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Violence in America's Public Schools

NCJ Number
166174
Date Published
1993
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This survey explored concerns of teachers, students, and law enforcement officials about violence in public schools; the primary goal was to bring teacher opinions to the attention of the education community and the American public.
Abstract
Interviews were conducted between September and October 1993 with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 teachers, 1,180 students, and 100 law enforcement officials. Respondents were asked about violent incidents in schools, factors that contributed to violence, and ways in which violence or the threat of violence affected them individually. While most teachers and students felt safe and had not personally been involved in a violent incident in or around their schools, teacher and student experiences and perceptions frequently differed, with students seeing and fearing violence more than teachers. Law enforcement officials expressed the highest level of concern about violence in schools. Overall, teacher and student experiences with issues related to safety and violence in schools showed strong associations with factors related to the school environment, quality of education, the school's ability to help students succeed academically, the level of parental involvement in school life, and the percentage of low income or minority students in the school. Urban teachers viewed violence as a greater problem than did suburban and rural teachers. Most teachers and law enforcement officials felt major factors contributing to violence in schools included lack of supervision at home, lack of family involvement in schools, and exposure to violence in the mass media. Many students felt violence was associated with peer relationships, and most students did not know how many of their peers carried weapons to school on a regular basis. Teachers, students, and law enforcement officials believed students carried weapons for three main reasons: for protection, to impress their friends, or for self-esteem. About 11 percent of teachers said they had been victimized by violent incidents, 95 percent of which involved students. About 23 percent of students reported they had been victims of violence in schools. In terms of violence prevention, 651 percent of teachers, 41 percent of students, and 41 percent of law enforcement officials felt school security was adequate. 17 tables