School violence is best considered as a manifestation of the trends in violence in the homes, communities, and mass media rather than as a separate phenomenon. Most children experience no fights, weapons, bullying, or theft at school, but school violence is an increasing concern and requires effective solutions. A survey by the United States Department of Justice in 1993 reported that nearly 3 million crimes per year occur on or near school campuses. The levels of aggression are related in part to school characteristics; low-level disorder is a frequent precursor and promoter of higher levels of aggression. Problem behavior ranges from horseplay and rule violation to fights among students, attacks on teachers, the use of weapons, and collective violence. Student possession of weapons and school vandalism are increasing. Violence in schools harms education and causes physical, emotional, and financial injury to its victims. Interventions discussed in subsequent chapters of this book include not only student-oriented and school-oriented approaches but also strategies targeted to the family and community factors that affect school functioning and school violence. Tables and 61 references