Sociologist Joseph Sheley puts school violence in perspective by showing that it occurs much less often than in communities where students live; however, on the other hand, weapons-carrying by youth is not uncommon, and guns are easy to obtain. A significant research finding noted is that the primary motive for carrying weapons is fear. Although schools are taking steps to lower the risk of weapon-related incidents, whether or not the selected strategies are effective is currently unknown. Ron Prinz, a psychologist, argues in another paper that because problem behavior stems from prior maladjustment, prevention must be considered from a "developmental" perspective by analyzing what causes that behavior. Prevention requires understanding and changing social environments more so than targeting specific individuals. Public health psychiatrist Sheppard Kellam draws on his decades-long work in Chicago and Baltimore to emphasize the importance of community involvement in designing prevention programs. The task for communities is how to dissuade juveniles from resolving disputes violently, so as to change their conviction that weapons are required to survive and protect their self-esteem. Notes accompany each paper.