand what the other person may be upset about and clear up any misunderstandings. • Find common ground. It is okay to agree that you disagree - everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Try to find at least one thing you like about each other. • Brainstorm possible solutions. Even if you agree to stay away from each other, at least there will be less confrontation. • Reach an agreement and abide by the terms agreed upon. Write up an agreement in which you both agree to follow.

10. EDUCATION WORLD • This site contains many articles dealing with the topic of violence in schools. • Schools Combat ViolenceWhat's being done to combat violence in America's schools? What can school administrators and teachers do? Should disruptive students be expelled? These are some of the problems educators, lawmakers, and other experts are tackling today.

11. EDUCATION WORLD (continued) Additional Links on the Subject of School Violence • NSSC: "Making a Difference" The site for the National School Safety Center, which in addition to collecting statistics on school violence, offers information on keeping schools safe. • Two recent government reports on violence, crime and discipline in U.S. schools: How do they compare? A comparison of two government reports, the one mentioned in our article, "Violence and Discipline Problems in U.S. Public Schools: 1996-97" and "Students' Reports of School Crime: 1989 and 1995." The first was released in March; the latter was released in April. • Students' Reports of School Crime: 1989 and 1995 Hot off the press (released 4/12/98), this report comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Among other facts the report reveals that the percent of students reporting street gang presence at school nearly doubled between 1989 and 1995, from 15.3 percent to 28.4 percent. The percentage of students reporting that they'd been victims of a violent crime increased from 3.4 percent to 4.2 percent. The percentage of students who reported seeing another student with a gun at school and who reported knowing another student who brought a gun to school was 5.3 percent and 12.7 percent (1995 only). Read the full report for more statistics.

12. EDUCATION WORLD (continued) • Guns + Kids = Tragedy An online conversation explores what's behind the tragedy of kids and violence. • An Urban High School With No Violence An Education Week editorial looks at an Oakland, Calif., high school that has fostered a safe environment. (Type the above headline into the search engine to locate the article.) • Rise in Classroom Violence Alarms Educators An Associated Press story from the Charlotte (N.C.) News & Observer presents teachers' fears of violence in schools.

13. MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION • Maryland has implemented A- Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program. It is made up of six main components. • Kindergarten-12th Grade Drug Prevention Education • Peer Leadership • Student Assistance/Early Intervention • Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Policy • Maryland Adolescent Survey • Middle Grades Tobacco Prevention Education

14. CONCLUSION • School Violence is a rising concern. • The issue of school violence has been given a lot of media attention in the past month. • There is something we can do, if we all work together!