Planning for Safer and Better Schools: School Violence Prevention and Intervention Strategies

Abstract

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The goal of this paper by Stephens was to describe a plan for achieving safer schools using specific assessment tools and intervention techniques. METHODOLOGY: The author employed a non-experimental research design drawing on information gathered from personal visits to more than 500 schools across the United States. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The author argued that schools cannot accomplish their academic goals if they are not safe. To achieve safer schools, many states have passed laws requiring schools to implement comprehensive plans to reduce drugs, violence, and fear on campus. It was suggested that the most important part of these plans is an assessment of the current level of crime and violence in one's school. The assessment should include a crime analysis detailing the frequency and severity of problems in ones school, as well as a survey of students, staff and community members and their perceptions of the problems. It was argued that the assessment should also involve the participation of students, staff, parents, law enforcement officials, and other community members in the form of focus groups which discuss problems and how they should be addressed. The author recommended that this assessment be conducted by schools on a yearly basis. The author recommended several policies and programs for preventing violence in schools. He suggested that students and staff be encouraged to have a sense of ownership and pride in their school, and that the school campus be made a welcoming and safe place. It was recommended that students become actively involved in making their schools safe through new curricula focusing on decision making and conflict management. It was also suggested that students be given alternatives for positive extracurricular activities to interest and challenge them while also keeping them out of trouble. The author recommended that chronic troublemakers be targeted so that teachers could direct extra attention to them, and suggested that schools should work closely with law enforcement officials in identifying and working with these students. It was argued that parents play an important role in keeping schools safe; one suggestion given by the author was that schools create a parents' center to recruit parents for volunteer work at school. It was recommended that teachers receive special training in classroom management and conflict resolution, and that all staff members be screened prior to hiring to prevent child molesters and other felons from working in schools. Other recommendations made by the author included dress codes, adequate adult supervision of students at all times (a 25:1 ratio of students to adults), limited access to school grounds for visitors, clear and consistent behavior guidelines for students, a requirement for reporting and tracking school crime problems, a plan for responding to crises, and support and protection for victims of school crime. The author listed a specific procedure for school staff to implement when confronted with a potentially violent conflict. This procedure consisted of four parts: evaluating the problem, evacuating other children from the area, isolating the students in conflict, and negotiating or mediating an end to their dispute. The author concluded that achieving safe schools is a continuous process which must be broad based and involve the participation of students, staff, parents, and the surrounding community. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) School Violence Juvenile Offender Juvenile Violence Student Violence Violence Intervention Violence Prevention School Safety Planning School Security School Based Intervention Recommendations Prevention Recommendations 06-03